We have reached our boiling point. Just can’t take it anymore. It is time to stop the Pitch Slap. No more terrible pitching 10 seconds after a new LinkedIn connection is accepted. Enough is enough. It only make companies who use this tactic look like jerks. Just a bad marketing and sales approach.

https://youtu.be/BUcer5Oo0wI

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Paul (00:00):

Chad, so we got a hot topic today.

Chad (00:03):

Oh man. I’m waiting on this one for a while.

Paul (00:05):

So we’ve all experienced this. No one likes it. Why people continue to do this. I just don’t know. I don’t know that I have not found an answer yet. The problem that we face is the pitch slap.

Chad (00:20):

Yes. It’s terrible.

Paul (00:21):

About two seconds after somebody connects with you on LinkedIn,

Chad (00:24):

Bam. Bam. My dms are full of it. Yeah. Pitch slap. Yeah.

Paul (00:30):

I can’t take it anymore.

Chad (00:31):

Yeah, I know. It’s terrible. And I relate it to, it’s similar to the dating world, back when we were all dating, and it is very similar to asking a girl on a date, right. The connection request, and then you take her out and it’s like, Hey, you want to get married?

Paul (00:50):

Yeah. Just right away. And she’s like, let’s

Chad (00:52):

Go. Can you imagine the look you would get or the response you would get on that?

Paul (00:57):

Yeah, and it’s not just like a little bit, I get paragraphs, I get

Chad (01:04):

Thesis, novel

Paul (01:05):

Essays, whatever you want to call it, but plenty of them explaining

Chad (01:10):

Everything that they do.

Paul (01:12):

I had one the other day that I thought, I’m going to give this a shot. I’m going to connect. Seems like a worthwhile and about, I mean, at least they waited like 12 minutes and then got five paragraphs and I actually responded and said, man, I was just really hoping for a connection and not to get pitched ride

Chad (01:33):

Away, just treat me like a human. My thing is how do you know what someone needs until you figure out who they are and what they’re about. I mean, you’re just spraying and praying. Warm

Paul (01:46):

Up conversation at least. Yeah. At least learn a little bit. My favorite of all favorites is, you know what? I can help you get 20 to 25 new ideal customers, and we did this for four or five different agencies last week. I’m like, oh my gosh,

Chad (02:01):

Really?

Paul (02:02):

You figured out my ideal customer by looking at, oh wow,

Chad (02:07):

My goodness.

Paul (02:08):

Yeah,

Chad (02:08):

You should be paid a lot more for doing this.

Paul (02:11):

Exactly. But they got a deal. They

Chad (02:13):

Going, it’s crazy. And it is becoming a bigger issue. And I think one of the things that we see a lot just in general is, and it’s not just people, although people are brands, but it’s also companies. They’re talking at customers and not talking to customers in a way that resonates

Paul (02:38)

:

Without a doubt.

Chad (02:39):

And it becomes just like Charlie Brown’s teacher, wah. It’s a little

Paul (02:46):

Bit,

Chad (02:47):

And then they wonder why they struggle being able to grow as a business and to continue in the trending up with their business and brand.

Paul (03:03):

It just doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t. Is there something that we’re missing that they have enough of a success rate? I don’t know. The thing though is if it is successful, if they’re actually able to bring on business like that, how many idiots out there? A lot are responding. And

Chad (03:21):

I would just have to think that going into 2024, I mean, aren’t we at a place in society where maybe we did go through that phase where people were more open to that type of pitch, so to speak? Maybe. But don’t you think we’re kind of getting back a little bit trending back towards more personalization and

Paul (03:45):

I hope

Chad (03:45):

So reaching out to people and treating ’em like humans.

Paul (03:49):

Well, I mean, if you’re saying from a standpoint of what you and I are seeing, I think that what you and I are seeing, we’re being more selective with the people that we connect with, particularly on LinkedIn. And so by virtue of that, we’re calling out what we see from the people who are really trying to be superficial, that are trying to be more gimmicky. I mean, I hope that that’s outside of what the algorithm is feeding us and what we’re engaging with. I don’t think that is necessarily the case based on the number of spam messages I get, not just in LinkedIn, but in my email as well.

