How to succeed with cold calls

Dear WW: Is anyone else having trouble getting through to people today? Is there something that other people are doing that I don’t know about? VERY COLD CALLS

Dear COLD,

I had an out of town guest visit me recently. We were listening to the Seattle weather report and she started laughing because of all the different ways that the weatherman had referred to rain-showers, downpour, drizzle, and her favorite-sun breaks.

We have a lot of options for talking about rain in the Northwest. Unfortunately when it comes to getting through to a key contact, most of us suffer dry spell because we have too few options for getting through. The rest of this column will rain ideas over you for how to actually get in contact with the people you need to connect with. For more, check out “Complete Idiots Guide to Cold Calls” by Keith Rosen (Alpha, 2004).

Email? The first, and usually best, option.

Voice mail? A close second.

Cell phone? But remember, many people don’t like work calls on their cell.

Business phone? Going through the company switchboard has worked for me.

Snail mail? For most of us it’s unusual to get a letter, so retro can have its rewards.

Overnight package? Expensive, but often effective.

In person? Talking about retro, remember when we met face-to-face?

Hang out in bathroom nearest their desk? I’m embarrassed to admit, this did work for me once. Only works with contacts of the same sex, however.

Online social networks? A friend of mine swears by MySpace for making business contacts.

Offline social networks? Do a little homework and you might be able to bump into the person you really need to meet at Rotary, the Chamber, etc.

Vendors? Sometimes a vendor can help make a contact for you or they can provide a key bit of information about how to get your foot in the door.

Sales people? Like vendors, some sales people might have valuable insight to help your cause.

Trade shows? Trade shows are just one way that an association can provide a platform for you to meet a key contact.

Secretary? Far too many people see secretaries as an obstacle. I can’t tell you how many times befriending an assistant has gotten my foot in the door.

Close associate? Whether they broker the meeting or just help to point you in the right direction, key contacts can help.

Friend? The great part of a friend is they often not only can help you get in touch with the person, they can give you insight about the do’s and don’ts in terms of dealing with them.

Wrong number? I once purposely called the wrong department within a company. They transferred me to the person, but instead of my number on their phone it showed this other department’s number. The person picked up. Sometimes a wrong number can get you what you need.

Follow these tips and missed connections won’t rain on your parade.

Working Wounded poll:

Do you have trouble getting through to the people you need to talk to do your job?

• It’s easier than it’s ever been to get through to people, 14.7%
• It’s about the same, 39.3%
• It’s tough to get through to people today, 45.9%

Bob Rosner is a best-selling author, speaker and internationally syndicated columnist. Sherrie Campbell is a relationship and business professional, having applied her counseling background in a variety of challenging organizational settings. They’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic, especially if you have better ideas than they do. Also check out their complete column archive at workmash.org, “The Boss’s Survival Guide” and “Gray Matters: The workplace survival guide.” Send your questions or comments to bob@workmash.org.