There’s quite a debate going on these days in sales cubicles, conference rooms, classrooms and of course, Linkedin groups on everyone’s favorite subject . . . Cold Calling.

For the most part, I now avoid these debates much like I would religion or politics.

Not because I’m worried about offending anyone, but because much like religion and politics, people are passionate about their feelings. At the end of the debate . . . we’re all going to cling to our beliefs.

Oh and by the time we’re done even defining a cold call we probably could have just gone out and sold something!

There’s one thing, though, that pisses me off to no end and its this notion that a sales rep is lazy if they don’t cold call.

Now, if you’re an inside rep, I kind of get it, but even still, with all the available options . . . nobody should be “cold calling” anymore.

Having said that . . . I’ll now officially begin my rant!

If a sales rep is getting results from methods other than cold calling . . .

Please tell me how that’s lazy?

And when you do, I’m going to give you a big hug (I’m not into dudes by the way) because you will have helped me find a loophole for my taxes this year.

Why?

Because the IRS doesn’t give a sh*t how I bring in my business . . .its still taxable!

Like the IRS is going to say “Castain, your business brought in 1.5 million last year, but it doesn’t count because you were lazy and didn’t cold call”

So whether I cold call, warm call, get referrals, do creative stuff, email, snail mail, door knock, network, social network, do seminars, webinars or even call my Uncle John and say “Uncle John . . .You’ve always sucked as an Uncle and you can make it up to me by buying my training products!” . . .

It’s REVENUE! In other words . . .

Who cares . . . so long as the results are there?

Truth be told, many of those other things I mentioned, take quite a bit more time to do. A real smart ass might even go back at the eternal “cold caller” with a rebuttal that they are indeed the lazy ones.

Here’s the other part of this thats disappointing . . .

No matter how much of a compelling argument people make that they are getting their results from other methods, there will always be at least a few amateur “Dr Phil wannabes” that think deep down these people are just afraid or they wet the bed too much as a kid or something.

You’ll also get people who are insistent that if these “lazy folk” would just pick up the phone they would get used to it.

So here’s my question . . .

Why are we continually force feeding people this notion that they HAVE to do something that isn’t giving them the results that the other methods are giving them?

You know what gang? We can all drag out some case study or statistic to prove our point but at the end of the day it means nada!

Why?

Because it doesn’t take into account one’s personal strengths.

Your individual mileage will vary but . . .

We all, ultimately will live and die by our numbers.

We can’t hide from that reality at the end of the month.

We need to lose this gung ho nonsense and acknowledge that everyone has their strengths and if those strengths bring home the bacon, so be it.

One more thing . . .

I’m not in favor of hunting business by utilizing any one approach.

I teach a method of utilizing a good, strong, mix of sales activities.

So whether you’re clinging to one approach (other than the phone) or you’re cold calling exclusively, I believe you’d get better results by diversifying.

Meanwhile, I salute you for bringing business in, however you do it so as its between ethical and legal 🙂

Your turn . . .

With all the tools available to a sales professional today . . . Should we consider a sales rep lazy if they don’t cold call? What say you Sales Playbook community?