Sometimes it's hard to let go. We've all been there... not wanting to say goodbye to something that we've outgrown, not letting go of someone who wasn't good for us.

Think about a time you had to put a beloved pet to sleep because you knew it was the absolute best thing you could do to end their suffering.

There are many things in life that become outmoded--hair styles and fashion are a good example. Perhaps you've saved all those leisure suits or bell bottoms. Just as these look crazy on us at a certain point, there are things we do that can become outdated.

There are two things in sales that are not persuasive and will absolutely hinder your results. This article is about one of them.

Cold calling.

At a recent seminar a potential student asked how the process of eliciting criteria can be applied to cold calling. As a general rule, it can't.

Cold calling is not selling. It's marketing. Learn how to market, spend money on marketing and actually market your product or service. Forget about cold calling as a sales technique.

If cold calling is a part of the business that you're involved in, supplement it with real marketing.

I understand there are a few business that have to cold call. With real estate, for example, cold calling is still a part of doing business that actually works.

Stock brokers sometimes have to prospect by telephone due to compliance issues and this method actually works in this scenario as well.

Maybe you don't have options, and cold calling is it. Well, if that's the case, just don't confuse marketing with selling.

In sales, we are simply looking for someone with their hand raised. Cold calling is nothing more than getting someone to raise their hand. When they raise their hand you switch hats and move from marketing to sales. Now criteria becomes an issue, whereas in the 'marketing' side it was not.

Unless you LOVE to cold call and unless your business requires it, I'd advise to stop at once. There are less painful, more productive ways to market which create steady, reliable streams of traffic.

It's time to let this one go. Sorry old pal, your time has come. As with 'features and benefits', our time together must come to an end.

Kenrick Cleveland teaches strategies to earn the business of affluent clients using persuasion. He runs public and private seminars and offers home study courses and coaching programs in persuasion strategies.

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