A Information Goldmine

Many times during the day, I am looking for different bits of information online. Like many people, I often turn use the easiest source (Google) instead of the best source.

While I've read the book, The Invisible Web (some time ago), Sam Richter points out on page 99 of his excellent book, Take The Cold Out of Cold Calling, "In my presentation, when I ask people what percentage of web pages that can be accessed by search engines like Google and Yahoo, the typical response I receive is 75 percent or higher. Would it surprise you that at best -- combined popular search engines probably index less than 20 percent of publicly accessible Web pages?"

Step-by-step Sam Richter gives specific tools for the reader to excel at research and information gathering. Why? As a writer, the more you know about a target publication or publisher, then you will be more equipped to target your pitch and submission.

In the introduction to Take The Cold Out of Cold Calling, Richter writes, "Knowing what's important to your prospects, what their competitors are doing, and what their industry trends are is imperative for proper meeting preparation. Information is the key for building your credibility, offering customized and relevant solutions, and providing ongoing client value. Understanding your client's world is ultimately what differentiates one company--and one salesperson--from another." (page III of preface)

This book is packed with incredible online resources to learn about different industries. For example, in the publishing community, this book highlights Publist which is a database of more than 150,000 magazines, journals, newsletters and other periodicals. It is free but registration is required.

Or consider this resource Richter highlights, "Imagine if you could use the Web to locate a company's employee directory? Unless the company made a big mistake and posted it online, you probably can't. Spoke.com, however, might be the next best thing." (page 169)

I've only used two of many examples with great detail in this excellent resource. The other tool that every reader can use is the resource center called "the Warm Call Center." Go to this sitewww.takethecold.com) , register with your email address and you will have access to a wealth of links and resources for any time of research. I downloaded the toolbar to my browser and it's been an amazing resource to use as I do research. (

Sam Richter has pulled together a remarkable resource. I highly recommend.