I just listened to an interview with a noted sales author who was speaking about reaching sales prospects. I was appalled by her latest sales statistics regarding prospecting: You get voicemail 80 percent of the time, and it takes 9-12 attempts to actually speak with someone.

She’s talking about cold calling. And it’s a waste of time. Why waste time leaving voicemails, sending emails and direct mail, until you finally reach someone—when that “someone” may not even be your ideal prospect.? Cold calling doesn’t work! Then, this author suggests, when you talk with that “someone,” use tactics—such as asking for their help to reach the right person.

I’ve said it, and I’ll say it again: Cold Calling wastes your sales time. Compare cold calling to an introduced referral. Well, actually, no comparison exists. But for the sake of argument—when you receive an introduction through a referral, you make an immediate connection (Read, “How to Bypass the Gatekeeper”). You’re already pre-sold, shorten your sales process, talk to the decision-maker, and land a new client more than 50 percent of the time. When you’re cold calling, you’re just left out in the cold.

Referral sales: There’s no other sales or business-development strategy that compares. You don’t have time to waste. You have deals to close and results to deliver. Get moving!