If you are a savvy entrepreneur, you don’t go into anything cold. With the Internet and a plethora of other resources, you can warm up any call quickly, and not waste your time or your potential client. Doing your homework first is one of the best ways to get an advantage over your competition. If you are reaching out to a business you need to understand more about the people in the company with whom you want to speak.
Before I call on a company I search the company’s web page to get a sense of the business. Often the web page will list the President and other key employees you may encounter. You can also go to www.wysk.com to get a company profile, information on the officers and directors, as well as other valuable data. I then do a Google search on the business’s principles. Often you will get Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media sites for the people, as well as other useful information to better understand what makes them tick.
Finally, many libraries subscribe to a tool called Data Axle (Formerly called Reference USA). Data Axle contains a consumers/lifestyle database. By entering the name of a person you can learn about their interests based on their buying history. In the end, there is no such thing as a cold call.
