I’m trying to engage angel and VC networks in my area even more. They’re very hard to get any traction with because everyone wants a piece of their time. Everyone always wants something from them, normally money, and everyone wants an introduction to people they know. I have been on the wings of one particular group for a year and a half, and finally found a great moment to be able to help them out, and I pounced!
Once: An Accident?These guys were very classy – I went to meet them at their offices and had the opportunity to meet with three of them. The first guy started the conversation by asking me, “What is it that you want to get out of this?” That’s how he started the conversation.
After explaining to him that my consulting firm helps startups and explaining to him that I wasn’t here just to poach, but to really make a difference to his organization and then hopefully to scoop up some extra business along the way. His comment was great, “There’s plenty of room for agenda’s here, just not hidden ones!”
He then went on to explain three distinct ways he thought I could contribute – and asked me to think it over or to make another proposal which fit into his framework.
Twice: A Coincidence?
The next person I had a chance to speak to was also a great guy. He introduced himself, shared some of his background, and then asked me, “Now that you know me a little better, is there any way in which I could help you or your business out a little better?”
After finding a few areas of fertile ground for cooperation & some overlapping history, we have a lot to follow up with each other in a couple weeks!
Thrice: A Pattern!Finally, Bob came in and apologized for being late. He had pushed our meeting back by 30 min – which just meant that I got to spend lunch with the previous guy – so I felt no loss at all! He introduced himself, asked me to share my history, and then asked me, “What is it that we can do for you here Chris? I want to really make sure there’s something pretty good here for you as you’re helping us out.”
These guys are in the business of making & handing out money and they all started out by asking me what I was looking for in the situation. I probed each of them on it and they all agreed that without my own “win” in the relationship – anything we did together was going to be short lived – and they didn’t want to bother if it was going to be a quick score - for either of us.
I thought about this all the way home after the meeting.
How often do you ask yourself when you go into a meeting with someone – a potential partner, a long time customer, a prospective employee, or even an investor:
- What’s in it for them?
- Can I make this better for them?
- What else can I do for them?
It’s important to remind yourself every so often that these are the roots of entrepreneurship & capitalism.
I’m making it a point to ask myself these questions more often.
About Chris Harris
For 13 years Chris Harris has been successfully developing technology solutions and creating winning business strategies for both start-up and brand-name companies. Chris co-founded
Inventure Global, a San Diego headquartered IT consulting firm with offices and programmers in India offering sophisticated IT and technology planning, design, and implementation services for new and growing businesses looking for experienced talent and intelligent support. Inventure Global also maintains the
New Venture Outsourcing Blog.