Angel Financing--Live Phone Calls, Face to Face Meetings Essential to Find Angels (PartVII)

Rule 7: Virtual contact won’t get you real angels.

Whether it’s virtual contact through LinkedIn, another network service or sending out loads of e-mails, asking for a cold introduction is no better than a cold call. Rather, find the companies and people you need to get to and work from the people you know to get to them. And yes, that means real live phone calls and face to face meetings. If you are like most entrepreneurs, you don’t have enough time in the day to do all the things you need to do. When it comes to money, you have to allocate some time for fundraising. You have to be brutally strategic about what efforts, contacts, meetings, calls can garner funds quickly enough. And, oh yes, you have to do it with the polish and persuasiveness of a diplomat, coupled with the passion of an entrepreneur. Remember the clock is ticking on the money search. The smart entrepreneur fishes where the fish are—persistence and strategy are key.