Hey {{first_name | there}},

“Would love to connect for coffee and learn more about you!”

“Are you open to a coffee chat?”

“Let’s swap notes sometime!”

I know your LinkedIn DMS are full of these, because mine are too (both sent and received, if I’m being honest). And because of the sheer volume of these requests, I’m seeing more and more resistance to networking conversations as a category.

That’s because—let’s be honest—we’ve all been burned by one too many of these types of calls that result in:

👁️👄👁️

But before you write off this type of marketing, I beg you to reconsider and instead examine your approach to these requests. Because there’s a big difference between a bad opportunity and a missed opportunity.

That’s this week’s issue of Brand Burnout 🔥

I’ve been thinking a lot about opportunity—what makes a good one, what makes a bad one, and what makes a missed one. Specifically, I’ve been thinking about opportunity through the lens of connection calls, because my calendar is always full of them, and I’m always trying to encourage my clients to meet more (of the right type of!) people.

So many people I talk to resist these networking calls because they don’t want events on their calendar, or they see them as a waste of time because they don’t immediately result in a sale.

But I see far fewer bad opportunities in this space than I do missed ones.

Now don't get me wrong—there are definitely bad calls: a "let's connect" call where there’s no chemistry; an "intro call" that turns into a 40-minute pitch for their own program; a "Pick Your Brain" conversation disguised as an "I Think We Can Collaborate!" coffee chat.

But when a networking call doesn’t automatically turn into more leads, connections, or interest, it’s chalked up to being a Bad Fit. But what if…you’re really the problem?

Oof, I know. We don’t love to hear that, but stay with me.

There are two things I see plaguing founders right now, and both are souring good opportunities for connection.

What it Looks Like in this Context: You get on a call, and someone asks what should be the easiest question in the world to answer: “So what do you do?” And suddenly, you start doing math in your head. Do I lead with the 1:1s or the workshops? Do I mention the templates? Should I start a demo? By the time you’ve landed on an answer, you’ve said four different things, and the person is looking back at you like: 👁️👄👁️

Or if they’re polite, they may follow up with: So I want to make sure I understand…

Why it Happens: Many people I work with come to me because they’ve gotten lost in the sauce of their own making. They’ve turned a simple idea into a business of complexity. They’re offering too many things to too many people across too many channels. And somewhere along the way, their offer and the way they talk about it have become so fragmented that they themselves have lost the plot. In short, they get in a room (Zoom or otherwise!) and don’t know what their ask actually is.

How to Fix It: Before your next call, decide on the one thing you want this specific person to walk away knowing or doing. Not everything you offer, just one. single. thing.¹ Ask yourself: If you could only make one ask on this call, what would it be…and are you brave enough to ask for it?

What it Looks Like in this Context: You get on the call already a little tired of hearing yourself explain your work, so you skip the shop talk and go straight to rapport. You catch up, you crack a joke, you ask about their week, and 30 minutes flies by and you never once got close to the thing you hoped to gain from the opportunity. Because obviously, they already know your business, right?

You’ve turned a set of captive ears and eyeballs into…👁️👄👁️

Why it Happens: A founder can get so in the weeds of their own work and isolate themselves from feedback and conversations that they begin to get sick of themselves and, in the process, assume everyone in their orbit knows exactly what service they provide and how to buy from them.

How to Fix It: First, ask yourself—when was the last time you actually said what you do out loud? This is not the same as writing a LinkedIn post about your work, posting your service in a Slack channel, or writing a newsletter. Then, on your next call, explain what you do like this person is hearing it for the first time (because they probably are…even if they’ve heard it 1000 times before—you catch my drift?).

One of these founders is cramming their entire business they’ve spent years building into thirty minutes because they’re not sure which piece matters most. The other’s coasting on rapport because they assume the pitch already landed somewhere else.

And in the midst of all of this, the expectation of this call is completely off—they’re treating the call like it’s the entire relationship, not just the start of one.

Remember—bad opportunities exist. But they’re often misdiagnosed as “bad” simply because they were expected to convert in a way they were never designed to. This type of marketing isn’t a tactic you check off a list and expect a lead to come out of right away.

It’s something that compounds over time.

So the next time your calendar fills up with “quick coffee chats,” don’t ask whether this is The One that will change your business completely. Ask whether you’re showing up clearly, and whether you gave the other person something worth engaging with.

Thanks for reading,

Calibration Sessions are designed to help service-based founders navigate inflection points while identifying their best opportunities. You’ll walk away with a 30-day Navigate Plan to help you chart your path to predictable growth.

If you’re thinking about growth in 2027, now’s the time to get started with this work! We’ll work together to develop the positioning and business structures that help you command premium pricing and pivot upmarket.

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