QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

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  1

  hawley35

  07/14/09 | Report as spam

  Best time to cold call

  Thanks Geoff, great post.
  
  Can you post more details, or provide more information so we can find the study?
  
  I hate cold calling (mostly because of the low success rate) but I'm still required to make cold calls every day. It would be great to see when each day is the best.
  
  Thanks again, keep up the good posts!

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  2

  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine

  07/14/09 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  Re Note 1:
  I'm not sure whether he's published the results or not. I took notes and got his presentation from the recent Sales 2.0 conference in Boston and then interviewed him. So that's how I got the information.

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  3

  JimBJimB

  07/14/09 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  I was off by a day on the 'best day' (I said Wednesday) but I was on the money on time. For a number of years I generated the bulk of my income from cold call sales and always did best early morning. Sometimes VERY early. I believe that many people listened (and bought) simply because they respected my drive to be out so early. (early morning folks bond). Also, calling/visiting before 9am gets to folks before the buffers/filters/guards get to their stations. Thanks for an exceptional article Geoffrey.

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  4

  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine

  07/14/09 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  Email from a reader:
  Hello Geoffrey,
  
  I wanted to let you know I found this BNET post very informative. Like most people I read a lot on the topic of sales and this post gave me some good information that I am going to apply. It is Tuesday so guess what I am doing on Thursday morning?
  
  Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.
  

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  5

  Rockerred

  07/14/09 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  When you're mildly buzzed. Not drunk -- just kinda adamantly amiable...

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  6

  Arlyn Tan

  07/14/09 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  The article is very informative. I will try the suggested days and time of the day based on the studies. Hope you can come up with an article/studies on how often should we follow up (not to the point that we are perceived to be irritating) , when best time and when is the best day to follow up. Thanks!
  

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  7

  george.petri@...

  07/15/09 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  Brilliant article and I will use it with all my staff for them to assess how their mode of cold calling stacks against the findings. Shame is that the link to ?The Ultimate Cold Calling Tool? returns an error. You have got my interest. Can you tell me how to get to the "The Ultimate Cold Calling Tool"?

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  8

  basselk

  07/15/09 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  Good article - very useful indeed. I will definitely try these techniques with my team . I also could not get to the "The Ultimate Cold Calling Tool" link - it would be great if you can publish it again.

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  9

  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine

  07/15/09 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  Re Note 8:
  Links fixed. Have no idea why they were broken...

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  10

  EASTeam

  07/15/09 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  Always believed (and evangelized at every opportunity like this), that Thursday is the best day to Market. However, my reasoning lacks anything level of sophistication.
  
  Why? Because it?s close enough to the weekend where people are generally in a good mood, but are still focused on business. Don?t believe this theory? Ok, please try to get closure on something (if it DOES NOT impact your buyers 'paycheck') on a Friday afternoon or sell something to a NEW client on Monday morning... Let us know how that works out for ya!
  
  Kirk Abraham
  www.engineeringsolutionsteam.com

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  11

  ballparkbob

  07/15/09 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  I've been selling various products for over 25 years and have never seen a study like this. I will use these tips when selling our mobile marketing products.
  
  Uh-oh, it's 4:00 now!

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  12

  two2tone@...

  07/15/09 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  Now I know not to answer the phone 8:00 - 9:00 on Thursdays.
  
  Twotone

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  13

  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine

  07/15/09 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  Re Note 12:
  Yeah, my nightmare is that EVERYONE will start making cold calls at the same time. However, Sales Machine readers are pretty elite group when compared to the great unwashed of the sales world. So I don't think there will be any noticeable impact on worldwide calling patterns.

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  14

  Bookguy#1

  07/15/09 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  I always enjoy your insight but I have to tell you I deplore your use of the word "basically". For a blogger with intelligence and business acumen to write in such a way is disgraceful.
  You ought to know better. Please try to sty away from words that are so vapid and meaningless such as basically, definitely, and certainly, your readers aren't in high school.

