When we are doing our research, one of the challenges we may face is finding different contacts outside our current network to call. Different situations can get us in this position:


We are calling on a new prospect and trying to find anyone to begin our research with,
We are calling on an established customer and want to expand our coach network,
There is a gatekeeper looming on the horizon, and we want to move outside their realm of control,
We've fallen in to the trap where most of our network resides in our user community, and we want a fresh perspective.


In any case, we realize we need someone different to call on and don't know where to go.

In this situation, a great place to start is with us - fellow sales and account management professionals. After all, we are very knowledgeable about the direction our company is headed, as well as the issues our companies are facing. Not only that, we are often happy to share our perspective, especially with other salespeople who have challenges similar to ours.

If you're looking to get outside the box and develop new contacts and coaches, call the local sales office or sales manager, tell them what you are trying to do, and request a research meeting. And also, if you get one of these calls from a rep, help them out and give them a meeting!