Prospecting into a new account always seems to have an allure and mystery that gets us a little excited each time — similar to the feeling of a new beginning. I was taking a new approach to a certain group of prospects this time, which upped that feeling even more.

I tried doing a little less online research and instead was hoping to get an internal referral for a warmer introduction. After a week or so of my typical call processes I decided to send a small mass email. It generated an…interesting response. In my emails I was asking very broad, open ended questions about strategies for the year and to learn more about the prospects specific role.

Responses came in right away. The usual suspects: out of office, take me off your list, no longer at the company, etc… One stuck out immediately: An email with an attachment!

The prospect went on saying he was excited to discuss his current tech stack with me, and that he attached all of the information I had asked for. This one was served up on a silver platter! So, with the excitement of a kid on Christmas morning, I opened the attachment to find it was a YouTube video:

Yeah. I got Rick Rolled at work.

At first I was a little humiliated and even a bit angry, feeling bamboozled and disrespected to a certain extent. But this helped me realize that we’re humans – in most ways we are all alike – and I tried to see the humor in his response. Whether he was making a mockery of me or not, the prospect understood my position and approach and was lightening the mood for me. And hey, it was a new twist to the day.

It made asking for a meeting that much easier, and the conversation we had lacked that typical small-talk awkwardness that often accompanies a first call. That original feeling of anger and humiliation was totally forgotten, and I had a great story to tell my sales manager. Lesson learned — be persistent in your approach and remember, we’re all humans out here.