Caught a cold call mistake at the Detroit Chamber mixer last Tuesday

I was at the Detroit Chamber networking event at the Roostertail, talking to a guy who sells commercial cleaning supplies. He mentioned he cold calls every business in a zip code before looking them up online. I told him I used to do the same, but now I check LinkedIn first to see if someone's already connected to a competitor. Saves me from pitching to a guy who just signed a 3-year contract. Anyone else tweak their list before reaching out?

2 comments

2 Comments

jordan3301h ago

Oh man, I feel this one hard. I used to burn through so many leads before realizing I was just spinning my wheels. Now I run a quick scan of their company news page too. If they just announced a new VP of Sales or a merger, that call gets pushed back a week or three. Way better than cold calling someone right as their whole org chart gets shuffled. Also check their job postings. If they're hiring for the role you'd be selling to, that's usually a green light since they're growing. Saves a ton of awkward conversations.

ninabutler1m ago

Oh wow, yes. That's exactly it. The spinning wheels thing. So many wasted calls before I figured out timing matters more than anything. The job postings tip is gold too. I never thought of that. If they're hiring, they're probably not just sitting still. That's a real good signal you're not walking into a mess. And yeah, the VP of Sales thing. I learned that the hard way. Called a guy three days after he started. He had no idea what their current vendors were. Total waste of everyone's time. Honestly, I think most of this job is just knowing when to stay quiet and wait. The leads will still be there in two weeks.