I've finally written a reply to the e-mail I received from Mr Cork in response to my first e-mail where I asked for information regarding the cork business. I left it until today to write because he himself waited about a week before writing to me, and I needed the time to fully process the information I received and figure out the right way to reply.
The man is undoubtedly very busy, so I was determined to write something concise and to the point. However, I wasn't sure about the exact tone before I started writing. What I ended up with was a frank and sincere e-mail with information about my background, my current situation, my investment strategy, my current holdings and my preferences. Everything written as short, concise and non-intrusive as possible. At no point do I suggest any similarities between him and myself. However, I do mention a few things that I know he'll recognize as similar to his own situation. I mention my family's company, and I mention the fact that I've divided my estate among my four children. These are circumstances and issues I know Mr Cork must be familiar with, although at a much larger scale.
The idea behind my decision to be frank with Mr Cork on these issues is that he'll find it interesting. The reason people of his calibre take such an interest in other people's lives is in part due to the fact that they themselves have similar issues that they must solve, and they find it interesting to see how people deal with these in their lives. The difference between him and others is mostly a matter of scale. But some things like family life and children are not even different in scale. In the end, the only thing vastly bigger about Mr Cork than most other people is the size of his fortune. For the rest, he's no different from others.
The way to get Mr Cork's attention is therefore to present him with a frank account of ourselves, including any peculiarities related to family, estate management and business interests. If this is presented without any intrusive hints, the man will find us interesting, and there will be a lasting memory of us in his mind. He may even contact us to alert us to business opportunities should he see a match between the needs of his business contacts and our stated desires.
In my case, I've provided Mr Cork with enough information to have him alert me to opportunities. Should the situation arise where some of his forest owners have to sell their forest due to a shortage of cash, Mr Cork knows I'm liquid and waiting for the right opportunity. Furthermore, a situation like that would be one in which Mr Cork will have to see one partnership replaced by another. He'll naturally prefer someone he likes, so I may even get his help in negotiating a good deal.
I included a question related to historic land prices in my e-mail, and Mr Cork may find this worth his while. However, I don't expect him to answer, and I don't need him to answer. I'm happy with what I managed to convey to him in my e-mail, and I don't need yet another opportunity to provide him with more information. Any further communication with him will be a bonus, and an opportunity to get a little higher in his list of contacts. Apart from that, I'm fine with the situation as it is. I'm sure I made it into his list, and that's quite an achievement in itself.
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| Cork oak forest |
By Berrocal1950 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link
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