20+ Critical Cold Calling Statistics in 2023
In the modern world, some people think that cold calling is an outdated marketing and sales technique.
However, it’s still a viable and valuable tool for businesses looking to connect with potential customers and to generate leads.
Despite its reputation for being an intrusive inconvenience, cold calling can be effective when it’s done right.
In this article, we’re going to explore the realm of cold calling by looking at cold calling statistics.
Key Statistics
- The best single method for booking meetings is cold calling according to 27% of sales teams.
- 82% of potential buyers will take a meeting after taking a cold call from a seller.
- Salespeople make an average of 52 calls in one day.
- 57% of Chief-level executives prefer phone contact over any other form of contact.
- Wednesdays are 50% more effective for making cold calls.
- It takes an average of eight cold calls to make contact with a prospect.
- Research shows that it can take up to 209 cold calls to make a single appointment.
- 49% of buyers prefer that first contact be from cold calls.
- More than 30% of leads from cold calls never get a follow up call.
- 61.4% of sales professionals say that cold calling is the most challenging thing about their job.
Top Cold Calling Statistics in 2023
1. The Best Single Method for Booking Meetings Is Cold Calling According to 27% of Sales Teams.
Cognism among other companies asked 321 marketing professionals and sales teams about the performance of cold calling campaigns.
This survey revealed that 27% of sales teams say that cold calling is the best single method for booking meetings.
(Cognism)
2. 82% of Potential Buyers Will Take a Meeting After Taking a Cold Call from A Seller.
This is a significant percentage of buyers who choose to accept meetings from a cold call.
You can’t say that cold calling is outdated when 82% of buyers will accept a meeting after taking a cold call.
Therefore, this makes cold calling not only effective, but a solid proactive outreach technique.
(Hubspot Blog)
3. Salespeople Make an Average of 52 Calls in One Day.
Data shows that salespeople make an average of 52 calls in a single workday.
More data from The Bridge Group shows that it takes an average of between 52 and 60 cold calls each day to be successful with this sales technique.
In an 8-hour day, that accounts for over 6 calls per hour.
(Smith.ai Blog)
4. 57% of Chief-Level Executives Prefer Phone Contact Over Any Other Form of Contact.
The top-tier, C-level executives say they prefer to be contacted via phone over any other form of contact (email, social media, messaging, etc.).
Also, sales professionals claim that they reach C-level executives 39% of the time on their first cold call to Chief-level executives.
(Zippia)
5. Wednesdays Are 50% More Effective for Making Cold Calls.
In terms of answering a cold call, Wednesdays are 50% more effective than Mondays.
Thursdays are the second-best day for cold calls for getting the calls answered.
Fridays are the worst day for cold calls, but salespeople still make their cold calls.
(Fit small Business)
6. It Takes an Average of 8 Cold Calls to Make Contact with A Prospect.
According to sales professionals surveyed by The Brevet Group in 2020, it takes an average of 8 cold calls before you reach the intended prospect.
So, if you consider that salespeople make about 6 to 7 phone calls an hour, they might reach their prospect approximately once per every hour and 15 minutes.
Many phone calls never go through, but it’s common practice to keep making calls.
(FinancesOnline)
7. Research Shows that It Can Take up To 209 Cold Calls to Make a Single Appointment.
Studies have shown that it takes 209 cold calls for a salesperson to make just one appointment.
Remember that most cold calls never go through.
Plus, people aren’t likely to call back after a cold call.
In fact, in the B2B world, 90% of c-level executives never return cold contacts, calls or emails.
(Zety)
8. 49% of Buyers Prefer that First Contact Be from Cold Calls.
If you think cold calling is bothersome and ineffective on all sides, consider that 49% of buyers prefer cold calls for first contact.
This statistic tells us that buyers may be more receptive to cold calls than you thought.
Generally, buyers enjoy connecting.
(Peaksales Recruiting)
9. More than 30% of Leads from Cold Calls Never Get a Follow up Call.
Following up on cold calls is one of the cornerstones of cold calling among salespeople.
If a potential buyer has expressed interest, but you never follow up, you can’t know that you did or didn’t miss an opportunity.
This data comes from people who received cold calls but never got called back.
(NorthOne)
10. 61.4% of Sales Professionals Say that Cold Calling Is the Most Challenging Thing About Their Job.
Every job has its challenges. Some challenges are tougher than others.
In the sales world where cold calling is essential, 61.4% of salespeople say that cold calls are the most challenging part of the job.
After reading the former statistics, we can understand why.
(ZipDo)
11. 17% of B2B Marketing Professionals Say They Use Cold Calling to Acquire New Customers.
The same survey from Cognism and other companies revealed that 17% of B2B marketing professionals use cold calling as their primary method for acquiring new customers.
Their second choice is email marketing.
(Cognism)
12. Over 90% of Consumers Believe Unknown Calls to Be Fraud.
A whopping 92% of consumers today think that unknown or unidentified calls could be fraud.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise with things that go on in today’s world.
Scams, frauds, identity theft, hacking, and such happen every single day online and offline.
(HubSpot Blog)
13. 75% of Cold Call Prospects Were Compelled to Attend an Event.
This statistic is a more positive take on cold calls.
The fact that 75% of prospects felt compelled to attend an event based on the contact during a cold call shows how effective cold calling can be.
This is one of the statistics related to success rates.
(Smith.ai Blog)
14. 69% of Consumers Say that They Accepted at Least One Cold Call in The Past 12 Months.
Here is another somewhat positive tone regarding cold calls in our statistics today.
Of buyers in a survey who received cold calls, 69% said they accepted at least one or two cold calls from salespeople over the past 12 months.
