David McErlain: I want to discuss the 5 emails I sent out per our discussion.

• Momentum starts when you stop waiting for jobs and start reconnecting with real humans who already know your value.
• Treat existing relationships gone cold as an opening game given the huge gap in time since you last connected.
• A mic-drop message (100% value, 0% ask) is a good way to restart a relationship gone cold, or to connect with people that feel unreachable.
• A softer ask sometimes gets a more favorable response. “Hope to catch up sometime” often opens doors faster than a hard pitch.
• Take the direct gatekeeper approach only if there is a job opening or if they have a problem that needs to be solved. Go for the advocate approach if you make him excited to pass you along to other people.
• Have a combination of peer and expert approach for your middle game to just catch up and talk about each other’s craft, workflows and creative process, without selling yourself.
• Lead with value by moving your value statement at the top. Show that you have taken your human time to recognize what they do and the impact it has on you.
• Frame the conversation and ask around how you can be valuable to them.

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