The Cold Call

Open the door, walk to the counter, business card in hand.  Insert Eminem song here, "knees weak, arms are heavy, there's vomit on my sweater, mom's spaghetti".

Hi there, my name is X and I work for X.  We specialize in helping our customers solve problems associated with X.  Do you know if your company is experiencing X?  If so, do you know who I need to speak with in order to help your company solve X.  Or something like that anyway.

Oh the cold call.  Some can do it.  Most can't.  I have probably done a million in my sales career and I'll probably do a million more. I have had every kind of experience you could ever imagine while conducting them.  From the one call close (rare, but happens), to the I'm calling security, please get the blank out of our office (also rare, but happens).  This probably helps explain why some can't. 

Is cold calling dead?  Are social media, email campaigns, and content marketing delivering desired sales results?  Because, if there is a better way, someone please let me know.  I'm still of the opinion that companies need a brave, hungry, and passionate sales force to tell as many people as they can about how great your company and products are.  Those same great sales people also need to find out if the market in which they operate need those valuable services.  We do that one interaction at a time.  Yes, the cold call is still an important networking, marketing, and research tool.  All the other things are there to add credibility to what is happening on the front line.  Go ahead, call me old school.  I promise I can take it.

I am still introducing myself to hundreds of potential customers per month.  I try to let them know what we do.  I let them know that there are alternatives to the way they have been doing things, for like, ever.  Alternatives, that can have a tremendous impact on the things that actually matter to them and to their place of work.  My future customers just don't know that these alternatives exist yet.  So I ask you again, is the cold call dead?  No, at least not for my team and I.

So I beg, if you are on the other side of that desk tomorrow, or some other day in the future, remember, I'm not the solicitor general, I'm not in your office to ruin your day.  I'm there to meet you, I'm there to network with you, I'm there to hopefully make an introduction that will one day help your company solve an issue related to x.  I'm also there to help a new business find its footing in the market one interaction at a time.  A new business consisting of employees that believe entirely in the products and service we bring to the market.  New employees with families, families with teenagers, a new born baby, husbands and wives.  It’s a great new team!  And we are building it one interaction at a time.   

I too will remember you, on the other side of the front office counter.  I know you have a ton on your plate, I know you are tasked to wear many hats in addition to answering my questions.  I'm looking forward to our introduction, and I can't wait to meet you, no matter the outcome.

Tomorrow's gonna be good day