Mike, what is the product you sell? Is it B2B (Business) or B2C (Consumer)
I've spent the better part of my career as a "hunter" in the enterprise software space. That said there may be some differences on who I'm calling on, but one thing is always the same, they are people. Nowadays there is so much "noise" with email, calls, etc.. most people never answer emails, or pick up the phone. That said, I've used creative ways to get their attention.
I call on a lot of executives of large companies and one thing they love, in most cases, is themselves
so doing research on them around articles they've written, quotes they've stated in interviews, Earnings calls, etc.. are a great way to get them to take a glance.
Additionally, identifying a pain that they have an how you solved it in a very quick succinct way can also strike a chord, this is where persistence pays off as it is very much a timing thing too, it's either latent pain, or active.
The above aspects are the same for anyone else you're prospecting, show that you care about their business and be genuine and that certainly helps split you from so many other terrible sales people.
I have a ton of things I could share with you, emails that have work, marketing (high touch) etc.. Answering my first questions will help me in what suggestions would be.