The Best Days for Making a Cold Call
If we take into consideration that the regular work week starts on Monday and ends on Friday, then Wednesday and Thursday are the best days in the week to make cold calls. Why is that so? Well, most people prepare for weekend relaxation on Fridays, so making cold calls then won’t result in a satisfying success rate for the salesperson. Likewise, on Mondays, most people prepare for their workweek and plan out their tasks, so they are occupied with more productive things than answering a cold call.
It makes total sense when you think about it. Most people had enough time to finally organize their tasks and take care of work obligations by the middle of the week. Therefore, they are less likely to treat a cold call as an unnecessary interruption. Some data shows that there is a shocking 46% difference in first attempt conversations after making a cold call on Monday and Wednesday in favor of the latter. So, make sure to understand how a regular workweek is constructed for your potential customers, and make cold calls accordingly.
The Best Time of the Day for Making a Cold Call
When is the best time to call your potential buyers? Is it the morning, just when the workday is beginning? Or is it the afternoon after the lunch break, when most potential customers are returning to their work obligations?
Making cold calls in the morning certainly makes sense. Typically, office workdays start at 9 AM and the executives tend to come to work at least one hour earlier to prepare for the day ahead. Most likely, your potential clients will be available at their desks between 8 AM and 9 AM, so it is a great time to make a cold call and try to land a sale.
Another great time to make cold calls is between 11 AM and 12 PM. If you consider a typical office day, most people are preparing for a lunch break at 11 AM. So, there is a high probability that your prospect will be near the phone. Also, make sure to make cold calls later in the afternoon, between 4 PM and 5 PM. Usually, meetings aren’t arranged at this time compared to the rest of the day.
Generally, meetings are arranged over the lunch period or in the early afternoon, so there is a high chance that the executive will be attending their desk in the late afternoon.
The Importance of Lead Response Times
Many companies overlook the importance of quick lead response time. According to the studies, those companies that can contact potential customers within an hour after receiving queries are 7 times more likely to have an impactful conversation with them. You can use this to your advantage, as only 37% of companies respond to queries within an hour. That’s an interesting finding for sure, but it’s mostly applicable to B2C businesses.
What about lead response times in B2B business? Well, according to some studies, you should contact B2B leads within 20 minutes to get the most effective qualification. Also, phone calls remain the most effective way to qualify leads. Emails are also very useful, as you can make a personalized email pretty easily these days, but they work much better if combined with live conversation over the phone.
What about the leads generated from your website? These leads have a very short life span and it’s best if you deal with them within the first minutes of their generation. Yes, it’s not a big window of opportunity, especially if you are not there to respond immediately, but there is a 4 times greater possibility to qualify the lead if you call back between 5 and 10 minutes. Additionally, there is a 21 times greater chance that you’ll qualify your lead if you call in the first 5 minutes rather than wait 30 minutes or more to contact one.
Make sure to prioritize inbound queries over any other lead generation methods. Your cold calling efforts can easily wait until you contact your new lead. Remember, 35-50% of sales go to vendors who respond to queries first. So, when you get a lead, make sure to respond quickly. Swiftness is key in the highly competitive business. When you are in doubt, make sure to call immediately.
Conclusion
The success rate of cold calling may not be the most encouraging factor, but if you know what is the best timing to call your potential customers, then there is a huge opportunity in front of you. Determining what is the best time for cold calling is fundamental to sales success.
Also, make sure to respond quickly to your generated leads so that you can convert them to qualified leads. Test the described approaches and find out what works best for your business. You’ll be surprised at how much these strategies can impact your lead generation efforts.
