I was cleaning up my hard drive the other day and I came across a list of tips for cold calling (I think the tips are from Ari Galper of www.unlockthegame.com but I’m not positive. If you are the author please let me know so I give you credit!) .

Everyone hates cold calling because we all hate rejection and cold calling is all about rejection if you’re not good at it. These tips make cold calling much easier and less intimidating.

As I read these tips I realized these tips could be applied to social media. Cold calling and social media are exactly the same. If you try to sell your product or service to someone you just met on Facebook they will probably reject you . When you go out on a first date and ask the woman to marry you, you’ll probably get rejected (unless you’re on a binge with Britney Spears in Las Vegas).

Take a look at these cold calling tips and see if you think they can be applied to social media.

Because the right brain is…

1. Involved in process (not outcome)…

* Before you make a cold call, think to yourself, “My goal is not to make the sale but to create a conversation based on how I can help the other person.”

2. Intuitive (not calculating or manipulative)

* Avoid changing who you are when you make your call. There’s no need to be on “stage” or to sound enthusiastic.  Just be your everyday relaxed self, as if you’re calling a friend.   People know when you’re being genuine, and when you’re not.

3. Flexible (not linear)

* Throw out your linear sales script and generate a spontaneous conversation based on the problems you can help the other person solve.

4. Concrete (not abstract)

* Develop two or three specific problems that you know your product or service solves.

5. Holistic (not compartmentalized)

* Let go of thinking “buyer-seller,” and view the person you’re calling as another person, not as a “prospect.”

6. Open-ended (not rigid)

* Let go of worrying about driving the conversation “forward.” Instead, open your call with a problem statement that generates the response “What do you mean?” or “Tell me more.”

See what I mean? These cold calling tips can be directly applied to starting converstations with strangers on social media sites. You could also use these tips when trying to meet people in person at a social event. The operative word here is “social” which is the same online or offline.

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