The $20 coffee meeting trick that actually got me 3 contracts

I was stuck sending cold emails for months in Detroit with zero replies. Then I started inviting people for a quick 15 minute coffee at the Red Hook Cafe in Corktown instead. I buy their drink and keep it super casual, no pitch, just asking about their business struggles. It sounds too simple but I landed 3 solid contracts in two weeks after that shift. Anyone else found a weird trick that breaks the Detroit networking ice better than formal meetings?

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jones.brooke13d ago

The "no pitch" part is key and I think most people miss why it works. Its not just about being casual, its about flipping the power dynamic. When you buy the coffee and genuinely ask about their struggles without trying to sell anything, they feel like they owe you something. I did this with a guy from Ford who was venting about supplier delays for like 20 minutes and by the end he was like "hey you should talk to my buddy in procurement." Basically I turned a free coffee into a guilt trip without saying a word about what I do.