A discussion about sales, sales tips and advice, and about those who land the deal

That's the strategy outlined by marketing and sales expert Bob Bly, who I read frequently via my Early to Rise e-mail newsletter that's always packed full of interesting tid-bits of information.

Bly talks about his frustration with cold calling as a sales strategy, recommending instead a strategy of position yourself as an expert that is sought after.

Here's more from Bob:

"There are two big problems with cold calling as a business-building method.

First, it violates the "Busy Doctor Syndrome."

This term was coined by the late Howard Shenson, who wrote many books on consulting and seminar promotion.

The Busy Doctor Syndrome says that people would rather hire those (not only doctors) that they perceive as busy and successful. They do not want to hire those who seem desperate and in need of work.

Well, if you are sitting at a phone cold calling potential clients, how busy and successful do you think you seem to them?

Not very, of course.

The second reason I dislike cold calling is that it puts you in a weak position for negotiating anything about your product or service - terms, scope of work, fee, payments, delivery dates.

Prospects agree to pay premium prices because:

1. They want or need what you are selling.

2. They perceive your product or service as exclusive and difficult to get.

3. They believe that if they do not act quickly, it will be snapped up by others and therefore not available.

When you cold call, #2 and #3 disappear. After all, when you call strangers on the telephone, you obviously have a surplus of whatever it is that you are selling.

Therefore, I urge you to practice what I call the "Silver Rule" of marketing.

I call it the Silver Rule, because I first heard it from my old friend, marketing consultant Peter Silver (although I don't think he called it the Silver Rule).

Pete said: "It is better to get THEM (the prospects) to come to YOU, than for YOU to go to THEM."

Cold calling doesn't do this.

What does follow the Silver Rule? Most of the things we teach at ETR: direct mail ... e-mail marketing ... and establishing yourself as an expert in your field.

So do things like giving seminars and speeches ... or writing articles for publications read by your potential clients ... or writing how-to books.

When you get an inquiry from someone who subscribes to your e-newsletter or has read something else you've written, you are negotiating the sale from a position of strength - because THEY came to YOU, rather than YOU calling THEM.

When someone approaches you at a conference, says they loved your speech, and asks about engaging your firm's services, you are in a position of strength. After all, they see you as the expert ... and THEY came to YOU, rather than you coming to them.

Why does Tom Peters get $30,000 or so to give a one-hour speech - and have more business than he can handle - while other speakers struggle to get bookings for $3,000 or less? It is largely because, as a best-selling author, he is perceived as an expert. And so prospects come to him, rather than him going to them.

Tom Peters has become a wealthy entrepreneur simply by practicing the Silver Rule. And so can you."