When I started back in the family staffing business, my salesmanager gave me a list of companies I was forbidden fromcalling.

She and her sales reps were worried about one of theowner’s sons being given preferential treatment, and they wanted toprotect their turf.

Honestly, they didn’t have a firm grasp on how a family businessworks. In most family businesses, you are expected to do more thananyone else, whether or not it is “your job,” and regardless ofwhat you are paid — or not paid. That is exactly the preferentialtreatment I was given, and I never expected anything different.

Clients no one knows

The list they handed me had all of the most well-recognizedcompanies in and around Columbus, Ohio. You would still recognizemany of these names. They cherry-picked what they believed to bethe biggest and best prospects, and they walled them off fromme. At the time, I didn’t think anything of it.

Not being able to call on what everyone else was calling onforced me to call on companies with names no one would know. Theinternet wasn’t what it is now, and I dialed through the businesspages of the phone book. I literally started at the letter A, and Idialed number after number, unless it was clear that we couldn’tserve them. I skipped churches, auto repair shops, and day carecenters.

I got a lot of appointments. When I got to M, I found a companycalled Murfin. Murfin was tucked away on the middle of a road thathad a gas station at one end and apartment complexes on the other.Because the building was surrounded by residential areas, you wouldnever suspect a plant to be located deep in the neighborhood.

Disciplined cold calling

The small building that housed the business was no indication ofwhat they spent. They were spending millions of dollars ontemporary employees. No one would ever happen upon this client bychance. I won their business because I was ridiculously disciplined about cold calling.

On the way out of Murfin, I noticed another building across thestreet. I wrote down the name, Weathersfield, and upon arrivingback at my office, I called them and scheduled an appointment.Weathersfield was spending a couple million dollars when I wontheir business. Two hidden companies resulted in millions ofdollars in business.

Related: 7 cold calling tips to improve your closingrate

These two companies became anchor accounts for our office.I would not have found them had I not called companies withoutknowing whether they used a service like mine. I turned over a lotof rocks to find these accounts, because a lot of prospecting issimply turning over rocks to see what lies beneath.

You should have a list of known targets. You should have anotherlist of your dream clients. But you should also turn overrocks to see if there is anything there. You never know what you’llfind.

Maybe right now you should call all of the leads that youhaven’t yet tried.

Editor's note: This essay published firstin the author's own blog.