Best Times To Cold Call: How To Increase Your Success Rate

Updated February 3, 2023

Two people wearing headsets look at monitors while responding to calls or online requests.

Finding the best times to cold call can be a good way to improve the effectiveness of your company's sales department. Potential clients may be more willing to hear your pitch based on where they are in their workday and workweek. Learning about these dates and times can help you become a more efficient salesperson in the long term.

In this article, we discuss some of the best dates and times to cold call prospects, explain the different types of sales calls and provide tips to connect with customers.

What are the best times to cold call?

Generally, cold calls are most effective right before lunch or toward the end of the workday on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Though these times and days have higher success rates, it's still helpful to make calls throughout the day and week to reach more customers.

Many factors contribute to the likelihood of converting a lead into a customer, so it's best to perform some research to find the best times to contact individual prospects.

Related: What Is Cold Calling?

Types of sales calls

Some of the sales call that you could make include:

Cold call: A cold call is your first contact with a prospect, and at this point, you likely know little or nothing about the potential customer, and they don't know anything about you or your company. Cold calls are usually the least effective type of sales call, so it's important to prepare for each cold call you make to increase your chances of making a sale.
Warm call: When you reach out to a potential customer after they express interest in your product or service, you're making a warm call. You could also make a warm call if you make a connection at a networking event or through a mutual contact.
Appointment call: You usually schedule an appointment with a prospect to finalize sales details. An appointment can happen after either a cold or warm call.
Traditional call: This type of call is when you contact an existing customer to renew a contract or upsell a product or service. Traditional calls are very effective since you already have a relationship with the client.
Follow-up call: Once you make a sale, it's customary to make a follow-up call to ensure the customer is satisfied. A follow-up call is a simple way to turn a one-time customer into a long-term client.

Best days to cold call

Here are the best days to cold-call customers in order:

Wednesday and Thursday: Prospects are often more open to making deals on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The middle of the week usually gives them enough time to consider your offer and make a deal. These days are often slowest in terms of work responsibilities, so customers may be more likely to answer your call.
Monday and Tuesday: Many professionals spend Monday and Tuesday finishing work left from the week before or completing tasks that came in over the weekend. Since they're usually busy, they may not have much time to listen to your pitch.
Friday: Most people are getting ready for the weekend on Fridays. They may not be willing to commit to a sale on Friday when they won't have as much time to review the details.

Best times to cold call

Just as there are good times during the week to cold call, you can increase your success rate if you call during certain times of the day:

Right before lunch: People try to finish any tasks they're working on before they go to lunch. Calling between 11 a.m. and noon means you could have more time to speak with your prospect with fewer distractions.
Right before the end of the day: Most people are also more likely to complete any work toward the end of the day instead of leaving it unfinished. They're also less likely to begin new tasks, so try calling between 4 and 5 p.m.

Though it may seem like a good idea to make cold calls in the morning before your prospects fully begin working, many people spend this time organizing their day or working on tasks that came in the night before. It might be helpful to spend this time completing any administrative work you have.

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Sales call tips

You can increase your success rate when making cold calls by following these tips:

Do your research

Learning more about prospects can help you make stronger connections quickly. When you can, perform thorough research about the potential customer and their business to seem more personable and interested when you speak with them.

A strong initial connection serves as a foundation for a long-lasting sales relationship. Spend your mornings doing your research while you wait for optimal calling times later in the day.

Be persistent

You may find more success if you continue to follow up with a prospect if they don't respond to your first contact attempt. Continue calling or sending emails to try to make a connection with the customer. Being persistent and calling at different times and days increases your likelihood of making contact.

Respond quickly

Speed to lead measures the time between receiving a qualified lead and contacting them. The quicker you reach out to a prospect after they express interest in your business, the more likely you are to close a sale.

As soon as you get a lead, begin performing research. Take a little bit of time to learn more about the prospect and the challenges they face, then contact them to describe how your product can solve those challenges.

Craft a script

Writing a script with general talking points can help you communicate your main talking points when you do make contact. Scripts also keep your pitch straightforward, making it easier for the prospect to learn about the value of your product. Incorporate your research on the customer, which can help you remember the details and keep the customer's interest.

Encourage action

Whether you can close the sale in one call or you need to schedule an appointment call, encourage the prospect to take action. A call to action gets the customer involved in the process and excited to try your product. End your script by asking the customer if they would be interested in trying your product or if you can schedule a time to talk about contract details.