I hate cold calls. Especially if they're from people trying to demo the newest vacuum cleaner, financial/insurance product or asking me personal questions about my household.
That is why I would not wish it on anybody else. It's also what makes being self-employed so hard.
Let's face it. You can't sit home all day expecting the phone to ring off the hook, or for dream jobs to just drop into your email inbox. All the marketing gurus (and my business friends as well) recommend networking and making cold calls.
The thought leaves me cold. If I wouldn't wish it on anyone else, why would I want to be the one to make the call and bug a stranger?
Again the gurus explain: For every 10 prospects you call, 3 may be willing to meet up, and 1 may eventually close a deal with you. Logic? The more calls you make, the greater the likelihood of your making a sale.
Sounds simple, except that I am exceptionally thin-skinned and fear rejection of any kind....even from someone I've never met.
So what's a starving writer to do?
This morning, I finally (reluctantly) picked up the phone. Except it wasn't really a cold call. A contact had already paved the way (it's called a lead) by giving me a name and number to call. All I had to do was introduce myself and tell him my contact had recommended me to call him.
It worked like a charm. While I didn't close any sale, I got a signpost of sorts: another name and email address, and confirmation that my services were in demand.
For a start, that's good enough for me.
Now to work my way down the list.
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