"Ms. Patterson, you have a cold call from some consultant on line two."

That message probably rates as much excitement as a call from an IRS auditor. So, what usually follows is a quick brush-off from the "prospective" client.

Never mind the stiff-arm response, the consultant thinks. We cold callers know that a thick skin is table stakes, and we expect rejection. I've got to keep dialing for dollars.

Wrong.

With all the high-impact marketing and sales strategies available to consultants, it's time to put the cold call out to pasture once and for all.

The cold call is older than fictional salesman Willy Loman—and less effective, particularly for consultants. A cold call campaign is founded on the one-two punch theory of sales. First, you send out a stack of "enticing" letters to people you don't know, and second, you call them and solicit their business.

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