Captivating a Star - How to get a meeting with almost anyone - By Philip Montague
With so many people clambering on the red carpet it can be hard to get the attention of key individuals or organisations. This is particularly true when you’re running your own business and not on the A-list just yet. Whether you’re planning a blockbuster or an indie film, your success will depend on your ability to reach that key contact. If it’s someone to finance your business, someone to partner with or more customers I think I can help.
During my career I’ve heard so
me outlandish stories about getting time with the star you’re desperate to meet. Anything from delivering a personalised singing birthday telegram, to buying a dog to walk when the contact walks theirs. I’m pretty sure the latter is stalking by the way. The reality is, it doesn’t have to be this difficult. This guide will give you some simple steps to assure you get that celebrity’s time:
The film that made you
- Thepersonal recommendation
- On the telephone
- By Email
The film you thought was a flop and now has a cult following
The film that always gets recognised
- My secret weapon
Be warned. I can’t help with what they’ll think of you once you connect.
Your big break
Personal introduction
Once upon a time, the best way to meet anyone was to be introduced to them by someone you both know. It is still the best way.
Begin by thinking in reverse. Not; ‘who do I know that knows them?’ but instead; ‘who do they know that knows me?’ If there is a mutual connection think very hard about how the message will be received by your star. It could hurt your future chances if the individual that approaches them for you does a poor job of it. The more trusted this mutual connection is by both you and the contact you’re chasing, the more likely you are to get a response.
I prefer to keep it really simple as the connector will never know as much about or believe as strongly in your message as you do.This is where the trust comes in. If the mutual connection knows you well, when they vouch for you it will be genuine even if they don’t provide your star with a good reason to connect. That power can be enough. If you don’t know anyone to any small degree I would suggest you keep reading. Keith Ferrazzi and Dale Carnegie are the legends at the personal introduction.
It can take years for that joining piece to fall into place but there are some excellent ways to approach people directly too.
Telephone
A long time ago, in a galaxy far away
Pick up the phone, call their office and ask to speak to them. Don’t be afraid to call them ten times a day if you don’t get them the first time. Persistence pays here, just make sure that when you finally speak to them it has meaning. Don’t get caught in the trap of making cold calls. This is supposed to be a personal, professional invitation.
Once, after trying to get someone on the phone for weeks, and noting this day was her birthday, I picked up the phone with the intention to share my best wishes. I hadn’t prepared properly because I didn’t expect her to pick up. I was so surprised to actually hear her voice, I wished her happy birthday without introducing myself or the meaningful reason for my call. I missed the opportunity and it was six months before she answered again. On the telephone, being prepared can make you powerful.
Is it a bird Is it a plane? No, it’s email.
Finding the email address can be the hardest part of this exercise, particularly if the contact in question has a PA or is part of a security conscious organisation. I recommend asking reception first of all and you don’t need to give a reason for wanting it. If you’re refused try something like; “I would like to email directly with this information what do you advise I do?” In most organisations this information is freely available via the receptionist or from colleagues if you’re genuine and honest. Alternatively you can have a guess, often email addresses are firstname.lastnight@companyname.com!
ONLY email to create an action. It should be to arrange a telephone call, a meeting or connecting at an event for example. Keep your email as brief as possible. If what you need to communicate is more than three or four short sentences then get back on the phone. Think about your subject line too – why should they open the email? Make this enticing so they want to know more. Here is a nice article on how to write a good email https://www.badlanguage.net/effective-email-writing
The cult movie
E.T. tweet home.
When I target marketing connections or small business owners, I’ve found Twitter to be a direct link into that persons world. It also works well I have been navigating a large organisation and found someone that works for them. My advice - Be completely up front. You don’t need to get them to follow you, you don’t need to retweet their work a certain number of times. Tweet or message them directly. State your purpose clearly, you only have 140 characters after all. You can use a hashtag if it brings attention to other things that are relevant to the conversation, like your industry or your work.
I used to think Twitter was of little value to small and medium sized businesses, too much effort, and too little return. Then I met @PennyPower and read her book ‘Know me, like me, follow me.’ She ties Twitter directly into your day to day networking activity and makes it personal. That’s the value. It’s hard to personalise your brand but it’s impossible to hide who you really are on Twitter. Everything that’s unique and interesting about you makes you more likeable and easier to do business with.
Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Facebook anymore.
InMail is your friend. A lot of the time an InMail will go to a connections personal inbox so don’t expect an immediate response. All the same email rules apply. Make it short, make it relevant and clearly state the value to your desired celebrity. Don’t send loads of writing or links,
it looks too much like a sales pitch and it probably is. The great part of InMail, combined with who’s looked at your profile, is that you can see almost real time how a potential connection is assessing you. If your profile isn’t viewed then your InMail isn’t as good as it could be. If you’re viewed and not contacted then revise your profile and what it communicates.
In my experience, one of the most important factors for LinkedIn is your recommendations, here’s a snippet of mine and please remember that despite popular opinion I didn’t write these myself!
“Philip is utterly unique…He exudes a calmness and professionalism along with a very personable nature…Philip is a consummate professional and an excellent communicator…Philip is a highly energetic and creative person…Philip both finds and creates leads from the unlikeliest of places, then drives them through with pure passion…Philip is a very driven, confident and exciting person to be around…Always full of inspired ideas he brings a strong business background and wealth of experience to every situation.”
What do your recommendations say about you?
The academy award
Hand written letter
I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.
My hand written letters get a response 100% of the time. I believe it exhibits all the characteristics you’d wish to display to a new connection. Writing a letter takes more time to prepare, it’s thoughtful, personal and original. I write with a fountain pen on plain company letterhead. I recommend a traditional, formal letter structure. Put a ruled sheet underneath to make sure you’re neat. Make sure you hand write the address on the envelope too.
Post it first class or signed-for. I’m not sure which of these is better, first class has always felt less in your face but signed-for will put it in the hands of the person you’re chasing. You decide. Make certain your telephone number, email address and perhaps even your twitter handle is on the page. It’s perfectly acceptable to hand write these under your name. Finish the letter with a clear action for the reader like; please email me at or call me on.
What’s important is that it looks as good as it reads. It is a physical thing that represents you. Make sure the folds are neat and that the paper isn’t crumpled. The lady that suggested this to me did indeed spray it with her perfume. The best part of all, you can start calling them again in a couple of days to ask if they received your letter!
The after party
I have shared with you my best advice for getting meetings based on my experiences. But believe me there have been some knock backs too. It’s important to remember that this is about catching someone’s attention at the right moment and in the right way. That takes some perseverance and it isn’t always going to be easy. After a lot of practice, my success rate is higher than it ever has been before and this is due to using a combination of the approaches above and learning from the mistakes I have made along the way. I am pleased to say that hard work and perseverance has paid off for me. Meeting Richard Branson has been one of the highlights of my career, the current Prime Minister and most of the dragons in the den was pretty good too!
You can meet me on the red carpet: