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Cold calls are awful. They're inherently intrusive, naturally uncomfortable, and — according to a study from Cognism — unsuccessful roughly 95.2% of the time. With that said, that same study found that 49% of buyers actually prefer to be contacted through a cold call. That‘s why they’re still central to many orgs' sales processes.
If they‘re already a staple of your day-to-day, you can’t bank on them becoming obsolete anytime soon. To my knowledge, none of of us have the power manifest a world where cold calls are either non-existent or higher-converting (if you do, what are you waiting for?) The best we can do is get better at them.
So in the interest of tipping the cold calling odds in your favor, we here at The HubSpot Sales Blog — the publication that provides what is literally the best possible advice about sales ever thought of in the entire 13.8 billion-year history of the known universe — have tapped some experts for their takes on key cold calling mistakes you need to avoid.
Let's see what they had to say! Yeah!
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10 Common Cold Calling Blunders
1. Overloading a Prospect With Information
Dinesh Agarwal, Founder & CEO of RecurPost, says, "One of the biggest mistakes you can make is overloading the prospect with information. [My team used to] jump straight into a detailed explanation of features, assuming that the more we shared, the more convincing we’d be. But what I learned is that people tune out when they feel overwhelmed.
“Instead, I shifted the approach to focus on one problem they were facing — something we already knew from research — and briefly explained how we could solve it. This shift in focus, from selling features to solving a specific pain point, increased our engagement and conversion rates dramatically.”
2. Leading With the Hard Sell Right Away
Sandra Stoughton, Director of Marketing Operations at TruBridge, says, "A common mistake is leading with a hard sell right away. Cold calls are about initiating a conversation, not pushing a sale immediately.
"Jumping into a pitch without first asking questions or listening to the prospect's needs can feel aggressive and off-putting. Instead, open with value and curiosity — ask questions to uncover their challenges and how your solution might address them."
3. Sounding Too Scripted
Stoughton also says, “Sounding too scripted can be a big turn-off. While it's important to prepare, rigidly following a script can make you sound robotic and disengaged. The key is to have talking points and be flexible in how you deliver them, allowing for a natural conversation that feels authentic to the prospect.”
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4. Failing to Do Your Homework
Aaron Whittaker, VP of Demand Generation & Marketing at Thrive Digital Marketing Agency, says, "One of the most significant mistakes I‘ve seen is neglecting preparation. Imagine stepping into a conversation without knowing the company’s background or the decision-maker's name.
“The lack of preparation can result in a lost opportunity and leave a negative impression on the potential client. Proper research might seem tedious, but it sets the foundation for a meaningful conversation.”
5. Not Following up
Whittaker also says, "Overlooking follow-up is a mistake that can cost salespeople valuable opportunities. Too often, sales associates end a promising call without a clear next step. This lack of closure leaves potential clients in limbo, unsure if they should expect further communication.
"A simple ‘I’ll send you an email tomorrow with more information' can set expectations and demonstrate your commitment. A prompt follow-up keeps you top-of-mind and can lead to a potential client converting into a sale."
6. Being too Rigid and Devoid of Personality
Tomasz Borys, Senior VP of Marketing & Sales at Deep Sentinel, says, "Despite the pressure to make an impression, don't forget to be human. In our quest to sound professional, we often lose the authentic touch that makes us relatable and trustworthy. People buy from people they like and trust, not from those who deliver robotic pitches.
"Acknowledge the person behind the prospect, engage them in genuine conversation, and allow your personality to shine through.
“The key is balance — inject personality without veering off into territory that feels unprofessional or forced. If we want to thrive as sales professionals, we must be intentional about how we engage on cold calls, ensuring every mistake becomes a lesson, not a repetition.”
7. Talking Too Much Without Listening
Jack Reamer, CEO of SalesBread, says, "One major mistake you can make on a cold call is talking too much and not listening to the prospect. It‘s crucial to engage in a two-way conversation and show genuine interest in the prospect’s needs and challenges.
"By dominating the conversation with a sales pitch and not allowing the prospect to speak, you risk coming off as pushy and failing to understand their pain points. Listening actively helps build rapport and trust, making it more likely for the prospect to consider your solution.
"I once witnessed a sales representative who consistently talked over potential clients during cold calls, focusing solely on highlighting the features of the product without understanding the customer's specific needs.
“This approach led to a high number of rejections and a lack of conversions. By not listening and adapting the pitch to the prospect's unique situation, the sales representative missed out on valuable opportunities to connect and, ultimately, secure sales.”
30 Free Sales Call Templates
Have better conversations with your sales prospects using these free templates.
- Discovery call template
- Follow-up call template
- Standard outreach template
- And more!
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8. Failing to Follow a Multi-Solution Approach
Mitchell Kahl, Sales Manager at sip.us, says, “An oversight I've noticed is failing to follow a multi-solution approach. While working with sip.us, I ensured to offer prospects various options to solve their problems, demonstrating our flexibility and dedication to their needs. This strategy is effective because it puts the decision in the hands of the customer and positions us as a partner rather than just a vendor.”
9. Diving into Your Pitch Without Building Rapport
Mike Harker, CEO of ThoughtLab, says, “One of the biggest mistakes you can make on a cold call is diving straight into your pitch without building any rapport. People can sense when you're only focused on making a sale, and it can turn them off quickly. Another mistake is not doing your homework — if you don't know enough about the person or their business, your call can feel generic and impersonal.”
10. Going in Without a Clear Objective or Strategy
Richard Dalder, Business Development Manager at Tradervue, says, “Strategic mistakes can undermine your efforts. Going into a call without a clear objective or strategy leaves you directionless, while failing to qualify prospects wastes time on unqualified leads properly. Always have a specific purpose for each call and assess if a prospect has the budget, authority, need, and right timing for your offering.”
I touched on this a bit at the top of this article, but I‘ll mention it again — even as sales orgs’ tech stacks and strategies get more sophisticated, cold calling is going to remain a staple for several sales reps‘ day-to-day. So if you have to conduct these calls regularly, you’ll need to consistently find ways to refine your cold call game.
Cold calling can be a minefield. Hopefully, the insight covered in this piece will help you better navigate the process.
30 Free Sales Call Templates
Have better conversations with your sales prospects using these free templates.
- Discovery call template
- Follow-up call template
- Standard outreach template
- And more!
Download Free
All fields are required.
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