28+ Cold Calling Statistics Sales Teams Might Not (But Should) Know [2023]

So cold calling..dead or do-it-all-day-everyday? In a digital-first ecosystem with most interactions taking place online, are cold calls no longer relevant? Or does the one-to-one human connection still work? Like Cinderella’s (in)famous shoe, one strategy doesn’t fit all. But here are some cold calling statistics that can help you decide if your sales strategy should incorporate it in 2023 and beyond.

• Cold calling success statistics
• Cold calling best practices statistics
• Cold calling discovery statistics

Cold Calling Success Statistics 

1. Only 2% of cold calls result in a meeting (LinkedIn)

Cold call success rates are at a low 2%, which is probably what puts sales teams off employing a strategy that incorporates it.

2. 41.2% of sales professionals still believe that their phone is their most effective tool for the job (Sales Insights Lab)

Despite the dismal 2% success rate, modern sales professionals still believe in the power of cold calls to persuade and make an impression.

3. 57% of C-suite leaders prefer hearing from reps over calls than other channels (Cognism)

Making a bigger case for cold calls is this stat that cements it as the preferred channel over any others for decision-makers.

4. 54% of tech buyers state cold calls as their preferred channel (Cognism)

Purchasers of software or tech tools are in favor of cold calls as their preferred mode of outreach due to the potentially technical nature of the conversation.
 

5. 82% buyers accept meetings with proactive cold callers (RAIN Group)

Business leaders are accepting for cold callers who have done their homework of potential prospect challenges - and reach out with a solution proactively. 

6. 69% of buyers have accepted cold calls from new providers (Crunchbase)

Buyers are open to receiving calls from new business solution providers if it is in line with a current business need.

7. Organizations that don’t incorporate cold calling in their outreach see 42% less growth (Crunchbase)

Businesses with an email-only outreach strategy feel the lack-of-growth pains. As resource-intensive as cold calls are, they certainly pay off.

Cold Calling Best Practices Statistics

8. The best time of the day to cold call (between 4:00 to 5:00 PM) has 71% more conversations than the second best (Call Hippo)

The second best time happens to be from 11 AM to 12:PM. Also remember to steer clear of Monday mornings and Friday post-noon.

9. There’s a 50% higher chance of calls being answered on a Wednesday (CallHippo)

There's a much greater chance of your call getting answered in the first attempt on a Wednesday - the best day for cold calls - than any other. As expected, Fridays have the least chance of success.

10. Calling prospects during the recommended times can increase conversion by 49%. (Velocify)

Timing really matters. Cold calling during the recommended days and times has a measurable impact on conversion rates. 

11. Sales reps should average about 60 calls per day to get the best results (Revenue.io)

Research also showed that B2B tech sales rep average about half that number a day in their outreach efforts. 
 

12. Successful cold calls have a 55:45 rep-to-prospect talk ratio (Get VOIP)

The ideal cold call scenario is when the rep gets a chance to give an opening monologue, which  then leads to a favorable prospect response.

13. Successful calls are over 2.5 mins longer than unsuccessful calls (Gong)

It’s the art of buying time. The stronger your opener, the more time you get before your prospects shut you off from booking that meeting. Data shows that on an average, unsuccessful calls last 3.14 minutes while successful ones are close to 6.

14. Top reps speak 6% slower than peers on their calls (Sales Insights Lab)

Data has shown that prospects often feel like they are speaking to someone impatient to make their point across when reps speak at a fast pace. On the other hand, successful cold calls have seen that prospects also lower their pace of speech in tandem with the rep.
 

15. Salespeople who state their reason for calling have a 2.1x higher success rate. (Gong.io)

Reps have a short call window. Stating their purpose for the call within that can lead to a longer conversation and greater conversion.
 

16. Successful cold calls include 65% more “we” statements (Gong)

Cold calls that work are all about establishing a partnership approaching to finding a solution to the prospect’s business challenges. 

