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There are people who say they never cold call – they would rather spend the day in a dentist’s chair - but sometimes cold calling is necessary. After surveying 50 successful sales people, asking a specific question about cold calls, the results I found were sometimes surprising, though they mostly matched my own experiences. This was the question: “What, in your opinion – based on your experience -is the best time of day to make cold calls?” The answers varied widely – from early in the morning to late in the afternoon. First, I decided to ask my good friend Linda Woods, a successful sales person in Montreal, who has been in sales for 20 years. Linda’s answer: “If it’s a business owner you wish to reach, in my experience, later in the day seems to work better. They often have less on their plates at the end of the day and are more likely to engage in a conversation.” And from Patsy Borbon in California: “Mornings are best for cold calls, early mornings. You are fresh, and relaxed ready to begin a new day. Cold calling is a whole different mind set from calling existing clients and taking orders. They both take work, granted. But cold calling for new clients, planting seeds, having to convince them you are the best, sell them etc. is a totally different mind set.” Jason Clover in Kansas wrote: “The best time of the day to make cold calls is any time you have available but I find the most success before 8 AM and after 5 PM and during lunch. The reason for that is most business owners are in before 8 and stay after 5 and most gate keepers are not in before 8 and usually leave right at 5. If you are having trouble getting around a gatekeeper during the day, lunch is another good time to get around that person.” From Shelley Sterling in Canada: “I was taught the best time to make cold calls was in the mornings but I disagree . The owners are starting up their day and I call if I have things to offer to my existing clients that know I will only use one minute of their time. I feel it is Friday afternoons and traditional holiday days. The owners that are in then are open minded and not as frantically busy. They are more open. That is my experience.” This response from Susan Shaw is one of my favorites: “Speaking for myself the best time to make a cold call is when I am feeling confident, in a great mood, etc. The hour I call doesn’t make a difference; it is my attitude that will make the potential client happy to speak to me. If I call mid-morning and I’m in a grumpy mood, I might as well hang up the phone. If I call late afternoon feeling fantastic, they will be happy I called.” An interesting and entertaining email reply from Jason Vance in Peoria, Illinois: “Golden Time for calling is: Before 8:00 AM, during lunch, just after 5:00pm. Goal is to reach the boss. The palace guard is out. If you can reach someone on a snowed in day, for example – it is usually the boss. And he feels a “connection” to you. You and he are on a desert island. You and he have a REAL work ethic, unlike the no shows. He will give you the deep communication connection you needed to really create the problem/solution mentality need to sell.” Every person who responded to the survey has had at least ten years of experience in the marketing and selling of imaging supplies and parts. Half of the respondents were wholesalers who make cold calls to dealers and resellers and half were sales people selling to end users.
From the results of this survey, it looks like if you are
feeling happy and confident before 8 AM and after 5 PM when
you make calls, you will be very successful. And you will have
the best results if you call during a snowstorm! |
