Cold calling has never been easy.
And if you’re in sales, you don’t need a report, a webinar or a LinkedIn post to tell you that buyer behaviour has changed… again.
Prospects are more selective and budgets are tighter.
As for attention spans?
Well, let’s just say they’re not what they were in 2017.
But here’s the twist: despite all the noise around topics like “cold calling is dead”, the data tells a different story.
Connection rates are climbing, call durations are increasing, and reps who adapt their approach are booking far more meetings than those relying on the same old scripts and spray-and-pray tactics.
The truth is, the gap between average and top-performing reps is widening, not because one group is working harder, but because they’re working smarter.
They’re not just using better data, but they’re calling at the right time and opening with relevance.
They’re navigating objections with confidence and treating the phone as a strategic tool across the whole sales cycle, not just a one-and-done attempt to pitch.
So if your goal this year is simple, book more meetings from your cold calls, you’re in the right place.
Below, you’ll find the top five tactics that are consistently leading to more conversations, more conversions, and more revenue.
1. Prioritise high-intent prospects over high-volume dialling
If there’s one shift that’s having the biggest impact on meeting booked rates right now, it’s this: the days of “just make more calls” are officially over.
Top performers aren’t winning because they spend longer on the phone.
They’re winning because they spend their time on the right people and qualify out.
Over the past year, we’ve seen a clear pattern emerge: when reps tighten their ICP, work from higher-quality data, and prioritise prospects showing real signs of intent, meeting rates rise dramatically. Not marginally. Dramatically.
Why? Because intent does the heavy lifting for you.
Rather than calling random names on a list, you’re focusing on people who:
- Fit your ideal customer profile.
- Sit at the right seniority.
- Have the right problem.
- Are in the right buying window.
- Can actually take action.
This means fewer wasted dials… and more conversations that actually go somewhere.
A mobile-first strategy is also playing a huge role.
Reaching decision-makers directly, rather than battling switchboards and generic lines, has become one of the most reliable ways to reduce friction and increase connect rates.
When you combine that with better data hygiene and smarter account prioritisation, your call list becomes sharper, cleaner, and infinitely more productive.
The bottom line?
High-intent over high-volume.
Reps who ditch the spray-and-pray mindset and instead call prospects who are warmer, more relevant, and more likely to care about the problem you solve are seeing the biggest jumps in meetings booked.
Quality really does beat quantity, and 2026 is the year that shift becomes impossible to ignore.
Cognism’s cold calling maestro, SDR turned AE Johnny Stiffell, adds:
“Work through the high intent accounts first, even if you can't tell who the exact person is. If intent is signalling high then it could be reps or even management looking into it.Even if it's not 100% accurate, it's 'light in a dark tunnel' of prospecting cold. So it's definitely worth it.”
2. Call when prospects are most likely to pick up
You can have the perfect opener, the sharpest pitch, and the best data in the world, but if you’re calling at the wrong time, none of it matters.
After doing plenty of research around both Cognism’s sales team and the wider industry, one of the biggest reasons reps book more meetings today is simple: they’re dialling when prospects are actually available and willing to engage.
Two clear power windows have emerged:
Call at: 10–11am
This is when most people are fully “in work mode”, emails checked, coffee consumed, and ready to actually focus. It’s far enough away from the morning scramble and still early enough that calendars aren’t jammed with afternoon calls.
Call at: 2–3pm
Post-lunch, pre-school run, and before the end-of-day rush. Engagement climbs again here as prospects settle back into their afternoon and become more available for quick conversations.
When reps stick closely to these windows, they consistently see:
- Higher connection rates.
- Longer, more meaningful conversations.
- Fewer attempts are needed to reach someone.
- A noticeable uplift in meeting conversion.
On the flip side, early mornings, lunchtimes, and late afternoons tend to fall flat.
You’re either competing with personal responsibilities, internal meetings, or people mentally wrapping up their day.
And timing isn’t just about the clock; it’s about geography.
What works at 10 am in London won’t work at 10 am in New York or Sydney.
The best reps adapt their schedule to match the rhythm of each region they’re calling into, not the rhythm of their own calendar.
Here’s the takeaway:
Your connect rate is one of the biggest predictors of meeting success, so optimise it.
Build your call blocks around the windows where real conversations actually happen, and you’ll instantly see a lift in momentum.
Here’s what Johnny’s experience has taught him about when to call:
“I'd say first thing, lunch and towards the end of the day would be best for Directors and above.
If you can avoid calling a key prospect 2 minutes before the hour, I would. I'd call at 9:54 for example, so you have enough time before they "go into a meeting"..."
3. Lead with problems, not pitching
If there’s one universal truth about modern buyers, it’s this: they have absolutely no patience for a cold call that sounds like a monologue.
Reps booking the most meetings right now aren’t coming in hot with a feature list or a rehearsed spiel.
They’re opening with relevance, clarity, and curiosity, and they’re getting to the point faster than ever.
This shift isn’t accidental. The research shows that average call durations have become shorter, but meeting conversions have actually increased. That only happens when conversations become sharper, more focused, and more aligned with what prospects care about.
And what prospects care about isn’t what you do.
It’s why it matters to them.
Leading with problems means you’re centring the call around the buyer’s world, not your pitch. It looks like:
- Highlighting a challenge you know their role commonly faces.
- Asking a question that uncovers pain early.
- Showing you understand their context.
