Be honest — how often do you REALLY look at a cold inbound from a founder vs. a warm intro from a trusted source? (Don't lie, your Slack usage is being monitored.)

Options

• Cold inbound: maybe 1-2% get more than a glance. Warm intro: ~80%.
• Cold inbound: 10% get a serious look. Warm intro: ~70%.
• I review all cold inbounds from time to time. You never know where the next big thing comes from. (20-30% serious look).
• Depends on the subject line/first sentence. If it's *really* compelling, it gets a read. Otherwise, warm intro wins every time.
• I delegate cold inbounds to associates. If they flag it, I'll look. My time is for warm intros.
• Who has time for cold inbounds in 2026? It's 95% warm intro for anything real.