How to ask me (or anyone) for advice

September 1, 2019

I have an email problem

In the game of business and indeed life getting to the point is a virtue. Asking for advice is no exception.

My position at firma.de has given me broad exposure into the trials and tribulations of doing business in Germany. My experience is unique and it is because of this I get asked for incorporation or startup advice every single day. Sometimes from customers and very often from founders who just want advice.

I want to help motivated founders whenever I can. In fact, I’m in the business of helping founders. But, the amount of people reaching out to me has reached a critical mass and now I have a serious inbox problem:

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It’s not just the sheer number of emails but also their content. I am bombarded with requests to meet for coffee, updates on something I’ve never heard of before, background with no context and, of course, lots of pitch decks. Generally, I just get sprayed with a lot of pointless information that I don’t have the bandwidth nor time to figure out what they actually want from me.

There is better way to do this.

Do as the Germans do. Germans get a bad rap for their communication style. But when it comes to business, us Germans have got it down pat.

When asking for advice Germans do it better

When asking advice (or indeed sending any kind of business communication) do as Germans do: Be direct and get straight to the point.

Just send me an email that can be read in two minutes or less and be upfront with your request by asking a clearly articulated question.

If you cannot do this, work on it until you can.

It’s science

I have a natural tendency to solve problems. If you present me some problem, background or information my brain immediately starts thinking about a solution. If you make it easy for me, I can’t help but answer them immediately. Either with some clarifying questions or advice.

When I don’t receive this type of email, it is so much harder and I’m a lot slower to respond.

However, it is not just me but in fact how the human mind works. Our brains are already overloaded with information in the modern world and have limited bandwidth to figure things out. If you make it as cognitively easy as possible to take action, action is much more likely to occur.

What would a German do?

The next time you feel compelled to send an email to someone, ask yourself: What would a German do? And, send a short email that contains a direct and well formulated question. This applies to introductions as well. This will not only save you time but is more likely to get the advice you need.