No More Cold Calling

MARCH 30, 2023

Let’s celebrate our men during Women’s History Month 2023. As we wrap up Women’s History Month 2023, I’d like to give a shout-out to the men in our lives. To the husbands, fathers, brothers, sons, and mentors who celebrate women year-round. We have always needed and respected our male allies—those of you who encourage and support women and set the stage for our success.

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No More Cold Calling

MARCH 23, 2023

Learn more about the five remarkable women being honored by the U.S. Mint this year. Have you heard of Bessie Coleman, Edith Kanaka’ole, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jovita Idár, and Maria Tallchief? You probably know one or two, as I did. The others are less famous but just as fascinating. These women’s stories are all very different, but they have a couple things in common: During their lifetimes, they were all fiercely determined to stand up for equality and overcome discrimination and injustice.

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No More Cold Calling

MARCH 8, 2023

Get inspired by this trio of remarkable women. Imagine a woman earning a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering. Imagine a black woman mathematician performing complex calculations that help the United States fly into space. Imagine an actress, known as the most beautiful woman in the world, becoming a technology innovator. Not hard to do, right?

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No More Cold Calling

DECEMBER 6, 2022

These 14 words have lost all meaning to me. It has been said that cursing shows a lack of vocabulary. Maybe so, but I find buzzwords to be even more uncreative and obnoxious. Sales buzzwords are as abundant as bees in summer, and they’re so overused that they’ve lost all their sting. This buzzword definition from Merriam-Webster cracked me up: “An important-sounding usually technical word or phrase often of little meaning used chiefly to impress laymen.”.

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Fashion Pivotal Cold Calling Quota 207

No More Cold Calling

JANUARY 13, 2022

There are predictions, and then there’s reality. I’ve never liked predictions. I’m not an economist and I’m not a fortune teller. Yet, we’re asked to make predictions all the time. I understand that predictive analysis tools can be accurate at forecasting business trends and sales performance. But what will happen in 2022? That depends on whom you’re talking to and what their biases are.

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Trends Margin Cold Calling Outbound 356

No More Cold Calling

NOVEMBER 23, 2021

This is the most common mistake sellers make when video conferencing. I really hate my webcam. (Ok, hate is a strong word.) I have a good camera, but I don’t like the way I look. (Unfortunately, the camera doesn’t lie.) I feel totally uncomfortable staring into my camera. It feels artificial and not at all authentic, but that’s the only way to make eye contact online.

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No More Cold Calling

JULY 13, 2021

A referral is the best way to get a meeting with the decision maker. There are two parts to the sales process: Part One: Getting meetings with decision makers. Part Two: Everything that happens after that. Referrals help you ace Part One and set you up for success in Part Two. That’s an over-simplification, I know, but it’s the easiest way for people to understand the power of a referral introduction.

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Decision Maker Referrals Sales Qualified Lead Marketing Qualified Lead 401

No More Cold Calling

JUNE 30, 2021

Plus, what you might have missed from No More Cold Calling. I learned a lot more about gratitude after recently celebrating the 25th anniversary of No More Cold Calling. People told me how much I impacted their lives and businesses. Colleagues I’d known for years and years expressed their appreciation for my work. One person even said that referral selling changed the trajectory of his business.

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No More Cold Calling

JUNE 24, 2021

How to ask for referrals and other FAQs. After more than 25 years as an expert on referral sales, I’m still asked exactly the same referral selling questions today. (Maybe even more frequently than before.) I’m going to answer them right now. In no particular order, here are the most common referral selling questions I hear … 1. How do I get over my reluctance to ask for referrals?

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No More Cold Calling

JUNE 10, 2021

Why I made referral selling my life’s work. The year was 1996. I was working for a global consulting and training firm. The economy was booming, and my colleagues encouraged me to go out on my own. I had no name for my company, but I knew my focus. I would work with small companies to develop their sales strategy, sales process, and sales goals, and incorporate these into their business plan.

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Referrals Cold Calling Webinar Metrics Outbound 385

No More Cold Calling

APRIL 26, 2021

Referral sellers have been relationship-building their way through the pandemic. “Video conferencing is a great way to get face to face with clients. But while it may be as close as you can get to in-person, it’s not, and you’re not. If you have a big-deal prospect or client, you’d better jump on a plane, catch a train, or take a road trip as soon as possible.

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No More Cold Calling

MARCH 31, 2021

Here’s what you might have missed this year from No More Cold Calling. If you were asked last year how your day was, your answer would have been: “It’s 2020.” That said it all—at least for businesses that were negatively affected by the pandemic. Their clients weren’t returning calls, and budgets were constricted or put on hold. They freaked out. Too many companies accelerated what they knew—send more and more emails—knowing that strategy was never really successful, even in the best of times.

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Referrals Cold Calling Sales Qualified Lead Call-back 371

No More Cold Calling

MARCH 8, 2021

Even slow progress is worth celebrating. Today is International Women’s Day, and I’m reflecting on women pioneers—trailblazers who paved the way for women in sales, entrepreneurship, engineering, law, and other male-dominated professions. And that includes women in my own family. Did I tell you about the washing machine case? My cousin studied law at the University of Southern California (USC) in the early 1970s.

