Cold calling is always evolving. It’s no longer about hammering out dozens of dials a day with a generic pitch. Now, it’s about being smart and intentional with each call. And when done right, cold calling still delivers. In fact, research from Cognism reveals that B2B cold-calling campaigns can yield conversion rates of 40 to 50%.

As it continues to evolve, cold calling presents new challenges. Writer Michael Welch contributed a piece for the HubSpot sales blog that highlights the state of cold calling today. He covers some of the biggest challenges facing sales reps along with how to adapt to the future of cold calling. We share his insight in this issue of PromoPro Daily.

 Modern Cold Calling Challenges

  • Your reputation is on the line. You might have the best intentions and be calling someone who’s a perfect fit for your promo solution, but in the prospect’s eyes, you’re lumped in with all the spammers. To make it worse, Welch says they’ll remember the experience, which can lead to real reputational harm.
  • More people are on the Do Not Call (DNC) registry. Welch says as of 2023, the registry had nearly 250 million numbers. If you don’t cross-reference the list before you cold call, you could face fines.
  • Cold calling has gotten more expensive. Dialing isn’t as cheap as you might think, Welch says. Data costs money and the plummeting win rates of cold calling means you need more data along with software to up the volume. You’ll also need to find people willing to make the calls and figure out how to prevent them from getting burned out.

How Cold Calling Has to Change
Sales departments will inevitably continue cold calling, but it’s only going to get harder, Welch says. To turn the phones back into a source of real revenue, he advises following these steps:

  • Warm up cold calls. Welch points out Zippia research that shows that most buyers (84%) say they’re primarily influenced by recommendations they get from people in their circle. Most (91%) say they’re willing to make a referral, but only 11% of salespeople actually ask for them. This is a huge opportunity, Welch says. Modern sales outreach simply shouldn’t be cold.
  • Add context immediately. If a cold call isn’t warmed up by a direct referral, Welch says it should at least include immediate context that shows the prospect why a connection is relevant. If you can quickly communicate the context behind your outreach, you’re at least demonstrating that there’s a point to the call.
  • Use the phone strategically. It requires a mindset shift to use the phone as a strategic tool rather than a default crutch. Over the years, sales teams have treated cold calling as a numbers game. However, blindly relying on the phone is no longer effective. Instead, Welch says the phone should be one tool among many and used at the right moment rather than a constant battering ram.

Cold calling can be one of your most powerful tools when it’s done with thought and purpose. When you focus on things like warming up your cold calls and adding context immediately, you can make sure you’re not blindly interrupting someone but thoughtfully connecting.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers
Source: Michael Welch contributes to the HubSpot sales blog.