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Ask HN: How to get industry insiders to talk to me?
I am brainstorming ideas for enterprise software in a particular industry. I want to talk to some industry insiders to validate my ideas. Other than my own personal contacts, what are some ways I can get industry insiders to talk to me and give me feedback? Thanks.
- maxk42 6y agoSimply send them an email or LinkedIn request and ask. If you're respectful of their time and your ask is simple, most people are glad to help!
- atkc 6y agoThanks. I have been using LinkedIn, and actually able to connect to some of them. Setting up an actual meeting (online of course) seems a lot tougher. I already personalized the message and targeted those people most likely to be interested, but still not much luck. Any suggestion on how to improve my chance of able to set up a meeting?
- maxk42 6y ago"Hi, I'm building <X> and I'm trying to understand the industry's pain points better. Would <solution> be helpful? Is there something else that would be useful to your business?" Something like that. Ask specific questions if you want answers. Make it easy for them to write a one- or two-sentence reply and you'll get paragraphs of valuable information back.
- atkc 6y agoThanks. I'll give that a try too.
- smarri 6y agoSecond this. It works for me. I'd recommend being brief and not to go overboard on the sales chat, just a simple and clear ask.
- obviyus 6y agoMost HNers have their emails listed on their profiles and encourage sending a message. That could be a good starting point!
- atkc 6y agoThanks, just added e-mail address.
- Jugurtha 6y ago>I am brainstorming ideas for enterprise software in a particular industry. I want to talk to some industry insiders to validate my ideas. You can send your hypotheses in your email. Bottom line up front, getting to the point as fast as possible avoiding the caricatural grandiose startup diatribe of how your company will change the world, or what has lead you to start it to fulfill a childhood dream.. It is much easier to receive a reply to an email containing something to disagree with, than it is to an email asking to set a meeting. If you have a prototype, you can open an account for them, send credentials, tell them what it does, and ask them what they think. You can also send a screencast. In my experience, being candid, jealous of and careful with people's time made them more generous with their time.
- atkc 6y agoGood ideas. Thank you.