March 12, 2026 | info
And Why Is Everyone Suddenly Comfortable Depending on Channels and Connectors?
This may sound unpopular.
But it’s a question the industry needs to ask.
Over the last decade, sales in many sectors — especially financial services — has shifted heavily toward channel partners, connectors, and intermediaries.
Direct prospecting?
Cold calling?
Walking into unknown offices?
Those skills are slowly disappearing.
Cold Calling Was Once the Foundation of Sales
For decades, cold calling was the first classroom for every salesperson.
It taught you:
• How to handle rejection
• How to read people quickly
• How to pitch with clarity
• How to build resilience
• How to understand the market directly
No training program can replicate that learning.
Cold calls build sales instincts.
The Connector Comfort Zone
Today, many sales teams rely heavily on:
• Channel partners
• Connectors
• Referral networks
While these channels can help scale business, they also create a dangerous comfort zone.
Because when your pipeline depends only on intermediaries:
- Market understanding weakens
- Direct customer relationships reduce
- Negotiation skills decline
- Sales confidence drops
Over time, the salesperson becomes a relationship manager for connectors, not a market builder.
Even CXOs Are Meeting Customers Directly
Across industries today, many CEOs and CXOs are meeting customers personally.
Not to sell.
But to understand:
- product feedback
- customer pain points
- market expectations
Because the closest insights always come from the market itself.
If leadership values direct customer interaction, why should the sales force avoid it?
Cold Calling Is Not Old School
It is skill-building.
It forces you to:
- explain value clearly
- handle objections instantly
- refine your pitch continuously
- build confidence under pressure
Nothing builds sales muscle faster.
The Bigger Risk
If an entire generation of sales professionals grows up without cold calling, we risk creating teams that:
• Depend on intermediaries
• Struggle with direct prospecting
• Avoid rejection
• Lose the ability to create markets
And that is dangerous for any organization that depends on growth.
My Personal View After Decades in Sales
Cold calling should never disappear from the sales journey.
Channels can support growth.
But direct market engagement builds real sales professionals.
Because at the end of the day, great salespeople don’t wait for leads.
They create them.
Curious to hear perspectives from the community:
Do you think the sales force is becoming too dependent on channels and connectors?
Or is cold calling simply evolving in the digital era? Let’s discuss.
