The line that vouches for you

An introduction is only as strong as the reason behind it. I know Dana, you should talk is thin. Dana and I ran the claims rebuild together for two years is a reason.

Stage 1 calls that second sentence the vouch line. You write it once, and it goes into every ask and introduction for that connector.

What it is

The vouch line is what you and a mutual connection did together, written the way they'd say it. Ran the Meridian migration together. Built the pricing team at a regional carrier. Sat on the same steering committee for three years.

It's one line, in their voice, about something real. It's the line a buyer reads and thinks, this person can vouch for how they work.

Where it goes

Stage 1 drafts two things that carry it.

The first is the line in the ask your connector can send to check with the buyer before they agree. Say your connector is Ana Ruiz and you're Sam Porter. With a vouch line saved, the check reads like this.

Mind if I connect you with Sam Porter? Sam and I ran the Meridian migration together, and the experience is probably relevant to you.

Without one, it says Sam has experience that's probably relevant. True, and forgettable.

The second is the introduction itself, the one your connector sends after they say yes. With a vouch line, it says the two of you did that work together, so they know exactly how you work. Without it, the introduction falls back to a general line that they know how you work and think the two of you should talk. That's the thin version.

Where you add it

Open an account on the Board. Under a person with warm paths, tap the line that says who can introduce you. Each connector shows with a box under their name. Type what you two did together, as they'd say it, and save.

The vouch belongs to the connector, not the account. Save it once and it follows that person everywhere they show up as a path, across every account where they know someone. Keep it under 200 characters. One line is the point.

Save it before you approve the account. The ask and the introduction are drafted when you approve, so a vouch line added later won't be in drafts that already exist.

Why it matters for services

A services buyer is hiring judgment. They can't test-drive a delivery team, so they lean on what people they trust say about the team. The vouch line is that testimony, in one sentence, from someone the buyer already knows.

It does work for the connector too. A connector who's asked to introduce you is putting a little of their own name on the line. A specific shared history gives them something true to say. They don't have to invent praise or hedge it.

And it keeps you honest. If you can't write a vouch line for a connector, you probably shouldn't be asking them for the intro. That's worth knowing before you spend the favor.

For the full flow, see warm paths in Stage 1. For the craft behind the ask, see how to ask for an intro people forward and the cost of a burned intro.

The point

One true line about the work you did together turns a polite introduction into a real one. Write it once and Stage 1 carries it into every ask through that connector.