Most people who are writing and speaking get a ton of emails – all sorts of emails. I get a fair share of them myself. While most of the emails are pretty standard, every now and then, I get an email that stands out – distinguishes itself from the crowd. Rather than tell you what makes an email stand out, I am posting the email from Brian ( a free plug for his project but he very well deserves it ) in its entirety ( except his email address of course )

You can see why it stands out and you can quickly see why it stands out.

Here is the email:

Hello Rajesh,

Recently I came across your manifesto, 25 Ways to Distinguish Yourself.  Put simply, it is inspiring. And, I am inspired by a BIG Dream (#4 DREAM BIG). I am attempting to obtain a fully open source business education and provide others with the same opportunity (#11 Help People Help Themselves). But, I need help bringing this idea to life (#6 Ask for Help).

Given this email is unsolicited and your time is scarce, let me get right to the point.

I am presenting the opportunity to be a thought-leader for this project, which would provide you with branding and publicity (#3 Build Strong Relationships – WIIFT), and me simply with the opportunity to learn. Further to the point, open source is relevant to your business (#18 Be Relevant).

If you are interested and would like more information or have any suggestions, please let me know (#22 Learn to Sell).

Take Care,
Brian Fitz-Gerald
The Free* MBA Project
*(#24 Walk Away From Free)

An email like that is hard to ignore. Hats off to Brian for taking the time and the thoughtfulness he demonstrated in writing this email.

Photo Courtesy: Monique Barber on Flickr