What is "cold calling"

n. The practice of making unsolicited telephone calls or house calls to potential clients, voters or other groups in order to drum up custom or investigate intentions

Cold calling is defined as the solicitation of business from potential customers who have had no prior contact with the salesperson conducting the call. Cold calling is used to attempt to convince potential customers to purchase either the salesperson’s product or service. Cold calling is generally referred to as an over-the-phone process, making it a source of telemarketing, but can also be done in-person by door-to-door salespeople. Though cold calling can be used as a legitimate business tool, scammers can use cold calling as well.