I got my first customer in 2001 but it still stands out in my mind how I came to make that first connection with another human being who wanted to pay me for my services. I was looking through the phone book for businesses who might need a website, in 2001 there were plenty of businesses who needed websites, but most did not want to spend the money to get one. So I was cold calling these people and getting rejected at every turn, but I was determined. Finally the manager of an art gallery said “I’ve been waiting for someone to call me” and I knew I was on the right track.

This gave me the confidence and affirmation to continue on no matter how many rejections I experienced, I knew sooner or later there would be more people who were “waiting for me to call them”.

After a while I got my timing and my pitch down, so that most of my calls resulted in a short conversation, which led to a meeting with the decision makers and ultimately led to a transaction.

Cold calling is one of the hardest forms of marketing to master, but with a sincere desire to succeed anyone can use it to their advantage.

What strategy did you employ to get your first customer?