The no-good sales call.

So much about business has changed. So few extended business lunches. So much cost cutting. So little hiring. Even the U.S. car companies now see doom for the corporate jet and maybe even those big bonuses for losing their shirts. But enough about them.

It goes without saying that our company has not yet qualified for a bailout, so we must slog on with making a profit.

We used to make phone calls to key people at companies we thought we could help - and then we talked with people on the phone. Strangers! It took courage. It used to work.

This calling thing appears to be pretty much over.

Let me ask you: how often do you take probable-solicitation calls from strangers when you're at work? If the answer isn't NEVER or ALMOST NEVER, you'll probably want to add a caller ID feature to your phone.

So cold and nearly cold sales phone calls are teetering toward obsolescence. FINE, who wants them anyway? Ah, but what replaces the classic cold call for companies in which selling is sometimes a one-by-one process? Bringing people to your door to ask to work with you or buy your stuff? Emailing? Psychic messaging? (Okay, scrap that last one...)

Think of professionals who never advertise but who are always busy. They've built a reputation for excellence - and it wasn't an accident. It likely took ongoing outreach, networking, PR, climbing the Google ranks, nurturing of word-of-mouth, viral marketing, and more.

It can be really hard to change the way you sell things. But take some time to think about this New Age of outreach.You know the saying that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. How ARE those sales phone calls going for you anyway??

Start building a business reputation that opens doors so much better than the ol' "My name is Milton Kong and I'm calling to ask you...."