Why I Stopped Cold Calling and What Happened Next

Back in 2014, I made a decision that probably seemed crazy.

I was going to stop relying on cold calls and cold emails to build my book of business.

Not because they didn’t work. But because I knew if I wanted real success, I had to grab attention differently.

 

Finding My Edge

When I moved to Colorado from Wisconsin, I thought I had an edge. We’d been selling self-funding in Wisconsin for years. In Colorado, most businesses were using Cigna’s level funded plan and calling it self-funding. Not the same thing.

I leaned into that differentiator plus my backstory as a former pro baseball player. But I still had work to do.

 

The Year I Got It Wrong

I spent an entire year targeting the wrong people.

I thought HR professionals would want to talk about self-funding all day. They didn’t. That’s not their job.

Once I pivoted to the right buyer, everything changed.

 

The Strategy That Changed Everything

I built what I now call an attention blueprint using exponential awareness.

Instead of making 100 calls to reach 100 people, I used channels that let me reach thousands with one message:

Social media when LinkedIn was still mostly for recruiting

Email marketing that turned one campaign into $180,000 in new business

Public speaking after hiring a coach to get in front of my ideal clients

Podcasting to spread my message far, fast and wide

It took four to five years to build. But once it was rolling, prospects started coming to me.

They reached out on LinkedIn asking for help.

They replied to emails wanting to meet.

Fortune 500 companies approached me after speaking events.

I was just a producer in Longmont, Colorado. But I’d built a system that let me love prospecting again.

Did I still pick up the phone sometimes? Sure. But cold calls weren’t cold anymore. People already knew who I was.

 

What About You?

When you look at your prospecting right now, are you still solely relying on cold calls and emails?

That approach won’t get you as far as it used to.

Building an attention blueprint will help you grab more attention, faster.

I just had a client—only three years in production—close a 1,700-life group. Why? Because he built his brand. He’s become the go-to in his market.

He’s not relying on cold calls anymore. You don’t have to either.

 

ACTION STEPS:

Define your brand. How do you want the market talking about you?

Identify your ideal client. Who do you actually want to work with?

Craft your message. What will grab their attention?

Pick your channels. Social media? Email? Speaking? Start with one and commit.

This will change your career. You just have to put in the work and stay consistent.

Anybody can do this.

Will you?