It's easy to dismiss the classic cold call as an outdated relic. Yet, in the world of service-based businesses—especially staffing—cold calling is not only alive but also thriving. While it's true that clients, especially hiring managers, aren't necessarily excited to receive unsolicited calls, the undeniable reality is that cold calling works. More importantly, it remains one of the most effective ways to build genuine relationships with potential clients. In a perfect world, every business would post ads, create compelling content, and watch clients flood their inboxes with inquiries. While these inbound tactics play an essential role in marketing strategy, they're inherently passive. They're effective—when they work—but they're also unpredictable. You're relying on the right person to come across your message at the right time and take action. For service-based firms like ours, that's simply not enough. Staffing firms are in the business of timing, connection, and alignment—all of which require a proactive approach. Our firm doesn't wait for ideal clients to stumble upon us. We actively identify companies where we know we can add value. We analyze hiring managers' backgrounds, assess where our business model fits, and reach out to start a conversation. At its core, cold calling isn't just about making a sale. It's about building relationships. The first call is often the hardest because, yes, it's unexpected. No one likes to be caught off guard. But in many cases, that first call leads to something bigger. It's the start of a relationship that can transform into a true partnership. Our approach to cold calling isn't about pushing a product. It's about offering insights, sharing market trends, and providing value. We're not looking for a transactional interaction—we're looking for alignment. Can our brands work together? Can we help them achieve their hiring goals? These questions are only answered through conversation. Of course, not every call is warmly received, and that's okay. Part of our role as a staffing partner is to stay visible and top-of-mind for when our services are needed. Cold calling is simply the most effective way to do that.
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https://www.calltsg.com/blogs/why-cold-calling-still-matters
[00:00:01] Welcome to Business, Finance and Soul. My name is Shaun Enders and I'm a curious entrepreneur. I love exploring business, personal finance and consciousness. I'll jump around topics, offer my opinions and occasionally interview interesting people. Looking forward to going on this journey. Let's be curious together.
[00:00:21] Welcome back to Business, Finance and Soul. I have a topic today that I wrote a blog on for Transition Staffing Group because cold calling has been such a big part of my life for 25 years.
[00:00:41] It's a really, really interesting topic because you would think cold calling is really dedicated to individuals on the sales and business development side of their career.
[00:00:54] But what I wanted to draw a line today or what I wanted to do today was actually just draw a line between the cold calling mentality, the ability to put yourself out there and how that might actually benefit you in your personal life.
[00:01:11] Now, we might have a natural propensity to feel comfortable just talking to strangers, getting rejected. I think that is in some of our DNA. And I'm going to share a story with you on why I believe that.
[00:01:30] Others, it might not come natural to want to put yourself out there, to talk to a stranger and ask for something because of that fear. You get nervous. You feel like, oh my gosh, am I worth less because someone says no to me?
[00:01:47] So I'm going to talk about how cold calling is still extremely relevant in 2025. And I am also going to talk about why it matters in business and how individuals in your personal life, how you can actually stitch that into day-to-day living.
[00:02:13] And so what's really interesting is my son and my daughter are different people, very different people right from the get-go. My daughter is, when she was much younger, a little bit more shy about asking for things outwardly. But she knew that my son was not. And so I'll share a story with you. When my son was only three years old,
[00:02:43] maybe four years old, he had no problem going up to people and engaging in conversation. And that was one of the really endearing things about him. Strangers really, really were like, wow, what an outgoing kid. And geez, he seems to not be intimidated by adults. My daughter knew that and she's three years older than him.
[00:03:04] And so the way that she really used his skill set for her own benefit was when we would go grocery shopping together at the store. If you went into the bakery area, you could go up and ask someone working in the bakery if you could have a cookie. And this was absolutely a benefit for the kids to want to go grocery shopping with me, join dad as we did kind of our Sunday ritual.
[00:03:32] Yeah, because they knew that they'd be able to get a cookie. But my daughter did not like going and asking the baker for a cookie. I don't know if she just had the fear that at one point they would say no or if she just didn't like the feeling of asking for something. That in itself maybe needs to be explored a little bit more.
