ABSTRACT
A successful cold call will turn the ‘cold contact’ into a ‘warm contact’ (i.e. a gatekeeper), and the next step for you is to show your level of professionalism and understanding of the context of your study. Even before your fieldwork, it is important that you collect and review relevant organization information, including annual reports and press releases. This is particularly valuable in terms of learning more about the context of your research and ‘getting an initial taste’ of how things are done in the organization, or what is going on there. This strategy will help you both to identify relevant questions and to appear well-informed in the eyes of both gatekeepers and other informants – something that will instil trust and confidence. The gatekeepers will appreciate that you have done your homework, which in turn means that you take the task seriously, and consequently the ‘professional’ attitude you display will make them feel it is worth spending time facilitating and participating in your research project.
