Zig Lives On Even If Cold-Calls Haven't

"Cold Calling Is Dead - Thanks to Social Networking. Get Your Free eBook. Download Yours Now!"

This headline is at the top of my LinkedIn page this morning. What has happened in our profession? Google "cold call" and results return more references to the demise of this sales staple as well as a couple of 2012 links explaining the finer points of the technique ("7 steps to a perfect cold call - CBS News", "Seven Secrets to Cold Calling Success - Entrepreneur").  Contradiction in the search engine! I am confused. When did cold calling die? Must have passed away when Zig Ziglar did, in November of 2012. I still love Zig, and miss his wisdom, captured in this Top Ten Ziglar Quote List, courtesy of Forbes.com:

10) “Remember that failure is an event, not a person.”

9) “You will get all you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want.”

8) “People often say motivation doesn’t last. Neither does bathing—that’s why we recommend it daily.”

7) “There has never been a statue erected to honor a critic.”

6) “People don’t buy for logical reasons. They buy for emotional reasons.”

5) “Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes.”

4) “If you go looking for a friend, you’re going to find they’re scarce. If you go out to be a friend, you’ll find them everywhere.”

3) “A goal properly set is halfway reached.”

2) “Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.”

1) “If you can dream it, you can achieve it.”

Funny, but the term "cold call" isn't in Zig's list, be they dead or alive. As much as some folks want us to think that selling has changed (and we all need reprogramming with a fee payable to the trainer claiming to be the cold-call undertaker), the fact is that selling always has been and always will be about relationships, helping people and being sincere in everything you do. Successful advertising works the same way. So, if you're selling successful advertising, you'd better be twice as nice and twice as sincere.

Aside from learning how to write up an order and using some helpful tools, there really isn't too much else you need to know.

If you need help with the tools that FCPNY provides as member benefits-- AdMall, CVC Audits and more -- contact Tom at tcuskey@fcpny.com or call 877-275-2726.

IOT -- It's not short for "IDIOT", at least not yet.

God speaks to me. Often, unfortunately. It's not that He has a lot to say to me; He has to repeat Himself several times before I actually listen. I am working on that and I am getting better at listening.

Case in point: IOT. I have heard the term twice now in the past three days from very legit sources. Repetition merits listening to. If you are new to the term, as I was, it stands for Internet Of Things. My first exposure to the phrase came from a friend who owns a fast growing, high-tech lighting company. You'll see an example of his work if you watch this year's Super Bowl (they lit the Phoenix stadium where the 2015 game will be held). He was talking about LED lights they design that have built-in transmitters that communicate constantly with a central station that monitors the status and condition of the lights. Keeps everyone on top of maintenance. He said "this is the next big thing you're going to start hearing about: the Internet of Things!" He was right. I heard about it again, this morning, on a news report about the huge high-tech product showcase that is going on in Las Vegas this week. The Internet of Things is all over it. Not only are people connected through our enabled devices, the devices themselves communicate with each other and take care of their business, if you will, without our direct assistance. The Internet of Things. 

Like everything new it is part exciting and part scary. I know I have seen sci-fi movies where smart machines take over the Earth. That's not the scary part, it's the exciting part. Here is scary...

Our clients would like to automate their marketing and advertising. There are programs that put a social media message out on multiple platforms at the stroke of a key. Reports come in that tell what kind of web traffic they are getting and where it comes from. Digital equals measurable, and measurable is good. Where are you in this mix? Hopefully, you're out in front of it. Digital changes so quickly that you have to become an everyday student of it…and then you can help your customers, your PRINT customers, make the most of it. Don't wait for your company or your boss to tell you to do this. It's up to you. You see, print isn't dead, it's alive and kicking in many forms. And it won’t die unless you kill it by not efficiently and intelligently attaching it to the new technologies that will always be coming our way. 

So don't become an I-di-OT. Get out in front of the wave. Learn a little bit more about new and existing products every day. Your advertisers have businesses to run -- they are looking for someone like you to take their hands and guide them through all of this, today and going forward. That becomes the exciting part. In spite of the looming Internet of Things, people still make ad decisions and pay the bills. And your job is to help people make their futures brighter. That makes yours brighter, too. Thank God!

Need training or assistance from FCPNY? Contact Tom at tcuskey@fcpny.com or call 877-275-2726.