Now Leaving the Comfort Zone

I started a cold calling campaign today.

This is completely out of character for me. I'm strictly a sales-by-the-written-word kind of gal. I can cold-email til the sun goes down, til my fingertips are bloody stumps. But actually talking to a real, live human being who's never met me before, and trying to convince them to hire me? That's my idea of hell.

But I've been thinking lately about getting out of my comfort zone--and how good that would be for my business. I hold myself back from engaging in certain marketing activities for reasons that have nothing to do with solid business thinking and everything to do with the fact that they give me the willies--and most of them, like cold calling and networking, can actually be extremely effective if used right.

Cold calling would be good for my business in several ways. First, it will get me out from behind the keyboard and into a more personal-sales mentality--useful in networking situations, too. It gets you business fast--and it makes your business seem more legitimate than a random email. And the more personal your contact with a prospect, the more likely they'll be to hire you.

Cold calling still isn't my favorite way to spend a morning, but here are a few things to remember that made it possible for me.

These people you're calling? They get cold calls all the time. Seriously, you're not going to be seen as a total weirdo for calling them. Vendors and freelancers call marketing directors, creative directors and other people in hiring positions at companies of all sizes all the time. I mentioned to a very good friend of mine in marketing for a publishing house that I was starting a cold call campaign, and her response was this: "I get cold calls ALL THE TIME. Here's how to get my attention." She then proceeded to give me some great tips on when to call, what to say, and the tone to take to make sure the conversation turns out profitably. The lesson? These people get cold calls all the time and what you're doing isn't out of the ordinary.

Some of them might be actively looking for someone like you right now. Forget the intrusive telemarketer stereotype. You have something valuable to offer, something the people you're calling need--marketing expertise in a very specialized field. Some of the people you're calling might be wracking their brains, right that minute, to figure out how to word that headline. They won't be annoyed to hear from you; they'll be glad you called.

You ARE qualified. I think much of my trepidation about cold calling comes from when I first started my business--when I hadn't handled a large project on my own; when I didn't have a load of good samples; and when I didn't have a long client list. I have to remind myself that I'm not that person anymore. My writing has gotten people real results, and marketing pros in vendor hiring situations should know about me--I'm a legitimate resource.

What's holding YOU back from trying cold calling?