17. Mention a common LinkedIn group can increase the chance of cold call success by 70% (Cognism)

Bringing up a common LinkedIn group in the opening of a cold call can skyrocket cold call success rates by striking common ground.

18. 78% of sales reps say that ‘Listening’ is the top skill that impacts conversion (Salesforce)

Key skills also include attention to detail, timing the engagement right, and demonstrating keen knowledge of the prospect industry or function.

19. 84% prospects said that a pushy sales call was the cause of their negative experience (Crunchbase)

Aggressive sales pitches and a pushy tone are what prospects find most off-putting about a sales call.
 

20. It takes 18 or more dials to reach a tech prospect through cold calling (LinkedIn)

Prospects play hard to get, but they’re not impossible. Between finding the right number and reaching voicemail, it’s often easy to give up. But the key is to follow-up (religiously) instead. 

21. It takes an average of 8 cold calls to reach a prospect (Crunchbase)

Perseverance is definitely key. Sales reps need to keep at it for at least 8 attempts to increase the chance of a booked meeting.

22. 30% of unanswered cold calls are not followed-up on (CallHippo)

Reps give up on their leads 30% of the time if their initial outreach goes answered. This is a lost opportunity that could seriously drive up those numbers. 
 

23. Callback rates increase from 11% to 33% from your 1st to 3rd voicemail. (Crunchbase)

Did you know that your chances of getting a call back dramatically increase with the number of follow-up voicemails you leave? Don’t write off cold calls that end in voicemails. Instead, master your voicemail script.
 

24. 66% of buyers schedule follow-ups to calls that highlighted solutions to current business problems (Get VOIP)

Prospects have a clear preference for calls that aren't about the pitch, and instead are all about finding solutions to the challenges they face. 

25. Using phone-verified numbers ensures 98% of accuracy (Cognism)

Leveraging AI tools to test the authenticity of numbers ensures that reps get a clean list and do not waste time on incorrect numbers.

26. Contacting prospect with recent, relevant purchase activity can result in 19x more meetings (Techtarget) 

Targeting this list with a personalized and consultative approach is likely to reduce wasted conversation and direct effort to a prospect with better chances. 

Cold Calling Discovery Statistics

27. Discovery calls that closed the deal average about 30-40 mins in length (Mindtickle)

The sweet spot for successful discovery calls comes in at a no-too-long-not-too-short length of 30 to 40 minutes. 
 

28. Top performing discovery calls are 76% longer (Sales Insights Lab)

Like we saw above, top performers have discovery conversations in the 30-40 minute mark while others in the team have calls lasting only about 19 minutes.

29. Top performing reps speak for about 45% of the discovery call (Mindtickle)

Reps with successful discovery calls speak for just about less than half of it, while allowing the prospect the time 

30. Top performing reps ask 39% more questions than their peers (Sales Insights Lab)

Winning calls of top reps show that they ask an average of 32 questions to understand prospects better during a discovery call.

31. Top performers bring up the product 50% less  (Sales Insights Lab)

Top reps are talking more about the prospect than the product. Conversations that convert often feature the tool or a ‘sales pitch’ far less.
 

Having the right tool goes a long way in making cold calling resource-efficient..and successful. Outplay’s next-gen sales engagement platform hosts a built-in dialer that is made for modern sales teams. It’s all your need to make calls..no switching tools or tabs. The dialer helps you monitor, coach and guide in real-time to ensure that your reps are empowered to be closing machines. And the pièce de résistance? It’s the AI Power Dialer..a feature that’ll help you power through your call lists, leave voicemails and more..without you lifting a finger. Think about how many more calls you can smash out in a day. The best part is, you can make cold calling a part of multi-channel sequences to build outreach cadences that have the greatest chance for success. Incorporate calls with emails, LinkedIn and texting to reach your prospects exactly where they want to be reached. All within Outplay. It’s the only tool you need. Want to give it a whirl? Start your free trial today. Curious to find out more? Book a personalized demo and have our experts walk you through all the outcomes you can achieve with Outplay.