Is cold calling dead? And if laws are being passed to put it to 
rest once and for all, how do we generate business from now on?

Opinions on the subject vary greatly depending on the background 
of the individual. For example, most of the old-timers are 
vigilant in preaching their belief that the only possible way to 
succeed in the world of selling is to make no less than fifty 
calls each and every day. On the other hand, younger salespeople 
tend to become frustrated with this rather quickly and begin 
looking for more innovative ways to generate business.

I was just reminded of how ingrained this cold calling belief is. 
I spoke with a friend who left a sales position with a major 
merchant processing bank only a few weeks after starting. The 
reason? He was required to make a minimum of 400 cold calls each 
and every week and to document his activity with business cards. 
He is highly experienced and knows how to generate business 
without knocking on 400 doors per week and decided to discuss the 
strategies that have worked for him in the past with his 
managers. Their response? This is how we've done it for forty 
years and we're not about to change.

That response, in my opinion, is the reason we're seeing record 
business bankruptcies today. The world and our economy have 
changed and are breaking into bold, unchartered territory. But 
the management of most business organizations insists on doing 
things the old way, even though the old way produces less and 
less results as time goes on.

The concept of "Permission Marketing" is slowly but surely 
gaining popularity as the old idea of "Interruption Marketing" 
becomes less efficient and more wasteful. There are several 
reasons why cold calling in particular has become less effective 
as we move further into the Information Age. It destroys your 
status as a business equal. It forces you to spend time with 
unqualified prospects while the qualified ones are buying from 
your competition. It annoys people and is increasingly considered 
to be rude and disrespectful. Moreover, it may now be illegal 
(and in several states it's been illegal for quite some time). 
But, most importantly, it destroys sales peoples attitudes.

Where is the good news in all of this? Well, the great news is 
that if you begin using new, innovative, "Information Age" 
methods for prospecting, you'll be miles ahead of your 
competitors who are wasting their time annoying people with cold 
calls. In this age of the Internet and vast communication 
networks, why on earth would anyone knock on doors or make cold 
phone calls to look for business?

Think of the power at your fingertips: there are literally dozens 
of ways to use the Web and e-mail to let the idea of Permission 
Marketing do its magic. Allow customers to raise their hands and 
let you know they're interested. Begin finding, implementing and 
reaping the benefits of this bold, new Information Age we are in. 
Your competitors will be the ones standing in bankruptcy court 
and explaining their "do-not-call" violations to the government 
while you are happily taking orders. 

Frank Rumbauskas is the author of Cold Calling Is A Waste Of 
Time: Sales Success In The Information Age. He is the founder 
of FJR Advisors, LLC, which publishes training materials that 
educate salespeople on how to generate business without cold 
calling. For more information, please visit:
http://www.nevercoldcall.com