
Ask HN: Advice reaching out cold to find B2B customer development interviewees? - blizkreeg
In the past, I&#x27;d dive in straight to product development. I&#x27;m determined not to repeat mistakes of the past.<p>My idea is centered around more effective collaboration in companies and teams. I&#x27;m realizing that the CEO&#x2F;COO&#x2F;someone in a similar capacity would be someone I&#x27;d ideally like to talk to, primarily because she&#x2F;he sees the business as a whole and is most concerned with ensuring things are running well in the company.<p>Reaching out to CEOs of well-known companies on LinkedIn though sounds to me like a bad idea. One I&#x27;m not sure they even check their LIs and two, I wonder if LI connect is as effective anymore.<p>What has worked for you when starting cold and prospecting interviewees for your customer interviews (pre-product)?
======
neximo64
It really isn't easy to do what youre asking. You'll just be the next salesman
trying to get in touch with a CEO. The best way is an introduction or getting
to someone lower/someone with a lower time premium who also has access to the
pursestrings with a cold call.

They probably do check their Linkedin but don't respond because you've become
a salesman and they don't have interest.

~~~
blizkreeg
Are you speaking from experience? Just curious as to how you got around it. A
piece of advice I see being mentioned is to specifically call out in your
message that you're not selling anything (as you don't even have a product). I
can imagine it works with some, not with others.

