Oct 17, 2026 · 38 min · 9 segments
Charlie Hauck returns to Tailwind for a second conversation, this time focused on referrals and how to intentionally build a business around them. We talk about why cold calling still builds valuable…
Um, look, um, I, I, as we go through this chapter today, I don't wanna diminish, uh, the fact that there's a lot of people and a lot of businesses that rely on cold calls-
... and the most basic and fundamental types of prospecting that most every one of us had to work our way through at the beginning of our careers.
So although I am, uh, I'm a 36-year-old business as we currently, or 36, 37-year-old business, and we only work on referrals basically, I don't mean to diminish the power and the necessity to be able to be a highly efficient and highly effective cold call performer.
So, uh, one of them is more efficient and more effective, but one of them is a great, um, college of hard knocks if-
If you're not tough enough to make cold calls, you're probably gonna struggle in a lot of parts of being in the business development world.
... uh, I saw another one of your posts where you had somebody on, you were talking about cold calls and the discipline, and all that stuff is true, so it's not a do this or that.
So thanks for, for giving us all an opportunity to talk about that reality of business development and prospecting.
You know, I think, uh, there's j- it's different tools for different needs of the business, and you know, I've had somebody say to me in the past, they're like, "Look, a referral's great, uh, but sometimes the only way to get into an organization or into a new industry is through a cold call." And you might be able to eventually start using referrals once you establish yourself, but it's a, it's giving you opportunity to have conversations you wouldn't otherwise be able to have, so.
Um, as effective as referrals are, and I think it's, what, 50%, 80% more likely that deal's gonna go through if it's a referral, uh, you know, that's great and you wanna have that, but you know, have a balanced toolkit, I guess.
Look, I admit I, um, I did a lot of cold calls when I got into this consulting business.
Um, look, um, I, I, as we go through this chapter today, I don't wanna diminish, uh, the fact that there's a lot of people and a lot of businesses that rely on cold calls-
... and the most basic and fundamental types of prospecting that most every one of us had to work our way through at the beginning of our careers.
So although I am, uh, I'm a 36-year-old business as we currently, or 36, 37-year-old business, and we only work on referrals basically, I don't mean to diminish the power and the necessity to be able to be a highly efficient and highly effective cold call performer.
So, uh, one of them is more efficient and more effective, but one of them is a great, um, college of hard knocks if-
If you're not tough enough to make cold calls, you're probably gonna struggle in a lot of parts of being in the business development world.
... uh, I saw another one of your posts where you had somebody on, you were talking about cold calls and the discipline, and all that stuff is true, so it's not a do this or that.
So thanks for, for giving us all an opportunity to talk about that reality of business development and prospecting.
You know, I think, uh, there's j- it's different tools for different needs of the business, and you know, I've had somebody say to me in the past, they're like, "Look, a referral's great, uh, but sometimes the only way to get into an organization or into a new industry is through a cold call." And you might be able to eventually start using referrals once you establish yourself, but it's a, it's giving you opportunity to have conversations you wouldn't otherwise be able to have, so.
Um, as effective as referrals are, and I think it's, what, 50%, 80% more likely that deal's gonna go through if it's a referral, uh, you know, that's great and you wanna have that, but you know, have a balanced toolkit, I guess.
Look, I admit I, um, I did a lot of cold calls when I got into this consulting business.
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