Because I get tons of articles, ebooks, blogs sent to me on this subject, I wanted to reach out and thank each and every one of you personally for spreading the news that Cold Calling Sucks and Doesn't Work.

I agree. For 95 percent of salespeople they're right. It's a waste of time for them.

However, did you ever stop to think that just maybe the people that are trying to convince you might just suck at cold-calling themselves? Birds of a feather flock together! Maybe they're trying to psych you out and eliminate the competition. It's either one or the other. FACT!

I happen to be in sales as well as in the music industry and find that both of the two disciplines have similarities.

When I was 19 years old I became serious about learning how to master the guitar. Everything I read and everyone I talked to stated that "practicing scales was a waste of time and didn't work."
 
At first, I believed them. I had tried it, I sucked at it, wasn't fun, and it was painful and uncomfortable. The elite players didn't want to share their secrets with many so I tried to figure it out on my own. It wasn't until I was 21 years old when I was fortunate enough to study with one the true masters. He told me at my first lesson that in order to become a master, I would need to practice scales four to six hours a day. Wow! Why didn't anyone else share this before? I did what he told me to do, and it worked! Within six months the elite players were now coming out to my gigs and checking me out. They were asking, "What on earth have you been working on?” They were scared!

While living in Los Angeles, I met some incredible and inspirational people. I learned the 95/5 percent principle from master sales gurus and master rock star musicians. The 95 percent all follow the crowd leading nowhere! The 5 percent do whatever it takes to accomplish and to dominate in their industry.

I can honestly say that when I first learned and started cold calling, it was just like when I first started practicing scales. It sucked, I felt uncomfortable, it didn't make sense and my mind kept asking me—"why are you doing this?" I guess if I hadn't gone through this process before with the guitar, I would have quit and given up.

I was lucky enough to be surrounded with some of the best of the best—the 5 percent. They could make talking with strangers effortless, like they had known them forever. I studied with them, learned their techniques, tone and delivery. They all reinforced that it takes discipline, lots of practice, repetition and courage to make it. It was no accident! It was all by design.
 
Well, I did it, and it paid off! I mastered the art of cold-calling. So can you! Since then, I have taught literally hundreds of salespeople how to cold-call successfully. I have also helped companies and organizations move the needle in a big way! So the next time you read and article or someone tells you cold calling doesn't work, consider the source.
 
Would you believe it’s easier to create a sale from a stranger than someone who knows you? It’s true!

The real reason people hate cold-calling is that it's painful. Getting on stage with little preparation hurts!

Success is contagious, much like catching the flu. If you hang with someone who has it, you too can catch it!

Remember: Don't Follow The Crowd—They're Lost!

Sales is the economic engine that drives our economy forward. It's true. Without sales, life would cease to exist. In fact, every person who receives a paycheck at work was the direct result from someone who sold something. Make sure you thank your fellow sales associate soon! So, you see nothing happens until someone sells something.

The number one skill needed in America to keep our economy growing isn't taught in schools. Why? What is our educational system trying to sell us? Do they not want us to know? If selling is one of the highest paid professions and it's not being taught in schools, is it a secret?

I guess to really understand this principle we must take a good look at what sales really is.

We are all salesmen from the day we are born, but don't realize it. Selling is a naturally occurring condition. Let me explain!

Anytime you have an interest in the outcome of a situation, you are selling. That's pretty much everything, right?

From the time you were a kid and all through life, every second someone has or will try to persuade, convince, or influence you to take action. Sometimes the convincing, persuading and influencing occurs without our willingness to buy into what is being offered.

How many times did we make the wrong decision, not realizing that someone was trying to sell us something?

Your parents, friends, spouse, teachers, relatives, co-workers, bosses, politicians, doctors, TV commercials, attorneys, etc. are examples of people who sell.

Then, of course there are the people who are in the profession of selling.

When you become consciously aware of this, it becomes pretty obvious that every moment of our lives, someone is trying to sell us something.

Just imagine if we were all taught this skill, how to sell ourselves through life, what a difference it would make to all of us… The unemployment numbers would go to zero because we would all be able to find that situation where we could create value for another human being and close that sale!

I have come to the conclusion after 35-plus years of being in the business of selling that your success in life is determined by your ability to sell yourself. Fact!

It's your insurance policy for future success!

Question: Are you buying what they are selling in life? Are they buying you?

Being in the business of music and sales for over 35 years things have really changed. Looking back at how we listen to music today compared to years past is interesting. Listening to 45's and albums compared to today's digital cd's,there is a Big difference.

Living in Hollywood during the CD digital craze was amazing! The music industry sold us all on how the music would sound better, and would last forever. It all happened so fast. No one questioned it.

Eddie Van Halen, who was a friend at the time, told me: “The day they came out with  the digital process CS, was the day they ruined Rock n' Roll”!

It didn't hit me until later on in life. What he meant was that the digital format took the human (feel, emotion) out of the art. It squeezed and compressed the life out!

Why? It was all about the bottom-line for the music industry.

Relating this to sales is interesting. I'm currently selling real estate and notice how many agents try putting or negotiating deals together through fax, emailing, texting buyers and sellers.

How impersonal! The human voice which is analog has a much better chance of connecting and communicating when there is real life behind the message.

I guess just like the music industry, if we can make everything more efficient for people, will follow sooner or later right? Robotic?

I recently had to go to my local Best Buy for a computer issue. As I walked through the doors, I was caught off guard by a gal by the name of Danielle who actually greeted me.

Not typical.

My immediate reaction was these guys are actually starting to implement a sales process to improve the customer experience.

Danielle walked me over to the guy who could fix my problem. She even came back to check on me to make sure things were going smoothly.

I was blown away!

About a week later, I walked back in to look for an upgrade my iPad. Wow, no greeting! It seemed like the old Best Buy experience. When I did ask someone where Danielle was they said, “She's the Google rep. She doesn't work here…"

At that moment I decided to take me business elsewhere.

This is so typical and predictable in today's business world. Teach them all about the products, but nothing about connecting with people.