1.) In order to succeed in sales, you must believe in the worth, value and desirability of your product or service. Before you can ever convince someone else to buy, you must first "buy into" the value yourself.
 
2.) If you believe in the value of your product or service and you believe that it is of value to your customers, then you are coming from integrity. Your integrity, personal and professional, and the integrity of your product or service is the cornerstone of making introductory calls, and indeed of the entire sales process.
 
3.) Examine your business, product or service and how you see yourself in relation to your business and to your clients or customers. Does your product or service provide a benefit? Do you believe in the value and benefit of your product or service? Are you doing the best you know how to insure that your customers get what they need? What is your intent toward your customer?
 
4.) Recognize that you are a reputable person with integrity, representing a beneficial product or service. You are, in fact, providing an important product or service to your clients or customers—one that they want.
 
5.) Frequently, salespeople feel that they need their prospect or customer more than the prospect or customer needs them. If your prospect is already using a similar product or service, they want the benefit that product or service provides—they are buying it. Therefore, they need you or someone just like you to provide that benefit or value.
 
6.) If you have a new product or service that could be of benefit to your customer, something that might save them time or money, and they are not aware of it—you have an obligation to tell them. By simply picking up the telephone and letting your prospect know about the benefits of this new product or service, you are doing them a tremendous service.
 
7.) The emotional "baggage" you bring along with you (and everyone has it) influences your attitude, which you then project in conversations with prospects. Your prospect can hear if you feel unsure, afraid or uncomfortable, in the same way that you can pick up those uneasy feelings when speaking with someone.
 
8.) On some level, you can help create the attitude of the person to whom you are speaking. If your expectation is that your call will be unwelcome, this will make you anxious and tentative. Your prospect will pick up on that, and it will be likely to make her less receptive to you. If your expectation is that you will be well received, your prospects are more inclined to listen and respond favorably.
 
9.) The intent of an introductory call is communication—two-way communication. You want your prospect to hear you, and you also want to hear them.
 
Wendy Weiss, "The Queen of Cold Calling," is a s.ales trainer, author and s.ales coach. Her recently released program, Cold Calling College, and/or her book, Cold Calling for Women, can be ordered by visiting http://www.wendyweiss.com. Contact her at wendy@wendyweiss.com. Get Wendy's free e-zine at http://www.wendyweiss.com.