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  15

  nedelsha

  07/15/09 | Report as spam

  Dr. Oldroyd Slides are Available

  Andrew, Geoff,
  Wanted to let you know Dr. Oldroyd's slides are available at http://www.sales20.org which is the community site for the Sales 2.0 Conference. You will need to join the community to get to them.
  Nigel Edelshain
  Sales 2.0 (LLC)

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  16

  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine

  07/15/09 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  Re Note 14:
  Yah, I've got some other bad habits that editors edit out. Blogs don't have editors, so they get through sometimes. One I usually catch is beginning a sentence with "The truth is..." -- it's almost always unnecessary. (Should only be used if you've just exposed a lie.)

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  17

  middleaged

  07/16/09 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  I guess it kind of varies by Industry, and the type of person you are trying to contact.
  
  The early morning and late evening calls mean that you will hopefully avoid answering machines as people are in meetings.
  
  Contrary to what the research suggests, I have often found that Friday afternoons are extremely effective for getting appointments.
  
  Very few people schedule appointments for Friday PM, and you can nearly always get through to people.
  
  They are also in weekend mode, so may be happier and more compliant than usual, and would possibly agree to anything just to get you off the phone.
  
  

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  18

  joannesblack

  07/16/09 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  Never. Why cold call when referrals land sales prospects more than 50 percent of the time? Cold calling is an old sales strategy. No one likes to receive cold calls and few sales people like to make cold calls.
  
  It's time to stop talking about cold calls. They are a waste of sales time. Cold-call prospecting is dead. The most effective lead generation sales activity is referrals. http://www.nomorecoldcalling.com/blog/
  

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  19

  jmckevitt

  07/18/09 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  Thursdays are good because the end of the week, and end of the week deadlines are looming. No one wants to take problems home with them over the weekend, so they are looking for solutions. People are receptive in the early morning for much the same reason. They've had an evening to think about things, they have not yet become bogged down by the dozens of mini-crises everyone deals with, and they are looking for solutions. As mentioned above, an additional advantage of early is the gates are often open early, offering easier access to the decision makers.

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  20

  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine

  07/19/09 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  Re Note 19:
  As good an explanation as any but doesn't explain why 4 to 5pm works, though, or why Friday is so lousy. Also, the after lunch problem remains a puzzle.

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  21

  tylerwil

  07/20/09 | Report as spam

  Cold calling?

  Thanks for the interesting quiz. While I know that many will also find it interesting I'm wondering how many successful salespeople are still cold calling. It can still "work" to sell but why do something so difficult and so time consuming when there are much easier and more effective ways to sell and prospect? Just my 2 cents. Thanks.
  
  Tyler
  

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  22

  telephonenanny

  07/21/09 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  I just loved this Quiz. It doesn't hurt to be reminded. BUT, as a trainer and coach in the telephone world, I also need to add that it must be a good time for you to make those calls. If you are not a morning person, don't sound good or feel good, then don't. You are probably best making the afternoon calls when, no doubt, you are fit and bright! Also track track track and find your own market's best time to cold call!

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  23

  Bragadeesh Prasanna

  07/21/09 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  I am an offshore sales person and i had just stumble upon your
  blog. I really thank you for the valuable inputs you have given
  me. I will put this into act and will get back to you again to say
  how successful I am.
  
  Thank You so very much.
  
  Prasanna.

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  24

  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine

  07/22/09 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  Re Note 23:
  I'm always happy to hear about results, so definitely be sure to get back to me!

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  25

  boricua67

  07/22/09 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  I'm new to sales, so I'm really enjoying all these articles. I scheduled my cold calls around the date and times you suggested. It worked. I made 3 phone calls and I got one sale. Not good, but not bad considering that I'm new in the sales game.
  Thanks.

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  26

  JonathanFarrington

  07/22/09 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  Very good and can I say topical subject Geoffrey!
  
  May I offer all your readers a FREE place (normally $99.50) on next week's Top Sales Experts Roundtable: "Cold Call vs Warm Call vs Social Media" with Wendy Weiss, Paul McCord, Lori Richardson, Tibor Shanto and myself - should be fun,
  
  They can register here: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/161000251
  
  Best
  
  Jonathan

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  27

  Diane Ruebling

  07/23/09 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  This was a great post. Question for you is whether the best times to cold call also coincide with the best times to do calls with prospect follow-ups or drip marketing? Thanks!

