Day 14: Kerstin Martin (Part 3)

Community Project

Oct 18

A Good Start.

So last week, late on Thursday night, I emailed my pitch to Herr Hansen at Leuchtturm, hoping he would pass it on to the right person. Well, he did, and when I got up Friday morning I had a reply from Leuchtturm’s brand director! (Remember, they are 9 hours ahead of me.)

Wow. I did not expect a response so quickly! And here is the funny thing: I am pretty sure that the brand director is the same person that Herr Hansen spoke to when he put me on hold during our conversation, I recognized the name. Which just goes to show that putting in the effort and staying up until 2am to write a pitch is sometimes worth it!

The brand director’s message was short, “Thank you for your proposal and I’d be happy to chat with you next week at 4pm German time. What is a good number to call you on?” That was 7am here which was perfect! However, he did not mention a day, so I suggested Monday in my reply.

Well, Monday 7am came and went and no call. Same on Tuesday, no call. No email, either. Ugh.

All sorts of things went through my head at this point:

He is probably busy, I should just wait to hear back from him.

He has changed his mind.

I cannot call him because he said he’d call me.

I don’t want to bother him.

Should I maybe send another email? Is that too pushy?

Ha ha!

Then I remembered something Eli said in her original newsletter that sparked our topic of asking for impossible things:

“Then I moved up a level to stating my preferences. For example, when someone asked, 'where shall we meet', I would suggest a meeting place that suited me, rather than my default answer of, 'I don't mind, wherever's easiest for you.'“

So rather than ambiguously waiting until I was contacted I decided to level up my game. I called the number on his email which went to a woman’s voicemail, I am assuming his assistant. I did not leave a message, it’s not her I wanted. I tried his mobile which was also listed but there was no answer and no mailbox, either. So I decided to call Herr Hansen again. This time a woman answered, and she put me through to the brand director’s voicemail. I left a message. And then I followed up with a short email. I was in full-on ASK mode!

He replied to my email within an hour saying he’d call me the next day if he can, he had a lot going on but he’d try.

I am sharing all these details with you to demonstrate just how much our self-doubt and fears and assumptions continue to influence how we act in a situation that carries so much stake for us. While I’m not shy I am not the most assertive person in the world, either, and saying “I don’t mind, whatever is easiest for you,” is probably one of my most used phrases! It was because of Eli’s email back then that I suggested Monday to the brand director, rather than saying “let me know what day suits you best.” It’s also why - when I did not hear anything - I decided to be proactive and called and emailed again.

Anyway. On Wednesday we finally spoke!

It was a short call because he did slot me in but I took that as a good sign because he was busy but still wanted to talk to me. I think he’s quite intrigued by my story and the planner. He asked me quite a few questions and when he had to go he said that this is a really busy time of year for them but he wants to keep the conversation going. He suggested another call in November and we fixed a date and time for it there and then. That’s what I call German efficiency! He also wants to see a copy of the planner which I will mail to him as soon as I get my batch from the printers.

Phew.

All of this is quite nervewrecking. But also exciting. I may still get a No but I feel that a Yes is also a real possibility here. Which kinda blows my mind.

No matter what the outcome is with Leuchtturm, this Big Ask is a pivot point for my business, I can feel that in my bones. I’ve had a lot of really great conversations with my husband and a few friends, and the initial overwhelm has given way to a piercing clarity and a vision that I finally feel ready to pursue. I’ll share more about what exactly I mean by this next week!

Kerstin Martin is a Squarespace designer and educator with a proven track record of helping more than 1,000 entrepreneurs thrive in their online businesses. She is also the creator of the Eule Planner, an analog business planner specifically designed for digital entrepreneurs.

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