[00:03:57] But she would really tap her brother on the shoulder and say, hey, let's see if we can get a cookie. Why don't you go ask? And he inevitably always did. And he always came back for a cookie or with a cookie for himself and one for his sister. And I love that. They actually bonded over that when they were younger.
[00:04:20] And so that mentality, I think, you know, it's very evident he was born with that ability to put himself out there. It'll be interesting to see. He is now 11 and she is 14. It will be interesting to see where or how that unfolds in their own futures, you know, when it comes to their professional endeavors.
[00:04:44] But when you look at cold calling and you look at that mindset of how it plays out, that's a social example. That's an example of living and looking at what do I want? How do I get it? And who is there or who's standing in my way to accomplish what it is that I want? My son knew that he wanted a cookie.
[00:05:11] The baker was the one who held the keys to that request. And so you go up there, you befriend the baker and guess what? You get what you want. Real cause and effect stuff. And I love that, right? Because that's the way the world works. You want something, you know someone else has access to it. And you've really got to put yourself in a position where you're okay with asking. You're okay with potentially getting rejected.
[00:05:38] It's such an important skill in life that I think this is one of the reasons that sales managers, sales executives make a good living, can make a great living. And that's because it's a hard job. It's not something that everyone just says, yeah, rejection is okay with me and I could do that, you know, all day, every day for years upon years.
[00:06:06] That's the benefit of overcoming that fear. And in life, you have so many instances of where you want to get access to something. You want to get noticed. You want to attain, you know, a thing or, you know, you know that the shortest line between A and B is this person.
[00:06:35] So you've got to get comfortable getting and putting yourself into a position of rejection. For business, however, and this might be interesting to you to know, it's like when you get that cold call, if you're in the business world, B2B of where you work at a company and people want to sell you a product or a service, we can kind of look at cold calling as an outdated relic.
[00:07:02] You know, it's just, it is, it is not though. I mean, you would think digital, social media, you know, really all this inbound marketing mindset is the king of lead generation today. But the truth of the matter is building relationships through cold calling, even in 2025, it works. And it actually remains as one of the most effective ways to build genuine relationships. I get it.
[00:07:31] In a perfect world, you would just be able to create compelling content and just watch your clients kind of flood into your inbox. But the truth is that you can have a great marketing strategy. You can have great content, but you've got to know who you're targeting. In the business to business world of where relationships actually matter, this is fundamental to your success.
[00:08:01] And so at its core, cold calling isn't just about making a sale. You know, yes, the byproduct down the road might be making a sale, but it's really about building relationships. As I mentioned, I've been cold calling for over 25 years. And truly, I've met some great people that I have never done business with.
[00:08:26] So I know firsthand that the cold call created the relationship. And maybe the byproduct was they had referred me business or we've worked together in some other way. But maybe we just never really were able to actually transact. But we've built relationships. And that's really, really cool. I mean, it shows you the power of building relationships by putting yourself out there. You never know where that call is going to go.
[00:08:55] But the first call is often the hardest because it's unexpected. You know, really no one likes to be caught off guard. And so as you look at that first call, you have to really think to yourself, what might be around the corner? You know, will this go somewhere? Can I help them achieve a goal?
[00:09:21] And you can never get those answers until you actually engage through conversation. And so, you know, cold calling, we get it. Not every call is warmly received. That's okay. But you want to stay visible. You want to stay top of mind when services are needed. And cold calling is a super effective way to do that because it allows you to really get your, you know, your personality across.
[00:09:51] I think as we move further and further into the world of AI and when we can continue to game the system of email and automation and drip campaigns and all of these things where you can kind of get into the sales mindset of set it and forget it. The truth of the matter is we're going to go full circle.
[00:10:16] And where we come back to relationships, everything comes back to human to human interaction. Yeah, there's a lot of transactional things out there that don't matter. And in those instances, you might just press a button, get what you need, and move forward. But for the areas in business or in life that do matter, relationships are the foundation.
[00:10:45] And the only way to have a relationship is to have communication, converse, inquire, talk about what really is happening in our world. In the staffing world, it's all about, you know, the personalities, the culture, the technical aspects of what's needed.
