… called somebody on the phone to talk about her business.

Not my business, hers.

I had emailed her a couple of days ago to set up a time, just to chat about how she markets her company.

These types of “informational interviews” are really valuable.

Their purpose is not to sell anything. It’s simply to ask and listen to the problems people have (in whatever your area of expertise is) and how they solve them (or not).

It’s important to fine-tune your web site and publish newsletters and participate in social media and all that. But listening to people who look like the kinds of people you want to work with is where it all begins.