Chad (04:30):

It’s all the same. But wouldn’t you think that at some point that people would start to realize that this is really not effective?

Paul (04:39):

I would think so. Start making change. The volume by which I see ’em is

Chad (04:44):

The biggest part. The frustrating ones for me are the ones that you get the connection request and then I guess they’d got an automatic

Paul (04:50):

Deal. Yeah. Oh, there’s a lot of automation, that’s for

Chad (04:51):

Sure. And then it kicks into your dms and it’s like, Hey, and they go through this long spill. It’s like, well, if I’d have known this, I wouldn’t have connected the

Paul (04:58):

Poems really get me. Have you gotten a poem yet? Yeah,

Chad (05:01):

I’ve gotten a

Paul (05:01):

Poem, gotten poems and song lyrics. They just really touch my heart and they bring

Chad (05:07):

A tear to your

Paul (05:08):

Eye as I delete them. Yes. They really do. They bring a tear to my eye as I delete ’em and laugh as I walk away.

Chad (05:15):

I just wish that, and I know that it’s difficult to call people out on it in a way that without hurting their feelings, but I’m getting to the point where they’ve kind of almost not hurt my feelings, but they’ve kind of offended me.

Paul (05:30)

:

Yeah, it’s just a waste

Chad (05:31):

Of time. So it’s getting to a point to where it’s a waste of time, but you want to call it out and say, Hey, look, why not treat me like a human? I was hoping that this,

Paul (05:42):

So there’s a question, what does it mean to be human on LinkedIn? Because I guarantee you, I guarantee that there are a section of people that reach out to both of us that think that they are and they’re coming across as not. So is it something that we are perceiving differently or are they taught just an unfortunate, bad way to go about it?

Chad (06:09):

What does it mean? That’s a great question. I don’t know. I think we both kind of came from an era where there was, in the world of business, it’s more Oh yeah, for sure. So we still try to carry that over into this digital world, and it’s difficult at times because you are talking through a computer, but you have to remember that the person on the other side is a human

Paul (06:42):

Well, hope

Chad (06:42):

So. They have feelings. They bleed. They live the same life we do. I mean, it’s the same world. I mean, it may be different. Their life may be a little bit different, but we’re all people. Yeah,

Paul (06:53):

Exactly.

Chad (06:54):

So I don’t know. I guess it really, it goes back to maybe your generation in a way. That’s a good question. I don’t know. I just know that we come from, I wouldn’t say old school, but kind of a little

Paul (07:12):

Bit. Yeah. Obviously Zoom is helpful, but man, I tell you, there’s some days where I’m just zoomed out. Yeah, I know. I mean, I’ll talk to you on the phone. It gets old, but I can get zoomed out pretty quick. Yeah,

Chad (07:26):

It gets old

Paul (07:26):

Quick. Actually become a term now. Zoomed

Chad (07:29):

Out. Zoomed out. Yeah. Yeah. It makes me think of a rifle zoomed out. Exactly. But yeah, it’s an issue. But I just wish that in talking to people, and especially with brands and companies, how to reach their ideal customer in a way that resonates with them. And it’s more than just, you’ve got to have the right tone. You got to use the right messaging. But what happened to birthday cards and anniversary cards? Oh, yeah. What happened to the things that, the personal touch?

Paul (08:12):

Well, I think it’s twofold. I think you have some people who maybe not be as familiar with that. That’s why there are some people that we follow on LinkedIn that are advocating for those types of things, and people think it’s earth shattering, but they just may not have been exposed to it. Not everybody, like my Godmother, before she passed away, I mean, she would literally at the beginning of the year, would buy birthday cards for everybody. I mean, she had ’em ready to go. Not everybody’s like that anymore. So you’ve got people that aren’t familiar with it as well, but there’s also a factor of what if a company is just not aware enough to gather that information and observant to gather that information

Chad (08:56):

Well, but every company should be wanting to differentiate themselves

Paul (09:02):

A hundred percent. I agree. But there’s some planning oftentimes to be differentiated. True. And if we are not thinking ahead to say, well, what information do we need to gather? What do we need to observe in order to do something unique like that, then if they don’t have that information, then it’s kind of hard to do something.