[00:11:09] And, you know, fundamentally in staffing, we're talking about organizational structure and organizational charts in terms of who's where and what's needed in order to progress the department, progress the company. So we'll talk about how cold calling has evolved because it really is different than it was 20 years ago. I mean, when I started, we didn't have LinkedIn.
[00:11:40] Email introductions were very different. Everything was one-to-one. There was no mass email. You know, it's different now in how people have all of these mediums on where you can interact with them. And how you use those to really set the table for a conversation.
[00:12:04] So, you know, today we're able to gain more information, get more insight into who we're actually reaching out to and targeting. And we can personalize these calls quite a bit more because of the information that exists out there. Through things like LinkedIn, through other databases that collect information where you can, you know, past experience or content that they've created.
[00:12:31] Personalized parts of their life that's out on the web that you can actually see and go, okay, hey, this is relevant. And this would or could build a bond because I share this one thing with them or multiple things with them. So, you know, it's different. We're in this digital age of where information exists. We can collect it. But what do you do with it? Everybody talks about data, data, data. And yes, there's a ton of that out there.
[00:13:01] In the world of selling, data is great. But what do you do with it? How do you contextualize it? How do you actually implement it or integrate it into the way that you do business, the way that you converse with customers? Why does that matter? How do you put yourself out there in a way that people on a one-to-one basis connect with you? And so there's a lot of noise and we hear that. How do I separate myself?
[00:13:32] There's so much noise. What's my messaging? Well, A, getting back to the original conversation or original message in the beginning of this conversation about, you know, where do you stand in your comfort zone of reaching out? Are you someone that gets scared of rejection? If you do, you really want to get over that. Work at getting over that. Find a compelling message, a key differentiator, something that you're proud of in your life.
[00:14:00] Find others that might find that interesting. And really get past that point of trying to use a numbers game of, you know, hey, let me convert 1%. So I'm going to reach out to thousands of people with generic messaging. You wouldn't do that in person.
[00:14:17] You'd want to feel authentic and, you know, value or have a value-add mindset in terms of what you're doing for your career or in your personal life. What's interesting about you? And use that to your advantage as you engage with your customer base.
[00:14:38] You know, the cold calling conversation, I had to have it because I just think that we've swung the pendulum so far in terms of really just becoming passive in our sales activities. And some people would even say cold calling is dead or just outdated.
[00:14:58] And that was the point of having this conversation and saying, you know, in life, having the mindset of, you know, being someone who's not afraid to engage a stranger, getting to that point of where you say, okay, well, this is what I want in life. I'm going to go after it. This is that cold calling mentality. This is where you strengthen that muscle.
[00:15:26] And you don't want that muscle to be atrophied or just not developed at all in life. Because I have found so many areas in my life of where getting over the fear of rejection has benefited me greatly. I've met some amazing people just reaching out to them, mentors, people who I've respected from their own content and their own resume.
[00:15:53] And, you know, putting myself out there to get a lunch with them or a meeting, hugely beneficial. And that's because of being able to cold call someone in a different way. In business, when you're trying to level up and if you're in a position where you are working with relationships of where you're not just trying to sell product real quick and then, you know, go on the run for the next customer.
[00:16:23] If you want repeat business, this has got to be a big part of what you should be implementing or continuing to strengthen in 2025. I think you have to know that you're trying to get to a point of being a trusted advisor, not just a salesperson. But that's not going to happen on the first call. That's not going to happen, you know, on that first outreach. You do have to know that becoming a trusted advisor takes time.
[00:16:52] And there is really a process in which you, if you dedicate yourself, you get better and better at the script of cold call. We've all got a different script. Some people are thinking, you know, you know, call centers of where you're reading off of the script.
[00:17:11] Truth is, the better that you get, the more you have kind of many scripts in your mind and you're just, you know, reciting those to memory and navigating through calls without an actual script. But you do have a script. It's kind of like, you know, a seasoned actor knows the screenplay. They don't, they're not reading off of the sheet anymore, you know, but maybe like they were when they were auditioning.
