Cold Calling

MSAE's Allied Networking Group met to discuss tips and best practices for cold calling.  Here are the top takeaways:

1. The definition of cold calling has changed throughout the years with the advancement of technology and new resources to research potential clients. The group's definition included making contact with a potential client who does not know who you are - may be a call, email or LinkedIn introduction and generally isn't cold as you've done some research on the prospect.  
2. When researching prospects, it's best to check more than one place for updated job/contact information - some people don't update their LinkedIn profile or online directory can be out of date.  
3. New resources to research potential clients include: 

• Data.com (formerly Jigsaw.com) - provides name, email and address at company
• My.InsideView.com - provides contact information from CEO to janitor
• LinkedIn - continues to be a good resource