Because of the advent of the internet, many businesses have done away with cold calling for good. Gone are the anxiety-filled mornings where a sales consultant’s nerves are jumping, anticipating much rejection and phone slamming. I can admit: cold calling is not fun!

For the introverted entrepreneur, or the sales associate who just hates to cold call, the rise of social media, blogging, and online advertising and marketing has paved a new way for obtaining sales leads. With a capture of an e-mail address, a customer can be exposed to great coupons and sales multiple times, increasing a business’ profit. By sharing a blog post on Twitter, millions of users around the world have the ability to read and of course, share that same post, increasing visibility.

Regardless of the billions of online users around the world whose hands seem to be glued to their smartphones, there is still an untapped market out there of people and businesses that currently do not have any online presence. And guess what? As web wizards who can transform businesses, increase their sales, and build customer loyalty, we need to help them!

I am absolutely surprised at the millions of businesses that exist right here in the United States who do not have a website. Most of them do not even have a business e-mail address. Or phone number. Or logo. You get the point. Branding is important, and without these basic tools, businesses cannot compete in this global marketplace.

I’m not a fan of cold calling, but I understand that it is still necessary as many companies are still in the dark ages. And without an e-mail address to properly disguise our disappointment when they say they aren’t interested in expanding online, there is no way to communicate except by simply picking up the phone.

It is understandable that many of these businesses do not want to hear the truth about their businesses’ future if they do not create a presence on the World Wide Web. As consultants, we need to establish ourselves as their friends and inform them of the dire consequences of not having a website or logo. Properly evaluating the companies strengths and weaknesses, we can offer tailored solutions to their problems. Yes, the internet is booming. You can always save face behind your laptop. However, relationship building through the phone is pertinent to establishing trust in companies and helping them succeed.