Prospecting and preparation

Besides the obvious, which is to show up, the most important element of prospecting is to be prepared. Know as much as you can about the company, the profession or the industry, and of course, the person you're calling on.

With the Internet, there really is no excuse for not being prepared when making a prospecting call. In fact, your prospect will expect you to be prepared, and if you're not, the call will likely not last very long.