Martyn R. Lewis, Author, How Customers Buy…& Why They Don’t.

As Peter Drucker so notably stated, “The purpose of business is to create a customer”. Drucker went on to tackle the notion that to provide a return to shareholders is akin to breathing for the human body. Just as you must breathe to live, so must a business make a profit and a return to its shareholders. But just as the purpose of life is more than breathing, the purpose of business he argues, is more than making money. The purpose is to create a customer, because what do you have without a customer? You might have a fine research center or a noble philanthropic organization, but you don’t have a business.

Gerri Knilans, President, Trade Press Services

Cold calling is an outbound marketing effort many consider outdated. In fact, there are countless blogs and articles proclaiming in large type, “cold calling is dead!” However, 90% of Fortune 500 companies consider telemarketing an effective marketing campaign and are still investing in outbound calling programs. So, the question is why?

One reason is that amidst rapidly evolving technology, human interaction and out reach are more important than ever. In fact, 70 percent of B2B sales come from human interaction, and 56 percent of those sales start with telemarketing. But cold calling takes skill. Here are some keys to turning cold calls into conversations.