Day 192

Once again I find that I'm all dressed up with no place to go. I've got my entire portfolio transfered to my iPod. Photos, TV commercials, documentary films, print ads...just about everything worth showing has been loaded and is ready to go. Unfortunately, I can't think of anyone to show the stuff to. Just about everyone with the courtesy to take a look is already a friend or a customer. The rest of the world is so well insulated that it's unlikely that we'll ever meet. It wasn't that long ago that the cold call was a time-honored way to prospect for new business. Not anymore. Telemarketers, spam and a lousy job market have created a toxic environment where people just don't want to talk you if they don't already know you. If you call the office of someone you aren't already familiar with, they are not going to pick up the phone. If you send them an e-mail, it will probably end up in their junk mail folder.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm the same way myself. I never answer the phone anymore without looking at Caller-ID first. I don't even bother to open e-mail if it looks like a sales pitch or a message from someone who wants me to hire them. It's a shame the world has come to this. Over the years I've found some very nice customers by making cold calls. I don't even try anymore. Virtually all my business now comes as a result of recommendations from friends. People just don't want to deal with strangers anymore, and I can't say that I blame them.

If cold calls no longer work, maybe online advertising will. What the hell...it's worth a try anyway. I've been experimenting with running online ads for my company, but haven't reached any conclusions yet.  Google Adwords certainly seem to deliver exactly what Google says they will, but Adwords can get kind of expensive. Running Adgitize and Entrecard ads will definitely increase your page rank at a much lower price, but I wonder if any of the new visitors will stay long enough to get to know you. With all these new technology tools out there, I have a feeling that taking someone to lunch still works better.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day