Cold calls and closed doors

Several salespeople have contacted me because of this blog. On one hand, I like that you try new ways to get our attention. On the other, it’s obvious you don’t care about what I write: it’s just an excuse for a hook.

For years I’ve been bombarded with calls, even to my personal number. At this point, if you’re not in my contacts, I don’t answer. That sometimes makes me miss important calls: medical or other urgent ones. So you’ll understand why I’m defensive when I get this type of call.

I’ve never been in sales, but I’ve always thought cold calls can’t really work: you’re trying to sell to someone who doesn’t want to buy. Not because your product isn’t interesting, but because we’re not in the mood to be interrupted anytime.

Another big annoyance: urgency. Tech leaders are usually very busy. It’s unrealistic to expect us to have time this same week to meet.

If you’re a salesperson reading this and want my honest advice: get introduced by someone. If you have no common contacts, try an email, but know that we already get dozens like yours. And please, don’t call us unless we’ve explicitly given you permission (spoiler: what your marketing tool says isn’t it, even if it’s legally covered).

Most likely, you’ll just close a door forever.