Step 1: Make a courtesy call to existing customers to check in and see if they are satisfied with the purchase.

Step 2: Ask your customer if they are satisfied enough with your product, or service to the point that they would recommend it to others.

Step 3: If your customer is willing to recommend you, then place your customer in your business by asking them who, or what company they would call first to discuss the purchase of your product. Get More GOLD...

The best time to cold call is an age-old question. What time is too early? What time is too late? Should we bother calling during a holiday week? Does it make any sense to cold call on Monday mornings, or wait until Tuesday? Does the weather factor into our decision to call, or not? I say call them early, late, and often, but I still find myself asking when is the best time to call a sales prospect. So I went in search of an answer... Get More GOLD...

I was on the phone today speaking with someone about the perils of door-to-door cold calling. It brought me back to a funny encounter I had with a sales manager during an interview I had for a sales position. The sales job I was interviewing for required someone with nerves of steel, and perhaps a dash of insanity to go door-to-door cold calling on businesses that occupied space in a Manhattan office building. As I recall, here is the ensuing dialogue I had with the sales manager that landed me the job. Get More GOLD...

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I followed up with a sales prospect on the phone yesterday. A week or so ago we had an initial conversation about how my ‘gold call’ programs could help his company fill its sales pipeline. The up front understanding we agreed to was that my prospect would take 5-minutes to listen to my ‘Meet the Gold Caller’ audio on my website, and that we would follow up at an appointed time to discuss what possible fit there was for my services. Sounds simple enough, right? Get More GOLD...

Last week the world was surprised by a singing sensation named Susan Boyle, and once again we learned that you cannot judge a book by its cover. Aside from Susan’s surprisingly great performance, what really impressed me about Susan was the way she composed herself in front of an audience even when people were booing and hissing as she was about to sing. Susan was completely confident, and not about to be unnerved by anyone. When you know what you've got in the way of substance, it's easy to find the confidence to execute. Get More GOLD...

If you were a detective seeking an unknown assailant you’d go about questioning witnesses, and gathering up all the important evidence in an effort to build a composite profile description of the individual you are looking to apprehend. The same goes for sales prospecting and filling your sales pipeline.  Get More GOLD...

As I was cleaning out my office last week I came across an old SIA member directory that I used for cold calling. And as I thumbed through the directory, I came across a familiar sales prospect of mine, Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC. I might add that I never sold anything to Madoff Investments. Now I know why... Get More GOLD...

Today I am snowed in here inside my ‘gold call cave’. There’s a foot of snow on the ground already, and it looks like we’re in for more. What a great day for cold calling!  Of all the sales 'icebreakers' that there are, the weather has to be my number one favorite topic for starting conversations with sales prospects. Get More GOLD...

You've probably read in the newspaper, or watched the TV news stories about the tales of those committing fraud in the name of business. These pillars of business success are now being exposed as nothing more than common criminals driven by greed. Obviously, the temptation to cheat in business is strong, especially when things aren't going well. But is sacrificing your character and integrity for money really worth it under any circumstance? Get More GOLD...