How to successfully help someone validate your claim:

When contacting people be honest, genuine, and succinct. Ask for what you need with a friendly, happy, and upbeat attitude. You cannot have people validate for you if you haven’t first contacted them in person or over the phone.

One potential strategy would be to use the following scripts but feel free to modify the below dialogue to match your particular situation.

First: Message your potential validator via LinkedIn

Hi,

I am not sure I remember how we initially connected but I was wondering if I could call you sometime tomorrow. It wouldn’t be a long conversation. I am using something called Dynamis which is supplemental unemployment insurance. Unlike insurance provided by the government I must contact people not to ask for a job but just to tell people I am actively looking for work.

This new technology uses your response to verify I am conducting a job search. When you respond my claim is paid. Seems strange but again it’s a new technology and I need to get a verbal confirmation that when you get what is called a “validator email” you won’t immediately throw it away or respond by saying “I don’t know this person” which might impact my ability to collect on my claim.

If we can chat sometime tomorrow on the phone for two minutes please let me know a time and a number I can reach you at. If this premise still seems somewhat strange there is an explanation of how Dynamis works here dynamisapp.com/explanation-of-how-it-works

Thanks

Joshua

Second: Call them once provided a time and phone number

You: Hi thanks again for taking the time to do this. So when you get that email if you could just respond letting them know that we reconnected this pays my claim. This is unemployment insurance that uses my social network to validate I am looking for work.

Them: What is this exactly you said I am going to get an email?

You: Yes that is right I am using this new technology. Your response can confirm I am actively searching for work. When you respond my claim is paid. In other words, the unemployment insurance benefits are paid out to me during my job search. You get an email with one question “is this person still looking for work” and all you have to do is select “yes.” So you are really only validating one thing and that is that we had this quick one minute phone call. It might also ask you if you can help me find a job but you can simply select “no” if that question does come up.

Long moment of awkward silence

Them: Uh sure :) that seems simple enough I'll do it

You: (sigh of relief) Thanks again I really appreciate it. You will probably get the email within about an hour or so.

Some direct and simple ways of asking for what you want:

You: I am using this new insurance technology. Your response can confirm I am actively searching for work. When you respond my unemployment insurance benefits are paid out.

You: Your response lets the system know I am contacting people in my social network as part of my job search. The email you receive allows you to confirm we had this conversation and this is what pays out my unemployment insurance claim.

You: I receive insurance benefits during my job search and my social network lets the system know that I am still looking. As soon as I find my next job I no longer need to contact anyone and this is how the system knows to stop paying out unemployment benefits. Your response to the email tells the system I am still looking for work.

The situation is never nearly as awkward as people think it is going to be because asking for things in a genuine and straightforward way with a positive attitude really does work wonders. And if for whatever reason they can’t help be polite, don’t ask for anything further and at the earliest possible moment excuse yourself from the conversation. Here is one example:

Them: You know I still don’t really get what this is about I’m not sure I can really help

You: Sure no problem if you want to see an example of how it works I can send you a link but otherwise I never impose on anyone for help. Thanks again for your time, have a great day.

Some important points to remember:

1. You are not asking anyone for a job
2. You are not asking anyone to vouch for you as a person and in point of fact more than half of your validators will not know you well if at all.
3. You are only asking people to validate one fact: You called them and you told them you were looking for work.
4. Asking people you don’t know to do you a favor would impose upon them and create an awkward situation for both you and them but when your validators realize how little effort is required to help you they never consider answering the confirmation email as an imposition. Most people who finally do validate for someone feel happy they were able to help in some small way and intrigued by something new they never experienced before - our bright peer to peer future.
5. Attitude is everything the friendlier you are the easier this will be but never be friendlier than who you genuinely are in your own unique personality.
6. Please Don’t try to teach people what peer to peer insurance is if you can help it. Some people will intuitively understand that their response is part of a larger system which works to do something useful without needing to understand the facts of “why” or “how”