[00:17:36] Once they've got the role and they know what their mission is, they knew who their character is, they've really committed this to memory. And now they can ad lib a little bit, but, you know, they have practiced their craft. And in sales, specifically, as you cold call, you really do want to have that script. And you want to be able to move accordingly and ad lib when necessary.
[00:18:03] And that's how you start becoming a trusted advisor over time because you're feeling comfortable on where you can take that cold call. And so I get it. People aren't always receptive. Getting that call out of the blue is not something where somebody says, oh, I'm so happy that you called me and that you're disrupting my day. But think of the upside. It might be inconvenient in the moment.
[00:18:33] But there could be something transformational for them on the other side. And that's key. I think you want to know that you are there to bring value. If you don't believe that, you should change industries or you should change what you're selling. Because you want to believe in that, you know, product or service that you have. Because if you do, that's where the authenticity comes from.
[00:19:02] And that's going to benefit you greatly in terms of progress. So I just kind of wanted to riff on this a little bit today because I think in the world of sales, if you're getting a cold call, think of it a little differently. You know, give some grace to the person on the other end. And, you know, it isn't something where it is a outdated, low level activity.
[00:19:29] Sales executives should still continue to reach out and cold call. Even if they have a set client base, they should always be harvesting new relationships. And if you're getting that call, embrace that. You never know what the message is on the other end, who you might actually engage with or create a relationship with. I think that's pretty cool. Yeah, I get it.
[00:19:54] You know, you get these crazy calls that have nothing to do with your business or, you know, any part of your world of what you're interested in. I took a cold call from someone that was selling, I think, some oil drilling out of Texas for an alternative investment opportunity because I came up as a high net worth individual. I listened to it.
[00:20:21] I was genuinely allowing them to make their pitch. Didn't mean I was going to be the right customer for them in terms of, you know, engaging immediately and, you know, signing up as one of their investors. But I did want to hear and learn about it. It was interesting. Gentleman that called me was authentic.
[00:20:42] He knew his area and he identified that I wasn't somebody that really wanted that type of high risk investment in an area that isn't something of passion for me. But I took the call and I was happy that he called me. And he's in my Rolodex. And I absolutely have already referred him over to somebody who actually does like that space. And I thought that that was kind of cool. So next time you get a call, think about where it can go. Don't just shut it down.
[00:21:11] I think that that's very, you know, short-sighted. And if you're on the side of calling, you know, know that cold calling is alive. Know that it continues to work statistically. Statistically, it is the easiest path towards developing trust and rapport and cutting through the noise, the digital noise of where there's so many messages.
[00:21:37] Listen, AI can replace a lot of things, but it can't replace your personality. It can't replace your ambitions. It can't replace your offerings in terms of your unique value proposition. And I think that you really, really want to hold on to that, especially in an era of transformation like we are in right now, where the digital world is going to be very difficult to know what's real, what's not, who's authentic, who's got history.
[00:22:04] You know, a lot of people can be gained based on what we're seeing in the space of artificial intelligence. But you cannot be gained if you take a moment to develop a relationship. That's how you vet people. That's how you vet your vendors. That's how you vet your customers.
[00:22:25] And I think that's going to be key as we continue along this transformation of increased digital presence, increased artificial intelligence within the realm of sales and marketing. And I hope that you take this information, apply it how you will in your own. This is not a podcast just specifically for sales.
[00:22:52] That's why I wanted you to just absorb this today and go, you know, how does the cold calling mindset work in my life? How could I benefit by being able to put myself out there? And I will leave you with that. If you are not in sales, you do not have any need to actually cold call a customer. Think about your own life of where you want something.
[00:23:18] You know that someone has it, whether it's you want a mentor and they've got knowledge. You want an introduction to somebody important. You want a service or something that might benefit your life personally. How can you actually make a call out to somebody that holds the keys to that request or desire? How can you do that? If you get comfortable in an area of rejection, that's very possible.
[00:23:49] And you will exponentially grow with that skill set. And if you're in the area of sales, this is for you. I hope that you explore this a little bit further. I'll put a link to the blog that I wrote that's on the Transition Staffing Group website. So you can check that out. And as always, stay curious. And I hope 2025 is a super successful year. I know it's going to be really exciting. Thanks, everyone.