Your Chicken List: CALL THEM!

A powerful post I wrote in 2007: Get Out Your Chicken List and Make a Call!

This was a new concept to me (not to sales professionals).  Here is the content of the post:

I was at a presentation last week where the presenter (a CEO in transition) talked about his chicken list. I may have heard the term before but didn’t remember when. A chicken list is the list of names that you are scared to call – for whatever reason. Its funny to hear such a high-level executive talk about his own chicken list but it was a good reminder for me. Why? Because someone at his level may have been on my chicken list, and to hear that he has his own chicken list (aka, insecurities) helps me bring things into perspective.

Why do people end up on the chicken list? Perhaps…

• They are veterans in the industry or community, and everyone knows them and talks about how incredible they are
• You have tried to contact them a number of times but they have never responded
• Everyone else is so hot to contact them that you don’t want to be just another person trying to get in their schedule
• They are the hiring manager, or the hiring manager’s boss
• They have a ‘gatekeeper’ that seems nice but never lets you get past

I’m sure there are many more reasons. And I’m sure you can think of at least one person on your chicken list! Its easier to find other things to do (like apply to one more job on Monster.com)… but here’s my challenge to you: Call someone from your chicken list today.

If you aren’t going to do this once a day, at least do it once a week. One thing that helped me go through my chicken list was to remember that most everyone on it was one day away from being terminated… that would quickly eliminate them from the list and make them much more human!

I know you have a chicken list. Make a phone call today.