This is a Guest post by Jill Konrath of Selling To Big Companies.

“Hi, Jill, I was hoping we may be able to help each other” was the subject of this email.

This polite, non- ostentatious and alluring message sparked my interest …

Hi, Jill. I’m one of your first level contacts on LinkedIn and I hope it’s okay that I got in touch with you. I was hoping you can lend me a hand.

I’m interested in partnering with you. I’d like to offer you 20% of the gross margin of any business you refer to me. Or, I’ll just donate a sum of money in your name to your chosen charity.

After which, he informed me how that would work and shared important details about his company.

And then he totally lost me when he said:

Now that was my offer   I could help you sell products or services that you provide to our client base. Just let me know so that I could help you out.

I thought he was composing a personal letter for me. I deleted him as soon as I realized it was a standard email which he sent to everybody. He didn’t even take the time to visit my website and look up information about me.

Have you ever experienced something like this?

Jill Konrath, author of Selling to Big Companies, helps sellers crack into corporate accounts, shorten sales cycles and win big contracts. She’s a frequent speaker at annual sales meetings, kick-off events and professional conferences. For timely and provocative sales advice, visit www.SellingtoBigCompanies.com.