## The Power of "We Both Know..."

Mentioning a mutual connection in your outreach can 5x your response rates. But finding those connections - especially at scale - isn't easy. Here's how to do it.

### Why Mutual Connections Matter

- Social proof: "Someone I trust knows this person"
- Reciprocity: "They took time to find our connection"
- In-group bias: "We're part of the same network"

**The results:** Emails mentioning mutual connections see response rates of 15-25%, compared to under 1% for pure cold emails.

### Method 1: LinkedIn Manual Search

**Step by step:**

1. Go to the prospect's LinkedIn profile
2. Look for "X mutual connections" link
3. Click to see the list
4. Review each mutual connection
5. Assess which is the strongest relationship

- Did you actually work with this person?
- How recently did you interact?
- Would they recognize your name?
- Would the prospect value their opinion?

- Free
- Accurate (you know your own relationships)

- Time-consuming (3-5 min per prospect)
- Only shows your connections, not your team's
- No relationship strength data
- Doesn't scale

### Method 2: LinkedIn Sales Navigator

**Step by step:**

1. Search for your prospect in Sales Navigator
2. Look at "Mutual Connections" section
3. For TeamLink (if available), see team connections

- Your 1st degree connections to the prospect
- TeamLink shows teammates' 1st degree connections

- Integrated into prospecting workflow
- Shows some team connections

- TeamLink only shows 1st degree (no 2nd degree paths)
- No relationship strength scoring
- Limited context on how you know them
- Expensive if you don't already have it

### Method 3: Check Employment History

Sometimes you don't share a direct connection, but you share history.

**Step by step:**

1. Look at the prospect's work history
2. Cross-reference with your own background
3. Look for overlapping companies, even at different times
4. Check your teammates' backgrounds too

**Example:** You both worked at Google, but at different times. You might have mutual connections from there.

- Can find connections LinkedIn doesn't show
- Works even without direct connection

- Very manual
- Easy to miss connections
- Doesn't scale at all

### Method 4: Ask Your Network

Sometimes the fastest way is just to ask.

**Step by step:**

1. Post in your company Slack: "Anyone know someone at \[Company\]?"
2. Check with teammates who might have relevant background
3. Ask advisors and investors

- Surfaces connections you'd never find otherwise
- Works for hidden relationships (not on LinkedIn)

- Slow
- Annoying to do for every prospect
- Doesn't scale

### Method 5: Network Mapping Tools

Tools like Draftboard automate this entire process.

**Step by step:**

1. Connect your team's LinkedIn profiles
2. Import your target prospect list
3. Instantly see all paths - 1st and 2nd degree
4. View relationship scores for each path

- Connections across your entire team, not just you
- 2nd degree paths (your connection knows the prospect)
- Relationship strength scores based on:
  - How long they worked together
  - How recently they connected
  - Whether they worked together at multiple companies
  - Their relative roles

- Scales to thousands of prospects
- Shows paths you'd never find manually
- Scores relationship strength
- Includes 2nd degree connections

- Requires a tool
- Only as good as the profiles connected

### Understanding 1st vs. 2nd Degree Paths

**1st degree path:** You (or your teammate) directly know the prospect.

_How to use:_ > "I noticed we're both connected on LinkedIn - I think we met at \[event\]. Given what you're building, I thought we should reconnect."

**2nd degree path:** You know someone who knows the prospect.

_How to use:_ > "I work with \[Connector Name\] - they mentioned you're doing interesting things at \[Company\]. Wanted to reach out directly."

Or, if appropriate, ask your 1st degree connection for an actual introduction.

### Choosing the Best Connection to Mention

Not all connections are equal. Prioritize based on:

- How well do they actually know each other?
- Would the prospect recognize your connection's name?

- Is your connection respected in the prospect's field?
- Does the connection make sense in context?

- Can you actually reference this person?
- Would they vouch for you if asked?

**Rule of thumb:** A moderately strong connection you can genuinely reference beats a strong connection you have to stretch to explain.

### What to Do When You Don't Have a Connection

- Check more teammates
- Ask advisors and investors
- Look at customer relationships

- Someone at the same company but different team
- Someone in the same industry
- Someone from the same school/program

- Engage with their content before reaching out
- Find them at an event
- Get introduced through a customer

**Option 4: Accept the cold email** If there's truly no connection, write a good cold email. But use this as motivation to build your network.

### Templates for Different Connection Types

**Direct mutual connection (strong):** > "I noticed we're both connected to \[Name\] - we actually worked together at \[Company\]. Given what you're doing with \[initiative\], I thought we should connect."

**Direct mutual connection (weak):** > "I see we're both in \[Name\]'s network. I've been following what \[Company\] is doing in \[space\] and wanted to reach out."

**2nd degree through strong connector:** > "I work with \[Connector\] - they've mentioned you a few times as someone doing great work in \[space\]. Wanted to reach out directly."

**Shared company history:** > "I saw you were at \[Company\] - \[Teammate\] on my team was on the \[team\] there around the same time. We've been working with a few \[Company\] alums on \[problem\]."

### Conclusion

Finding mutual connections is the highest-leverage activity for improving cold outreach. Do it manually for high-priority prospects; use tools like Draftboard to do it at scale for your full pipeline.