- Giving them a reason to stay on the line.
- Letting them guide the direction of the conversation.
A tight, problem-led opener instantly signals that you’re not just another cold caller reading from a script, you’re someone who understands their priorities and can have a useful conversation.
This style also naturally shortens the warm-up phase. Instead of spending 30 seconds proving your relevance, you demonstrate it instantly.
And when a prospect feels understood early, they’re far more open to exploring whether a meeting is worth their time.
If your goal is more meetings, the truth is:
Prospects don’t remember pitches. They remember relevance.
Focus your first 10 seconds on a problem they recognise, not on introducing yourself, your company, or every feature under the sun, and you’ll see more conversations turning into booked meetings.
Johnny adds:
“Always lead with problems first, and they have to be super relevant to that ICP, otherwise they won't care. Never pitch about your own company or product first.”
4. Use objections to build context, not shut down the call
Objections are a guaranteed part of cold calling, but the reps who consistently book more meetings don’t treat them as the end of the conversation.
They treat them as the beginning of a more useful one.
What’s changed over the past year is why prospects object.
Fewer people are giving the classic knee-jerk “not interested” and slamming the phone. Instead, objections are becoming more context-driven, things like competing priorities, existing solutions, or uncertainty about timing. These aren’t hard nos; they’re signals.
And if you handle them correctly, these signals can provide you with the exact information you need to turn a cold call into a warm opportunity.
Rather than pushing back or defending your pitch, modern top performers use objections to uncover insight:
- Why aren’t they interested?
- What are the “other priorities”?
- What’s their experience with current solutions?
- What would need to change for them to revisit this later?
By shifting the conversation from confrontation to curiosity, you turn a wall into a doorway.
This approach works because most objections aren’t actually objections; they’re placeholders.
Prospects use them to protect their time, manage uncertainty, or avoid making impulsive decisions. When you ask a simple, low-friction follow-up question, you often uncover context they’re perfectly willing to share.
And once you have that context, you’re in a stronger position to:
- Qualify properly.
- Personalise your follow-up.
- Time your callback strategically.
- Build a path to a future meeting.
If we could give you one key takeaway here, it’d be:
Objections aren’t rejections; they’re information.
When you use them to understand rather than persuade, you stay in control of the conversation and open far more doors than you close.
Here’s what Johnny thinks:
“Sometimes an objection is because maybe they don't fully understand what you've said.
Always try to keep asking open questions around topics where hopefully they can at least explain if it's worth carrying on.”
5. Treat cold calls as part of a multi-touch playbook, not a one-call close
One of the biggest shifts happening in outbound right now is this: the cold call is no longer expected to do all the heavy lifting.
The reps booking the most meetings aren’t trying to force a commitment on call one. They’re using that first conversation to gather insight, build familiarity, and set themselves up for a well-timed follow-up that converts far more easily.
Why? Because modern buying cycles aren’t linear.
Prospects are cautious, distracted, and pulled in multiple directions. Even when you’ve reached the right person, at the right company, with the right problem, the timing might still be off.
That doesn’t mean the opportunity is dead.
It just means the opportunity isn’t now.
Reps who treat cold calls as part of a broader multi-touch playbook see significantly better results because they’re not relying on a one-and-done attempt. Instead, they’re:
- Using call one to understand context, not pitch immediately.
- Following up based on what they learned, not a generic email.
- Multi-threading decision-makers, so they’re not dependent on a single contact.
- Calling back with purpose, not out of habit.
- Building recognition over multiple touches, so the next call never feels “cold”.
This creates a very different experience for the buyer.
Instead of feeling pressured to accept a meeting on the spot, they feel understood, respected, and far more willing to engage again when the timing makes sense.
And here’s the real kicker:
When you’ve already had one valuable, relevant conversation, your second or third call is dramatically more likely to convert. You’re calling as a known, credible name, not a random unknown number.
That’s why the best reps don’t see cold calling as a single event.
They see it as a sequence. A way to open doors, not kick them down.
That’s how cold calling wins in 2026.
Johnny’s fully on board with this strategy:
“You can’t expect to book a meeting from just one call. Sure it happens, but the more touch-points, the better chance you have in the deal actually being booked.
I'd also recommend calling all the senior leaders, even if one says no, the others might not, because everyone has different problems. Don't take one no as an answer.”
How to book more meetings from cold calls - the final word
Cold calling is changing, and so are the reps who succeed with it.
The teams booking more meetings today aren’t relying on luck, volume, or scripts that sounded great five years ago.
They’re adapting to how buyers actually behave today: they’re more selective, more informed, and far less patient with irrelevant conversations.
That doesn’t make cold calling harder.
It makes it smarter.
Focus on the five tactics above, and you’ll see precisely why the best performers are pulling ahead:
- They’re prioritising high-intent prospects.
- They’re calling during the windows where real conversations actually happen.
- They’re opening with problems, not pitches.
- They’re using objections to learn, not retreat.
- And they’re treating cold calls as part of a multi-touch strategy, not a one-call close.
When you combine all of that, your dialling becomes more targeted, your conversations become more relevant, and your meetings become far easier to secure.
Cold calling isn’t dead.
But the old version of it is.
What’s working now is faster, sharper, more contextual, and infinitely more human.
And if you lean into that, you won’t just book more meetings, you’ll build more meaningful, memorable conversations that turn into real pipeline.
And that’s the whole point.