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Hiring Engineering Call-back Lead Rank 377

No More Cold Calling

NOVEMBER 26, 2020

This isolating year has been a harsh reminder that human connection still matters. It’s Thanksgiving Day here in the U.S., and I’m taking a break. I’m taking the time to appreciate my amazing family and friends, my clients who have become friends, and my remarkable team at No More Cold Calling. Because what I’m most grateful for—this year and every year—is human connection.

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No More Cold Calling

OCTOBER 1, 2020

Get the latest from No More Cold Calling. I used to think it was just sales newbies who struggled with referral reluctance. They simply hadn’t built their networks or their confidence. When seasoned salespeople started admitting they also felt uncomfortable asking for referrals, I was shocked. I wondered about those in non-traditional sales roles like customer success, CPAs, attorneys, architects, engineers, and consultants—who are now being asked to sell.

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Referrals Cold Calling Sales Qualified Lead Call-back 373

No More Cold Calling

JULY 27, 2020

Research shows cold calling scripts and tricks don’t work, but referrals do. When will sales leadership wake up? They still measure the number of dials and emails sent in a day, when the return on these sales activities is dismal. The last I heard, it took eight to 12 touches to reach a prospect—and that was before the world started working from home.

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Sales Leadership Cold Calling Referrals Lead Qualification 366

No More Cold Calling

MAY 30, 2020

Find out what you missed from No More Cold Calling this month. Working remotely might be great for some, depending on their personality and the number of people quarantining in their homes. But it’s stressful for others and downright overwhelming for many. How can parents even focus with little kids running around? How do couples share workspaces? How are extroverts expected to keep their heads up when they’re isolated from friends and colleagues?

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No More Cold Calling

MAY 28, 2020

Please take care of yourself. “ The pendulum has swung too far in the direction of superficial online communications at a time people are hungry for true personal connection.” That’s my favorite quote from David Meerman Scott’s insightful article, “ The 2020s: From the Lonely Chaos of Digital to an Era of Humanity.”. You’ve heard the same message from me throughout this century: Salespeople have become overly reliant on technology to do their jobs.

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No More Cold Calling

APRIL 22, 2020

You’re not a wimp—and there’s no reason to apologize. Everything’s changed in our world, and that includes the business world. In sales, asking for help used to mean you were a wuss. (Definition, informal : a weak, cowardly, or ineffectual person; a wimp.) It felt like asking for a favor or pleading with prospects for business. Yep, wimpy. Good news: The mood around asking for help has done a complete 180.

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Referrals Cold Calling Call-back Research 358

No More Cold Calling

APRIL 16, 2020

Why do you trust some people and not others? Trust is a word we use indiscriminately, but we do not trust indiscriminately. How do we define trust? How do we get our arms around such an emotional word? That’s a tough question to answer, because it depends on the person, and sometimes it depends on the times. Right now, in the midst of a global health emergency and a global financial crisis , we’re all asking ourselves who to trust.

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Face-to-face Call-back Cold Calling Webinar Metrics 434

No More Cold Calling

APRIL 3, 2020

Don’t panic—here’s how to get your phones actually ringing again. It’s a very scary time, with lots of uncertainty as we stay shuttered in place. We see deals in our sales pipeline postponed or disappearing. So, what do you do? You take action. Sales leaders: Lead generation must be your primary focus. Companies that take action, win.

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Pipeline Prospecting Ideal Customer Profile Referrals 414

No More Cold Calling

MARCH 31, 2020

Waiting could be your Achilles heel—plus, everything you missed from No More Cold Calling this month. When the economy slows, the pace of decision making must pick up. Ram Charan , author of 25 books and consultant to CEOs, said that many years ago, but it’s even more relevant now. We need to take action to build our business in these tenuous times.

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No More Cold Calling

MARCH 1, 2020

Don’t ghost people. You’ll end up paying for it. A woman I know from my business group met me for coffee. She wanted to discuss having me speak to her team about referrals. We brainstormed the topic and discussed her investment. She made it clear that she wasn’t the final decision-maker and said she would follow up. I agreed to send her a topic outline and pricing.

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No More Cold Calling

FEBRUARY 13, 2020

Put people before technology in your prospecting. Digital isn’t a sales strategy, hope is not a strategy, referrals are not a strategy, marketing is not a strategy. Sales strategy isn’t yours or mine. It’s your company’s strategy for attracting customers. Not much has changed over the years. An executive reads the latest book and declares the precepts in the book are the company’s new strategy.

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No More Cold Calling

JANUARY 9, 2020

Poor leadership will cost you $3.5 million per sales manager. “ Message to Management: Your job is to get the rocks out of the road for your salespeople so they can do what they were hired to do—sell!”. I wrote that 15 years ago in my first book, NO MORE COLD CALLING: The Breakthrough System That Will Leave Your Competition in the Dust. But I don’t think any sales manager listened, because more than half of reps are still missing quota.

