When is the Best Time to Cold Call in B2B Sales? [2025]

4 minute read
By: Ilse Van Rensburg
Sales, Cold Calling

Successful cold calls can only happen if your prospect answers the phone.

Which is all dependent on when you call them.

But when is the best time to cold call?

To help you get more “hellos” than “beep, beep, beeps,” we’ve put together some stats showcasing the best times for cold calling. Plus, we’ll be diving into when not to call so you can increase your cold calling success rates!

Scroll for the answers 👇

When is the best time to cold call?

According to Cognism’s State of Cold Calling Report 2025, the best time to cold call is... (drumroll, please!)

Between 10 and 11 am!

This is based on the average cold calling talk time across the hours of the day.

The next best time is between 2 pm and 3 pm.

Why might this be? Looking at the typical structure of a day at work:

Decision-makers are more likely to wrap up tasks in the late morning before taking a lunch break, meaning they’ll have a bit more time on their hands.
While in the late afternoon, they’ll be winding down and less likely to start new tasks.

That’s why these are the best times to make cold calls, as your target prospects are more open to talking.

When are the worst times to cold call?

On the other hand, there are times when you really shouldn’t cold call prospective leads. Cold calling at night? Never do it!

First impressions matter; if you interrupt someone on a weekend or after hours when they’re spending time with their family, you’ll only harm your reputation.

The same goes for calling too early in the morning. Even if you know a prospect wakes up at 5 am to hit the gym, you’ll only annoy them if you take away their free time.

Any time before 10 am, your buyer is most likely organising their day and getting into the swing of things.

So to recap, the worst times to cold call are:

Before 10 am during the work week.
During work lunchtime hours.
After working hours.
On bank holidays.
On weekends.

When is the best day to cold call?

Days of the week matter too, right?

Absolutely, they do! Cognism’s State of Cold Calling survey revealed that the best day to cold call is...

Tuesday!

You can see from this infographic that it’s the best day for meetings booked and the second-best day for meetings booked vs conversations:

Why might Tuesday be the best day for sales calling?

On Mondays, decision-makers are typically bogged down with internal meetings, planning, and clearing the weekend’s backlog.
By Tuesday, they’re more settled and receptive to external conversations like sales calls.

Interestingly, while Friday is the worst day for booking meetings, it’s the best day for having conversations with prospects.

This could be because there’s less competition from other cold callers or fewer internal company meetings on Fridays. This means that prospects have more time in the day to answer the phone.

When is the worst day to cold call?

Let’s go back to the results from Cognism’s Cold Calling Report.

From the infographic, we can see that the worst day to cold call is...

Monday!

It’s the second-worst day for meetings booked and the lowest day for conversations.

Why might this be?

Prospects are busy catching up from the weekend; on Mondays, emails, planning, and meetings take priority.
Focus is on internal matters, not external - buyers are less open to unsolicited outreach.
Mood and energy levels are lower, making cold call rejection more likely and conversations shorter.
Decision-makers are harder to reach, especially in the morning.

In short, on Mondays, people are in “get organised” mode, not “take a sales call” mode.

Free cold calling guide to support calling time

Knowing the best time for cold calling is important, but so is a good cold calling sales strategy.

And with 51% of company decision-makers saying they’d rather hear from SDRs via the phone than any other lead source, it’s vital to up your cold calling game.

Our cold calling report can help guide your strategy. Inside, you’ll find the latest and greatest cold calling tips for a hot and toasty revenue-driven year.

Best times to cold call: closing thoughts

Cold calling statistics are useful when determining things like the best times and days to call your leads.

But it’s always best to do your research before calling a prospect.

After all, the best time to cold call for one person might not be the same for another. Follow these tips:

Check their time zone, and make sure they don’t have an out-of-office on or a significant product launch coming up.
If you cold call a buyer at the worst times, they’ll likely be stressed when they answer the phone and have less patience. This will only result in a hang-up.
But if you call at the best times we’ve outlined, then your conversion rates will only skyrocket!
Get your opening line locked down before you call; according to Cognism’s Cold Calling Report, the average cold call lasts 83 seconds. So you have to make every second count!
Use a call script to increase your chances of building rapport and getting to the close.

Call time matters, but so do accurate mobile numbers

Reaching prospects at the best time won’t mean much if your B2B data isn’t accurate.

With Cognism’s phone-validated, factually correct mobile numbers, you can cold call with confidence, build authentic connections and break performance records month-on-month.

Ready to get started? Click 👇 to book your demo.