I recommend opening the door by focusing on listening. Novice sales people struggle to keep silent. Given good open-ended questions, a prospect will reveal most of what you need to know about how your product and service solutions might fit.

If you have no inside connection or introduction into the account, research their business and send a pertinent article that would be of interest to the contact. The article could be about competing products, new software for their business type, or even an article written about them. Mail (don’t fax or email) the article with a Post-It saying, “I thought this would be of interest to you,” or, “Congratulations on moving to your new location.” Do this three or four times over the course of a month and include a business card each time.

Without ever meeting the contact, you are already someone perceived as providing valuable information, familiar with the issues of the prospect’s industry, and in-tune with important events taking place within their business. Now the prospect is more likely to take your call. These are great steps to earn that first meeting. During the meeting have a few good open-ended questions prepared in advance, listen intently, and take notes. Don’t sell! That will come after you have processed what you have learned about the prospect, and determined if you can provide something to improve their current state. That may take several meetings. Until then, don’t sell. You are on your way.