No More Cold Calls Not too long ago, I met with a friend who had just started a new job as a salesman. In the course of the conversation, he told me his new boss wanted him to make 100 cold calls a week. I didn’t know what to say. I doubt I have made that many cold calls in my entire career!

He continued to talk about the calls, and how his boss believed if he made the 100 calls he would be able to have about twenty viable conversations, set five appointments and make one sale. He asked me if this sounded reasonable. And I didn’t know what to tell him, because I don’t make cold calls. After five years of actively networking in the local community, my business is referral driven. When I need to increase my sales volume, I make calls, but not cold calls. I make warm calls to my Power Team.

My Power Team consists of other business professionals offering complementary services to my target customers. I schedule one-on-one conversations over coffee and lunch. And without directly soliciting a referral directly, things happen! As we talk about projects and customers, opportunities arise. To survive and thrive, without cold calls, I told my friend, you need a Power Team!

How do you build your own Power Team? Start with your customer. Regardless of whether your product or service is for an individual or a business, your target customer has needs beyond what you can provide. Think about other products and services your customers could or would purchase on a regular basis. For example if you are an electrician, a plumber, roofer, carpet cleaning company and landscape company would all be potential Power Team members. As you attend networking events, be on the look out for great Power Team members. While customers are always nice, a great Power Team member will create more opportunities for you in the long run!

Be Selective It takes time to build an effective partnership, one which brings value to both companies. Don’t rush the process. The closer you work with this strategic partner, the more your image and theirs become entwined together in the mind of potential clients.

Carefully evaluate potential partners; selecting companies which will they treat your clients the way you do. Build relationships with companies you will be proud to send your best customer to. Power Teams Require Work Effective Power Team members touch base regularly. Phone calls, emails and the occasional face to face insure you are always top of mind for each other, sharing information on projects, great networking events, and business connections. To make this type of marketing work, you must be willing to create opportunities for your partners if you want them to create opportunities for you! Building a Power Team Has Benefits! In addition to creating a great source of referrals the right strategic partnerships, may lead to cross-promotion opportunities, ideas for new services or joint promotions as a way to generate business for both companies. In other cases, the partnership may allow you to share advertising expenses, such as trade booths or direct mail cost. If you have picked the right team members, over time they will become an integral part of your business success! And you will never need to make cold calls again!