Chad (09:24):

It’s kind of hard to do it if you don’t have it. I mean, I noticed that some companies will send an email when your birthday, if they happen to know that when your birthday is maybe a Valentine’s or Easter or something. And it’s good. I mean, it’s obviously standing out a little bit more than the average, but if they would take it one step further and gather the information up front and just say, Hey, listen, just, and I know everybody’s not going to do it.

Paul (09:52):

No, they’re

Chad (09:53):

Not. But for the ones that do and just getting their birthday, getting their information, giving their anniversary date if they’re married, and I can take this a step further as well. I get so many, and I know you do too packages

Paul (10:08):

From

Chad (10:08):

All companies, and it’s just they miss such a huge opportunity.

Paul (10:13):

Oh my gosh. On

Chad (10:14):

Just the packaging in the box alone.

Paul (10:16):

And we were talking about this the other day because we got Jesse Rob’s book in the mail, and he has got some beautiful packaging that came with that. Yeah,

Chad (10:26):

Isn’t that

Paul (10:27):

Interesting? On Point? I was almost excited as much about the packaging as that was the book that came with it, and he signed it. He actually signed it for this show. Bad Marketing Sucks.

Chad (10:38):

Yeah, it was awesome. I saw it. I loved it. But is it hard? Okay, so here’s the question I’ve got. Is it hard for a large company to do that?

Paul (10:47):

Yes, it is. Because once you get to a certain size, and wow, there’s lots of elements to this, but you get to a certain size decision-making is slowed down significantly. There are large companies that we’ve worked with in the past that nobody wanted to make a decision because they were afraid of, what if I got this wrong? And so they would be incredibly apprehensive to do apprehensive, and then everything that happened became very bland because it was safe. So those great ideas and large corporation or larger business are great ideas that just die on the vine because nobody wants to carry them forward. Nobody wants to be the one to stand out, even though unless you have it, unless it’s part of their identity, part of their mission or their essence. Apple. Apple,

Chad (11:42):

Man, listen, that’s part of their thing. It’s funny because my boys back over the years, they would get Apple products for Christmas and they would save the

Paul (11:51):

Boxes a hundred

Chad (11:52):

Percent. And I would say, guys, I

Paul (11:53):

Guarantee you I’ve got three iPhone boxes in the office over there.

Chad (11:56):

And I’m like, guys, what do we, I mean, you don’t need the box. No, no, no, no, no, no. You’re not throwing it. How you go through and throw all these stuff in boxes in wrapping paper, they don’t want to do it. They don’t want to part, I’m thinking it’s a box, but to them that box means something.

Paul (12:11):

Oh, well, I mean, if you’re not Chad Richards and don’t have an iPhone, then the box means something to somebody.

Chad (12:17):

But you get my point hundred percent. It’s like, what is it about this box?

Paul (12:21):

We were clearing out the closet to put Christmas gifts in the closet, and I have at least two boxes, previous packaging boxes for iPads that we’ve done. But I’m the same way. It’s like I can’t don’t want to throw that out. I don’t

Chad (12:35):

Get it. I get it, but I don’t get it. And I guess my point is is that

Paul (12:39):

Just wait until you get an iPhone, you’ll get it.

Chad (12:41):

I think every company should strive for that a

Paul (12:43):

Hundred percent.

Chad (12:44):

So go back to what we just talked about. Okay. We say it’s hard for a larger company to make those or someone to stick their neck on the line and make that decision, but how hard is it to just get boxes or packaging that is just branded? I mean, how hard is that?

Paul (13:03):

So functionally it is not hard. There are plenty of services out there that’ll do it.

Chad (13:08):

Is it expense?

