The Single Most Important thing to remember when making a cold call.

Never take anyone’s word without verifying that they are the person in charge of handling the issue you are calling about.
I recently made a cold call on behalf of one of my firm’s clients, an office and industrial moving company. The woman who answered the phone attempted to blow me off saying, “we are already working with a 3rd party” and claimed that my client’s services were not needed. I then reached the Facilities Manager and discovered that, although they were considering using a project manager to assist them, they were wiling to meet and take a bid and proposal from my client. I scheduled the meeting and our client has submitted their proposal which included a large office relocation as well as a complex industrial relocation involving heavy machinery.
Never allow yourself to be dissuaded by gatekeepers and underlings who have no decision-making power. Their job is to throw you off the track.