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  28

  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine

  07/23/09 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  Re Note 27:
  Beats me. The good professor would have to do a study of that.
  
  What's interesting is that the gathering of information, via modern calling programs and CRM has now aggregated enough volume that it's possible to do that kind of statistical modeling.
  
  BTW, he used algorithms originally designed to track the spread of infectious diseases. Turns out that conversion rates are similar to transmission rates. Interesting, eh?

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  29

  klpzguy

  08/27/09 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  If cold calling is a must you should try Klpz! The most effcient tool on the market. If you are using a CRM to prospect cold or warm leads, klpz will double your productivity. If you want to become more effecitive as well as effcient I recommend coldcalling101.com!

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  30

  aemet

  08/31/09 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  Thanks for keeping it simple and straight to the point. Thursday,
  8-9am or 4-5pm,
  call back NOW for 20% better chance than
  within 20 minutes when the lead goes dead.
  

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  31

  AShrugged

  09/18/09 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  As a Director of the Procurement are I detest and do not accept cold calls. Anyone that can't sell an idea to get an appoitment doesn't deserve a meeting.

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  32

  AShrugged

  09/18/09 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  I sit on the other side of that process and detest and do not accept cold calls for myself or my department. Anyone that cannot offer the courtesy to schedule a meeting doesn't deserve to be heard.

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  33

  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine

  09/18/09 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  Re Note 31 and 32:
  Uhhhh... the purpose of a cold call is generally to schedule a meeting, so I think that policy might be a tad confused.

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  34

  EJ Anderson

  09/29/09 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  RE Note 31 and 32
  
  If you do not accept cold calls fine I guess.. but how do you get business?? do you or your employees not make cold calls??

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  35

  HughMRyan

  10/27/09 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  Harry Case, who was by all accounts the best cold-caller in the advertising-PR biz in the Northeast in the 2nd half of the 20th century, said Friday, and specifically Friday afternoon, was the best day. He said people were relaxed, beginning to think about the weekend and what they were going to do. They tended to be in a light, happy mood, and thus were willing to shoot the breeze with a salesman making a cold call.
  Harry said the worst day is Monday, because people are bearing down. They?re intense, focusing on what they have to get done in the week, and the last thing they want is an interruption from a salesman.
  Harry's evidence was not statistical analysis, but doors opened and clients signed on.
  
  

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  36

  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine

  10/27/09 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  Re Note 35:
  Anecdotal evidence isn't proof of anything except one person's remembered experience. Sorry, but science trumps storytelling every time.

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  37

  IanP2

  11/03/09 | Report as spam

  Make sure you get the time right though.

  This Monday I got cold-called on my mobile from a West Coast US company.
  Problem was it was 2:00AM in my region.
  

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  38

  SteveRichardVorsight

  11/06/09 | Report as spam

  The rare exception for Friday afternoon

  If you are calling very senior executives, Friday afternoon is actually an incredibly good call window. Why? Executives use the time after the rest of the assistants and middle managers are gone to catch up on work in their offices. This is a great time to catch them for a quick conversation to try to get their OK to schedule a meeting for the next week through their admin. More here: http://www.vorsight.com/blog/2009/phone-stalking/index.html
  

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  39

  mike.1216

  01/29/10 | Report as spam

  Best Time to Cold Call

  Some days and time might be better than others, but the best day and time to call is NOW. Make the call, stop trying to over think it, pick up the phone, or get out of the car, and make the call.

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  40

  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine

  01/29/10 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  Re Note 39:
  You, sir, are a very smart fellow!

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  41

  dertan

  02/02/10 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  now that everyone will be hammering the phones between 8 and 9 am adn 4 AND 5 PM on Thurs. I will be on another day another time.

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  42

  dertan

  02/02/10 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  Now that everyone will be calling between 8 and 9 and 4 and 5 on Thursday. I will other day and other times. Thanks

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  43

  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine

  02/02/10 | Report as spam

  RE: QUIZ: What's the Best Time to Cold Call?

  Re Note 42:
  I'm not entirely sure that everyone reads this blog. There are 12 million sales professionals in the U.S. alone. If they're ALL reading this blog, BNET ain't payin' me enuf.