Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on Seattle 2.0, and imported to GeekWire as part of our acquisition of Seattle 2.0 and its archival content. For more background, see this post.
By Andy Sack
Here’s my start up tip of the day. Follow up.
I’ve been trying over the past 2 to 3 weeks to get investors in TechStars in Seattle (and everyone else for that matter) to put a 1 page TechStars prominently in their offices.
I sent an email about this topic two weeks ago. Then, I sent the exact same email as a reminder 1 week ago. Then, I sent the same email a third time and changed the subject line to : “TechStars….soup for you? In that email, I wrote the following:
“Now — I know that you know that this is the third time I’m sending this email — and I know that many, perhaps even most, have not yet printed out this brochure and put it up prominently in your offices for all entrepreneurs to see. And I suspect that even more of you have not yet forwarded the email to your portfolio companies management teams…
We also know that you have written TechStars a check and you’re an investor…..
So, come on get in the spirit — actually do the steps in this email — TechStars and the Seattle Tech community depend on it….no excuses….
Chop, chop as my grandfather used to say. Time is of the essence — applications are due June 1.
I’m not saying I’m going to — but I may make a phantom visit to your office — and if I do, and the TechStars brochure isn’t up, no soup for you. (I hope you’re a Seinfeld fan) :-) ”
Guess what — it worked. I got emails from my investors stating that this task had been done! I even got a photo from Erik Benson at Voyager of the TechStars 1 pager prominently displayed at the reception desk (if I could figure out how to upload it I’d show it to you — but I couldn’t figure it out..so here it is on my blog And yes — it’s almost all the other investors offices too. My guess is that I went from 90% no response prior to the third email to about 90% follow through — because I followed up three times!
Lesson learned — Follow up. This applies to every step of building a business. Marketing, sales, fund raising, customer service. Follow up …up to 3 times.
Oh — and while I’m at it….I have a favor to ask all of you:
i) Please forward this email around your company — particularly if you’re at a BIG company.
Re: Want mentorship and investment for your startup?
TechStars is a mentorship-driven seed stage investment program. It is now accepting applications for the inaugural 2010 Seattle class. Applications are due by June 1, 2010 and the program kicks-off on August 16, 2010. The Seattle program is funded by every major venture capital firm in Seattle. We are reaching out to every organization in Seattle that works with entrepreneurs to help spread the word about the program. There is more information about TechStars online, www.techstars.org. Any help you can provide in promoting the program or encouraging exciting young companies and engineers to apply is greatly appreciated.
ii) if you walk into on of the vc’s in Seattle and they don’t have the TechStars brochure displayed in their offices — tell them. No soup for you ….and email me.