So, people do answer and some even respond to cold calls.
(Zippia)
15. A Successful Cold Call Often Lasts Over 2 Minutes Longer than Unsuccessful Calls.
When you think about it, a successful cold call should last a bit longer than an unsuccessful one.
Data shows that successful cold calls last 2 minutes and 36 seconds longer than unsuccessful cold calls.
(Fit Small Business)
16. 30.9% of Salespeople Start Their Cold Calls by Asking, “Is This a Good Time?”.
One of the reasons that 30.9% of salespeople begin their cold calls with, “Is this a good time?” is because it’s courteous and respectful of the prospects’ time.
This kind of early response after a prospect answers the phone shows them you are respectful of their time and that you want their full attention without having to say it.
(FinancesOnline)
17. The Best Time of Day to Make Cold Calls Is Between 10am and 2pm.
Now we already know that Wednesdays are the best day for getting cold calls answered, but what about the time of day?
According to professional salespeople, the best time of day to make cold calls is between 10am and 2pm.
Moreover, the worst time is after 5pm.
(Zety)
18. Using 65% More “We” Statements in Cold Calls Make Them More Successful.
The power of using “we” 65% more in your cold calls makes them more successful overall.
This is believed to make the prospect feel like they are part of a team and not just a number or some random consumer.
(Peaksales Recruiting)
19. Some Statistics Show that The Best Time to Call During the Weekdays Is Between 4pm and 5pm.
More statistics about the best times to call reveal that during the weekdays (workweek) cold calling a business is best between 4pm and 5pm.
Why? Because this is the final hour of the workday when everyone is finishing up their projects and tasks waiting to go home.
Also, remember that time zones matter, know your time zones.
(NorthOne)
20. 42% of Sales Representatives in A Survey Said They Didn’t Have Enough Information Before Making Cold Calls.
From what we’ve researched and the statistics in this article thus far, having ample information is imperative to cold calling.
One survey showed that 42% of respondents said they felt like they didn’t have enough information before making cold calls.
(ZipDo)
FAQs
What Are the Benefits of Cold Calling?
Even though some people may think cold calling is an antiquated sales and marketing tactic, we know there are several benefits of using this technique.
Here are three:
• Reaching a broader audience: Cold calling offers a wider reach of potential customers with access to a broader audience to contact.
It’s known to offer a wider audience reach than email marketing or social media techniques.
• Lead qualifying: One of the best things about cold calling is that it allows you to qualify your leads.
This is an important step in lead generation. This way, you won’t waste your time and resources on leads that aren’t going to get you anywhere.
Qualifying your leads gives you an idea of whether the person at the other end of the conversation is a good match for your product or service.
• Relationship building: Cold calling can be an excellent method for building relationships with potential customers.
When you speak to people directly, you can show them you are a real human person who truly cares about their needs.
What Are the Challenges of Cold Calling?
Every marketing and sales technique comes with challenges and cold calling is no different.
Here are some of the challenges connected to cold calling:
• Making a first impression: First impressions are everything in the sales field.
Cold calling gives you an opportunity to make a good first impression that will keep the potential customer on the phone so you can build a relationship with them and ultimately generate a customer/
• Rejection: If you decide to engage in cold calling, it’s wise to understand that this sales technique is rejection heavy.
Therefore, the ability to handle rejection and keep calling is an essential for this sales activity.
• Getting past “gatekeepers”: Sometimes you must be able to wiggle your way past a receptionist, assistant, or other “gatekeeper” when you’re making cold calls.
This is a huge challenge since these professionals are highly trained individuals at call screening.
Is Cold Calling Even Effective Nowadays?
The short answer is yes.
Cold calling can still be an effective sales technique even in today’s digital world.
For reference, a study by the Sales Management Association discovered that 82% of B2B decision makers are prone to accept meetings with a salesperson who calls them from a company with which they aren’t familiar.
What Are Some Tips for Successful Cold Calling?
While doing some research on cold calling, we found a few tips for success in cold calling:
• Do your homework: Be sure to do your research before you make calls.
Take the time to research potential customers first so you can personalize your sales pitch to fit their needs.
• Have a clear goal: Have a clear goal in mind before you cold call. Ask yourself what you want to achieve with the call.
For instance, are you setting up a meeting, making a sale, or gathering information?
• Be prepared to handle objections: Cold calling means hearing all sorts of objections to whatever you’re selling.
Therefore, you need to be ready to handle those objections professionally and courteously.
• Follow up: After your call, make sure to follow up with the potential customer. This shows them that you’re interested in their business.
5. How Many Times Should You Follow up On a Cold Call?
There’s no magic number of follow up calls that will ensure success.
That said, one study by InsideSales.com discovered that six follow up calls is the average number for closing deals.
How Can You Improve Your Cold Calling Skills?
We found some ways that you can improve your cold calling skills.
Here is our list:
Practice your sales pitch: Practicing your sales pitch will help you feel more comfortable on these calls.
Listen to your call recordings: Listen to yourself and identify where you can make improvements.
Get feedback from others: Ask your manager/supervisor and coworkers for feedback on your cold calling approach and use that to improve your skills.
Take a cold calling course: You can find several online and onsite cold calling courses to improve your cold calling skills.
Conclusion
Is cold calling dead?
According to these statistics we would have to say no.
While cold calling may not be the most pleasant part of the salesperson’s job, it’s an essential part of it.
This data revealed the efficacy for call calling purposes like to book a meeting, make a sale, or to generate a lead.
It also showed how people respond as consumers/buyers and business owners.
We hope you have enjoyed reading about these cold calling statistics and have learned some new things about his sales technique.
We hope you understand how essential cold calling is for specific purposes.
Sources
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