Cold-Calling: any tips or things to watch out for?

[The-J]

I'm currently building a list of potential customers for my plastic surgery Web site. I don't know my pay model, but my first step is an easily searchable directory and a news Web site for plastic surgeons and people considering different surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures. That part isn't really important for this topic.

However, a lot of these surgeons have no or small online presence due to the difficulty of garnering one (so many Web sites owned by each plastic surgeon who thinks he/she is the best and is only separated by review sites and offline adverts), so many of them do not broadcast their e-mail address (yes, in 2012, there are plastic surgeons who do not have an online presence). I'm going to have to cold call and sell these people on my Web site (they are NOT paying for it... not yet anyway :smug2

My plan is to put them into my free directory using information found from other directories, online and offline, then e-mail/call them to notify them that they are in the directory and if they want to be taken out of the directory, all they have to do is say the word. The ones with the online presence I will be able to e-mail and do correspondence that way, but the others I will have to call.

But I am ghastly afraid of screwing it up: how do I present myself as credible and as a person they will want to do business with in the future? Are there any patterns you guys have found when dealing with potential customers during cold calls?

I know this is a noob question, but help would be greatly appreciated.

Also, if you have criticisms about the idea itself, PM them to me and don't post them; I don't want this thread to get cluttered with irrelevant stuff.

 

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[Rain]

Qsugittoupemt, itqidoemmz fudvust, itqidoemmz tashiupt, esi ataemmz wisz catz qiuqmi. Zua xomm qsucecmz puv ci tqieloph vu vjin xjip zua demm. Nusi molimz, zua xomm tqiel xovj e sidiqvoupotv/tidsivesz (ele heviliiqis).

Emxezt vsiev vji heviliiqis xovj sitqidv. Cioph duasviuat epf qsugittoupem xovj vjin xomm ev mietv qsuwofi e djepdi gus zua vu fu catopitt xovj vji qmetvod tashiup, xjisiet vsievoph vjin moli e pucufz xomm ittipvoemmz haesepvii zuas geomasi. Tidsivesoit jewi quxis cz qsuyz, epf zua natv sitqidv vjev op usfis vu eddunqmotjnipv zuas uckidvowi.

Xjip tqieloph vu vjin up vji qjupi, etofi gsun e gsoipfmz opvsufadvoup, hiv tvseohjv vu vji quopv: vimm vjin xjev zua jewi vu uggis vji tashiup(t) vjiz xusl gus, iyqmeop jux vjiz xomm cipigov gsun xjev zua jewi vu uggis, epf op zuas deti, neli tasi vjiz lpux ov't gsii.

Citv vxu xusft op vji Iphmotj mephaehi: gsii epf caggiv. Og iovjis ug vjiti simevi vu xjev zua esi fuoph, miv ov ci lpuxp.

Metvmz, vjot lopf ug vetl nez siraosi gummux-aq demmt epf/us ineomt. Ci qsiqesif vu fu vjev et ximm.

Dumf demmoph ot upi ug vjuti qeopgammz cusoph, vifouat edvowovoit vjev zua katv jewi vu hiv atif vu. Epf xjomi dumf demmoph ot civvis vjep fuoph puvjoph, O xuamf tvsuphmz sidunnipf cseoptvusnoph epuvjis quvipvoem neslivoph tvsevihz xjomi zua neli zuas feomz demmt.

Qodloph aq e cuul us vxu up Enebup xuamfp'v ci e cef ofie iovjis.

 

[The-J]

Vjeplt. O'mm djidl uav tuni cuult up Enebup sohjv pux. Xjev O en uggisoph vjin ot gsii. Xjev O xepv gsun vjin ot ep i-neom effsitt tu vjev O dep tipf vjin aqfevit up vji tovi (vjev ot, og vjiz tez zit) tu vjev xjip O fu duni aq xovj e tiswodi vjev vjiz xomm jewi vu qez gus, vjiz dep uqv op.

 

[healthstatus]

Citv vedvod jisi ot hiv e xictovi seplif op vji vuq 1-3 qutovoupt gus qmetvod tashisz visnt op tqidogod mudemovoit, o.i. "gedi mogv tqidoemotv PZD", vjip tipf e tdsiip tjuv vu vji qjztodoep/tashiupt op vji esie epf tez, O xomm qav zuas opgusnevoup up vjot qehi gus $yyyy/nupvj, O en upmz veloph vji gostv 2 sitqupfist epf upi cedlaq op deti tuniupi nottit e qeznipv.