Stop cold-calling!

With just one simple phrase, you can make even the most battle-scarred marketers among us feel like trembling tyros.

You don’t even have to hear the phrase or say it out loud. Just seeing the words on the printed page can do it for some. See if you know what I mean:

Cold call.

Now take a deep breath. You’ll be fine.

If you have never stood hovering over the telephone, wondering what you’re going to say if you don’t get voice mail, you’re a rare bird. Here’s our advice if you want to avoid that knot in your stomach:

Never make a cold call.

Sure, some people can barge right in (metaphorically speaking, of course), grab the potential client by the scruff of the neck (this, too) and walk out with the sale 10 minutes later. These are the same people who throw off their clothes (well, most of them anyway), run down the deck of the pool—or the beach or the riverbank—and dive head-first into cold water.

I would suggest avoiding the cold call at all costs. Think of the anxiety and sweaty palms, the dismal success record, the disinterested voice at the other end of the line. It’s just not worth it.

OK. Time to explain.

Do we contact people who have never heard of us? Yes. Do we try to get work out of them? Yes. Do we make cold calls? No. By the time we make contact, the water is considerably warmer. And the best heater—next to a referral—is a well-crafted letter.

A letter always says the right thing and never gets sweaty palms. It can make you look as good as you’ve ever looked without spending a cent on designer duds. It allows you, in an unthreatening atmosphere, to show the prospective client how you can help—which is what it’s all about.

But isn’t an unsolicited letter considered junk mail?

Absolutely not. Junk mail is either a great offer sent to the wrong person or the wrong offer sent to the right person. If you can perfect the pitch and pass it to the proper person, you can turn a potential prospect into a patron. (We hope that is easier to understand than to say.)

If you are tightly focused on your market and the message is clear, concise and speaks directly—and only—to benefits, you may never get sweaty palms again.