First of all, let me ask you...do you get paid to cold call or do you get paid to close the sale?

Now that we got that out of the way, how many cold calls do you make with 0 results, no sale? So if you are out beating the streets and your results are not anything to write home about, wouldn't it seem more logical that you can do much more over the phone?

But before you jump into the deep end, (this is my opinion) use the phone to collect information, names and something about the company.
You can then do several things, you can call later and ask for the DM to see if you can get an appointment. You have his name and you know something about what they do so you can prepare your call around their business and not some canned script.

Next if you have the email...that's right email them. Even a fax or old fashioin letter can work. Point is, you can do more with technology and a little creative thinking than you can by driving around the country side to have someone say "we're not interested" and out you go.

Summary....Cold calling is a huge waste of time. Use technology (including phone) to first gather info, then fit your presentation around that.