Cold visits still work (just not the way you think)
The cold drop-in isn't dead. It just has to be done by someone who treats it as a research tool, not a sales move.
Somewhere along the way, "cold call" moved to the phone and "drop-in" became a dirty word. That's a mistake. The in-person cold visit, done right, is still one of the highest-yield prospecting tools a field rep has.
What a cold visit is for
It is not for closing a deal. It is not for landing a meeting. It is for one thing: learning whether the account is real.
In five minutes you learn: is the business still operating, is the owner on-site, who greets you, what does the ops floor look like, what products are visible, is there a competitor's sticker on the wall. You can't get any of this from LinkedIn.
What to say at the counter
Introduce yourself. Say who you work for. Ask if the person in charge of [the buying decision] is around, and if not, when they normally are. That's it.
The worst thing a cold-visiting rep can do is launch into a pitch. The person at the counter will shut you down. But someone who just wants to know when the ops lead is in? They'll tell you.
The follow-up move
Leave a single handwritten note. "Stopped by Tuesday 10 AM — hope to catch [name] next time." No brochure. No card on top of fifty others.
Then come back. Not call — come back. In field sales, the second drop-in is when the account becomes real. That's when the owner introduces themselves.
Why this still works
Because almost nobody does it anymore. Every competitor is running a sequence in a sales engagement tool. You walking through the door is a pattern interrupt. That alone is worth the gas.