I Didn’t Want to Like This Wicked Email, But…

Here’s a new one.

One of those appointment-setting firms spammed me yesterday with a twisted pitch that…

…ummmmm…

…impressed me with its wicked genius.

The subject line was “Tom, referral candidate…” and the email started like this:

“Tom, Do you guys work with smaller businesses? I run agency/consulting partnerships for Floor 9 Ventures, and I am looking for agencies and consultants that can serve these smaller businesses and join our network. When I say ‘smaller businesses,’ these are companies with 50 or fewer employees.”

Hmmm. Interesting. Sounds like they’re looking to refer me to small businesses. I kept reading. The email continued:

“If you can support companies of this size, I can send you business at a steady clip. To be clear, we charge for these appointments. We don’t onboard new partners often, but when the supply of these appointments goes way up, these opportunities arise.”

Ah! The wicked twist. They’re appointment-setters.

At first I was miffed. 

I nearly deleted the email.

But then I studied it closely and appreciated it for its audacity and mastery.

I get cold emails from appointment-setting firms all the time. Most are panting, pleading pitches. “We’re really, really great. We’ll book lots and lots of appointments for you. Please, please hire us.” 

These pitches are more desperate than my mutt, Moose, when he’s looking for his chew toy.

“Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! Please! Please! Please!” 

The email from Floor 9 Ventures was different.

Instead of pleading with me to hire them, they presented themselves as the keeper of a great opportunity.

We seek worthy partners, it suggested.

“Do you guys work with smaller businesses?” If yes, “…I can send you business.”

That’s not a plea from a desperate seller. That’s a discerning partner evaluating the reader, judging whether they’re partnership material.

The reader wonders, “Am I worthy?”

Then the twist: “To be clear, we charge for these appointments.”

Zero desperation here. Just a confident, bold statement. If you want some of our precious appointments, you pay for them.

And then the kicker: “We don’t onboard new partners often, but when the supply of these appointments goes way up, these opportunities arise.”

Ohhhhh, that’s good. When someone claims, “This is a unique opportunity,” most of us roll our eyes and move on.

This is a similar claim, but it’s different and better.

It suggests this is a rare, fleeting moment. It suggests they’re discerning and selective, not just about their partners, but also about the appointment opportunities they collect and distribute. It activates the reader’s fear of missing out — without falling into pitchy cliche mode. And most importantly…

It oozes confidence.

Just to be clear, I didn’t bite. I don’t want to hire an appointment setter — no matter how impressive their email.

I share all of the above to remind you…

…Desperation kills the sale. Confidence carries it.

When you show up as a sales person, pleading for the prospect to buy, you lose.

When you show up as a confident partner, offering a valuable and unique opportunity to create mutual benefit, you win.

That is so in every communication with your prospects — including your emails and social posts.

Creating story-powered content is not just about entertaining your readers. It’s about showing up with clarity and confidence, building trust, and positioning yourself as a trusted partner (not a pleading, panting, pitch-meister).

Whenever you’re ready, we can work together to elevate your content. See the p.s. below.