How to Sell YourselfThe opening sentence of our pitch is our most important. And too many of us are getting it wrong.

A man recently connected with me on LinkedIn, and sent me this note: "Let me know if you ever need a writer."

I guess he's a writer? I don't know! But I do know this: The phrase "Let me know if you ever need a…" shows up a lot, in my inbox and surely yours, too. I've come to think of it as the eight most deadly words in entrepreneurship—because that phrase is the death ofopportunity. We should all step back and think: Have we used these words? Have we usedsimilarwords? And if so, have wefailedto seize the moment?