A recent Gallup poll on the honesty and ethical conduct of business professionals found that car salespeople ranked at the bottom of the list. Did you know that it's not just car salespeople who have a bad reputation? More than 85 percent of customers have a negative view of all salespeople.

Don't do the bulk of your business prospecting during prime business hours. Often the call that is placed at 8 a.m. or 6 p.m. will be received by a customer that has more time to talk. And don't underestimate the value of leaving voice mail messages at night. These will be the very first messages that your prospects will hear in the morning, thereby increasing the odds of them placing a returned call.