My cold call pick-up rate is 22.2%

My cold call pick-up rate is 22.2%.

Here's what Jeff Bajorek and I are learning from daily cold calling:

✅ Optimize call times to maximize pick-up rates

My best pick-up rate is 7:57am local time for the prospect.

I catch them right before the workday starts. It's close enough to 8am that no prospect has mentioned anything.

8-9am local time for the prospect remains the highest pick-up rate window.

✅ Use multiple data sources

We pull as many as 3-4 phone numbers across two data providers to get the right phone number. Then, we make sure to mark bad phone numbers so we don't call them again.

Rarely is the first number the correct one.

✅ We call mobile numbers

This one's obvious for many of you. But there's still reluctance, yes, in 2024—to call cell phones.

You just have to do it. And deal with the OCCASIONAL angry prospect.

✅ Double & triple touches

No "naked activities." We never call without emailing. We never send an email without calling.

Salesloft data shows that this type of "combo prospecting" (a la Tony Hughes) increases contact rates by 3.1x.

It works.

My ideal workflow:

→ Call first. Things happen way faster on the phones. Feels like less work for me this way.
→ LinkedIn second. Send a blank connect request.
→ Email last. Send the email last.

I do this all at once. Then give it two days to rest and hit with a double touch of phone + email.

✅ Prioritizing calling prospects who open emails

For all the talk out there about innacurate open rating tracking—pick-up rates are much better when I prioritize prospects who open emails.

We have an automated call task created after 3 email opens.

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That's it. We follow fundamental sequencing best practices.

How are you maximizing cold calling pick-up rates?