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Sales Management Hiring Quota Cold Calling 390

No More Cold Calling

DECEMBER 29, 2019

With 2019 coming to a close, it was time for a new look. I cut my hair and added teal highlights. Why is this a big deal? Because I’ve never colored my hair in my entire life. (I love it!) It was time for some business changes as well. After years with the same clunky, ancient, unappealing website, I also gave my brand a modern look. Joshua Joscelyn and his team did an amazing job.

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Referrals Cold Calling Social Media Travel 207

No More Cold Calling

DECEMBER 26, 2019

I’m pointing fingers at technology … really. We all view business trust differently, but everyone knows that trust trumps price and that trustworthiness is a valuable trait for a salesperson. Yet, only 18 percent of salespeople are classified by buyers as trusted advisors whom they respect. That’s embarrassing, unforgivable, and downright scary. Much of the mistrust goes to salespeople who pitch products , don’t listen, don’t know how to have conversations, and only focus on making their quota.

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Pharmaceuticals Referrals Cold Calling Sales Qualified Lead 207

No More Cold Calling

DECEMBER 10, 2019

There’s nothing like an in-person meeting to close deals. Sales leaders say they don’t need for account executives to travel. Worse yet, salespeople tell me they don’t even need to talk to anyone. Ridiculous, right? I used to think it was because I lived near Silicon Valley, but technology addiction is everywhere. It’s become an epidemic—people typing away and not having conversations.

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No More Cold Calling

NOVEMBER 30, 2019

Even the CIA didn’t believe the truth when it was right in front of them. How could the CIA miss signals and overlook deception from a long-time work colleague—someone they believed had integrity? A person they knew to be upright, truthful, and who “played by the rules?” And if the best human lie detectors in the world can be fooled, how can any of us laypeople know when someone is telling the truth?

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No More Cold Calling

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

Use Black Friday code 50OFFJB. My colleagues at Vengreso created an amazing online course on Selling with LinkedIn for Individuals. I’ve taken it. (Well, most of it.) It’s dynamic and highly detailed, and I’ve learned a ton. (A caveat: We differ about asking for referrals. They say yes to asking for referrals on LinkedIn. I say no way, ever.). Vengreso is celebrating Black Friday by offering 50% off the Selling with LinkedIn for Individuals training course.

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LinkedIn Referrals Cold Calling Inbound 209

No More Cold Calling

OCTOBER 24, 2019

Have you ever been confused about your company’s vision? I have. I’m not surprised that communication is the #1 driver of exceptional leadership. It’s common sense. It’s also becoming a common problem, considering effective communication is in increasingly short supply. We see lack of communication in our companies, when we travel, when we shop, and at home.

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No More Cold Calling

SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

I challenged seasoned pro, Mario Martinez, Jr., on how he asks for referrals. I never pass up the chance to chat about referrals. So, I was thrilled when Mario Martinez, Jr.—CEO of Vengreso and a top expert on social selling for lead generation—invited me to be on his “ Selling with Social ” podcast. (This was his 126th episode. I waited until he got it right to be his guest.).

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Lead Generation Referrals Sales Qualified Lead Leads 267

No More Cold Calling

SEPTEMBER 6, 2019

When you prospect by referral, you treat all customers like gold. I’d had it. I threw my three bananas, ketchup, and plastic mustard bottle on the counter and stomped out of the store. I’ve never had a good customer experience at that market, but this was over the top. I was in the express checkout line at Safeway. Despite the 15-item limit, the man ahead of me had more than 20 items.

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Referrals Customer How To Airlines 189

No More Cold Calling

AUGUST 21, 2019

Unless you’re a doctor on call, that text message can wait. Did you know that some cities are projecting red and green lights on sidewalks? Yes, we’ve really come to that. Walk on any sidewalk, anywhere, and everyone is looking down at their phones—even when they’re crossing the street. That’s just plain dangerous. We live in a society ruled by the FOMO (fear of missing out).

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Referrals Social Media Cold Calling Survey 35

No More Cold Calling

AUGUST 1, 2019

Referral makers don’t want your money. They want to know you’re trustworthy. You’re going to pay me how much for referral business? No thanks! When I refer you, I put my reputation on the line, so I need to trust that you’ll take care of my connection as I would. You won’t pitch, you’ll share best practices, and you’ll follow up. You’ll let me know if this was a good referral for you.

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No More Cold Calling

JULY 11, 2019

Are you “all in” or just dabbling? Most people (especially sales leaders) share the same frustrations: How do I fit everything in? How do I catch up? How do I innovate? How do I balance work and family? There aren’t enough hours in the day. I want to do so many things, and I’ll never get to them all. . We’re busier, more efficient, and more productive than ever.

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No More Cold Calling

JUNE 29, 2019

Why it’s important to train from the trenches. “From now on, I am going to make it a fixed rule that no unit, from the time it reaches this theater until the war is won, will ever stop training.”. —Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces. I’ve just returned from a trip to Normandy for the 75th anniversary of the Allied Landing to ensure freedom for Europe and the world.

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