Paul (13:10):

It’s a little bit more of an expense, but I mean, it depends on how you view it though. I mean, if it makes a bigger impact in the long run, if it’s part of the identity that it doesn’t get thrown away, then another great example is Augusta National, the Masters. Oh yeah. So in previous years when I’ve been lucky enough to be selected in the lottery, last night I was cleaning off my dresser. I have the envelope that the badges came in, practice round badges or tickets came in. I haven’t even thrown away that, but it

Chad (13:50):

Resonates that well,

Paul (13:51):

And it’s part of their

Chad (13:52):

Identity. Don’t want to. I know. It’s interesting how that is. And that’s from someone who grew up right down the road is still that important to you?

Paul (14:00):

A hundred percent. So from a P proximity standpoint, being close is not novel or obviously there’s an accessibility overall for anybody, but to this day, it’s on the same par as the iPhone box that I have in my desk that I haven’t thought

Chad (14:20):

Away. I can see that.

Paul (14:21):

But it’s part of their identity, and they’re very committed to that. Sure. They set a standard of excellence, and Apple does that as well. So for a business to just not think about it, they’re missing that opportunity. But until they define it and put it in a line in the sand, I get

Chad (14:39):

It. I get it. But okay, so let’s take it a step further. I mean, why would it be so hard to just put a thank you card in the box?

Paul (14:47):

It wouldn’t, but someone’s got to take the initiative. I

Chad (14:50):

Mean, just throw it in the box, man. Hey, it’s a branded card. Thank you for your business. It’s not difficult to do.

Paul (15:00):

No, it’s not.

Chad (15:01):

And I think that a lot of businesses, they want to stand out. They want differentiate. They’re trying to, and we’ve talked to ’em about this before, quite a few, and it’s like, but it’s the little things. It really is. Start there. It really is. Once you get, I mean, that’s how you differentiate if you really want to stand out. But

Paul (15:22):

Well, and so let’s take this back to the pitch slap and someone connects, and immediately I’ve got five paragraphs. It is not hard to go a little bit further down my LinkedIn page and see what my interests are. So I’m on the board of our soccer club.

Chad (15:40):

Soccer.

Paul (15:41):

It’s like immediately, if you include that, I’m going to pay attention way more than the fact that you are impressed with my understanding of the marketplace that you don’t even define what

Chad (15:57):

Part of the marketplace am I so good

Paul (15:58):

At? Oh my gosh, it’s just so bad. So this is still in that whole thing. If there are genuine people that are trying to connect, yet, they read something somewhere and some guru told them, this is how you need to send X amount of dms, and this is how you send them numbers, you respond, anything like that, just a little bit of effort. Literally scrolling your finger. Scroll. That’s it. Scroll down a little bit further. Scroll

Chad (16:30):

Down. Just tweak it just a little.

Paul (16:32):

Right. And I’m going to at least spend more time

Chad (16:37):

Considering response, my response. Sure. Oh man. Yeah.

Paul (16:39):

Yeah. So being those little things you talk about. Yeah. Scroll down a little bit further. Actually read some posts.

Chad (16:50):

Yeah.

Paul (16:51):

Because there, it’s not, it’s just that and

Chad (16:54):

Little figure out what you’re about. Because anyone that’s writing their own posts this as well. They’ve got their own Who they are is should be be should be resonating. Yeah. It should come through in their communication. Yeah. So yeah, just go down and just get a little bit more information about who that person is. But yeah, I mean, I just wish that it’s businesses and people and companies and people would just take the time to get back to treating people as humans. It was 25 years ago.

Paul (17:31):

Yeah. Well, what we have now, we didn’t have 20, 25 years ago is the speed at which, if we can get those messages out, right.

Chad (17:41):

Well, that could be a

Paul (17:43):

Curse, but it does. It is. Because it’s even more important for a business to articulate their brand and who they are and who they’re not to their employees who are reaching out on their behalf. Because one of the worst things that you can do is have an employee that thinks, Hey, I’ve got this great tactic, and then now I’m going to make this company look like an absolute idiot because they think they’re crushing it and they’re just pissing people off.

Chad (18:10):

Yeah, I’m going rogue, but I know what I’m doing. Just let me do what I’m doing now. I’m the poster child around here, but yet you’re driving the company into the ground.

