I responded to a question about cold calling and cold e-mailing the other day, and thought I would share it with our readers. The question asked people what you can do to connect with people. The questioner assumed that people hate cold calls and cold e-mails. Here was my reply:

You have received some good answers so far, but I thought I might leap into the foray. There are two parts to this question, and I will ignore cold e-mails, as they almost always get you nowhere.

1. How can I call a perfect stranger and make a connection?
2. What can I do to build a prospect list that does not involve cold calling?

Let us start with cold calling. Most people despise cold calling because the person making the call does not appreciate something I learned in a training long ago. When you call someone THEY ARE BUSY DOING SOMETHING ELSE. Unless you immediately show respect for their time and quickly show value, you are a nuisance! So how do you do this? Frame the call, another tip from another great training.

Example: “Hi, this is Karl from Linkedin Answers, the place to get your questions answered by knowledgeable people. I have two things to discuss with you and it will not take more than five minutes. First, I would like to share with you effective ways to connect with potential clients.”

This worked for me time and time again as I built relationships. The message was always clear, and as I delivered a clear objective l offered list that offered value to prospects, I built a customer base.

NOW WHAT IF I DO NOT WANT TO COLD CALL! This one is so simple, and ironic that you are on LinkedIn asking. NETWORK NETWORK NETWORK. Go to events in your industry, align with like minded professionals, join groups, etc… This is the only way I know of meeting people that does not involve disrupting their day. If someone is at a tradeshow, network event, social site, they are making them-self available to be approached. Be collected, social, and just share who you are.

Try and leave them with something memorable, a quip, anecdote, interesting story. If these things are not natural, then perhaps you can get them talking. Listen and remember! UNLESS THEY KEEP ASKING, GET BUSINESS CARDS AND FOLLOW UP WITH BUSINESS ANOTHER TIME. I hope this helps.