Convey your ask in a clear, structured, and transparent manner

Ensure that you’re making the right ask
Before you approach someone to help you connect to your target, ask yourself the following questions: Am I asking the right person for help? How well do I know this person? Have I ever made an ask of them before? Is there a high chance of success with them?

Make sure your ask is structured and put in the right context
Let’s say you want to meet the CEO of a company. Do your due diligence to find out as much information about them and then ask someone to connect you to that CEO. For example, ask your connector:  “I’m looking to learn about the criteria company CEOs use to assess new vendors. I know you work with a number of these companies daily. Do you know a senior manager who might be able to spare fifteen minutes?” Then let them guide you to the right person.

Communicate with the right person in a way they understand
Once you’ve found the right person to ask for help, ensure that your message is clear to them. Be mindful of political, geographical, or industrial nuances that may seem obvious to you but are quite different for the other person. Furthermore, pick the appropriate time to ask for a favor. For example, if you’re talking to an executive at Target, contact them on a non-holiday rather than a holiday like Black Friday when they are super busy.

Write a concise email in your own words
Offer to write a short 5-sentence email outlining what you need so that the connector can forward it to the person you want to connect with. This way, your connector doesn’t have to spend time writing an email and your message won’t be misunderstood like in a game of broken telephone.