Paul (18:20):

A hundred percent. Yeah, it’s, it’s a dangerous thing. But we talk about who’s going to put the thank you cards out there. So you need those people with initiative. You just need to train them and make sure that they’re doing it in a way that’s going to protect your brand rather than really make you look bad.

Chad (18:39):

It’s really just as simple as, I mean, maybe I’m looking at it all wrong, but to me it’s just as simple as having a stack of cards with nice brand. Thank you. On the inside. And maybe even talk a little bit more about what your company’s passionate about. Maybe you’re into sustainability. Maybe you’re into the green, maybe you’re into whatever the case may be. And

Paul (19:04):

The green isn’t making money, right?

Chad (19:05):

Well, no, the green isn’t as far as,

Paul (19:10):

Yeah, I know what you’re talking

Chad (19:11):

About. And just whatever it is that you’re passionate about, that’s probably going to resonate with your customers or some of ’em in some way.

Paul (19:20):

Yeah, exactly.

Chad (19:21):

And just, Hey, thank you for your business. We appreciate it very much.

Paul (19:27):

Well, look, I mean, we can talk about that’s the importance of that, not just making that connection and getting to the delighting stage rather than satisfaction. But what important way for them to enter back into their buying cycle, the last memory that they’re going to have with you, just in that example that you give. That’s my point. We talked about your hat. I’m sure that they had some, maybe they didn’t have anything in the box, but they followed up with you real quick. They

Chad (19:55):

Did a great job. Yeah,

Paul (19:57):

They really did. And it’s made a big difference.

Chad (19:58):

Made a big difference. Yeah. We’ve

Paul (20:00):

Talked about it twice

Chad (20:01):

Now. This part. Yeah. It’s one of those deals that stands out with me because just the way the whole process went

Paul (20:07):

And it stands out treating like a human being and it stands out. You’ve got a big

Chad (20:10):

Head too. I’ve got a monster

Paul (20:11):

Head. So there’s

Chad (20:13):

Monster head. There’s

Paul (20:14):

Just

Chad (20:15):

Physical

Paul (20:15):

Observation

Chad (20:16):

There. I’m a lifelong customer at this point. Unless my head shrinks, which I doubt that’ll

Paul (20:21):

Happen. That would be impressive.

Chad (20:24):

That would be

Paul (20:24):

Impressive. Go the other way. But yeah, so I guess to wrap it all up is just don’t pitch slap.

Chad (20:30):

Don’t pitch, slap.

Paul (20:31):

Scroll down a little bit more. Actually read

Chad (20:33):

Some post. What do you think? Maybe 10 to 15, 20 seconds

Paul (20:37):

Of

Chad (20:37):

Scrolling. Maybe 30 extra time per pitch slap.

Paul (20:42):

Yeah, I think so. I mean, if you give me 45 seconds, it might be a little bit

Chad (20:47):

Easier. Less than a minute. Yeah,

Paul (20:48):

I think so. I think so. But man, it would just be nice if we could get rid of the pitch flat.

Chad (20:53):

It would be, and companies that keep talking about wanting to differentiate their brand. Yep. Do a little stuff.

Paul (21:00):

Do the little stuff.

Chad (21:01):

Yeah. Start there. And then once you start there, then you can really build off that into other areas of your business.

Paul (21:07):

Without a doubt.

Chad (21:07):

It’s like trying to build a house from the top down. We’re going to get the roof on, but wait a minute, what are we going to attach the roof to? Yeah, exactly. We have no walls here. Where’s the foundation? Same concept. Build it right? Build it from the ground up and do it the right way.

Paul (21:24):

Absolutely. It’ll serve you well

Chad (21:27):

In the long run. It will serve you tenfold.

Paul (21:31):

Plus, without it out. Without out. Well, I am going to go and see how many pitch laps I have. I sure you’ve got plenty. And enjoy

Chad (21:39):

That.

Paul (21:40):

We’ll have a laugh about how good there.

Chad (21:42):

I’m loving it. I’m loving it. Let’s get back to work, man.

Paul (21:44):

Let’s do it. See you.

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