Cold calling might be the most obnoxious fact of sales life.
If justice occurred naturally, it would die a death as brutal as its conversion rate.
Unfortunately, most sales orgs still do it with no intention of stopping — so a little insight into the topic can't hurt.
That's why we surveyed over 300 sales leaders for some cold calling tactics you should be executing, coaching, and/or scaling.
The top cold calling sophistication indicator isn't product knowledge or process consistency — it's pivoting in real time.
Of our 304 respondents, 43% gauge the sophistication of a rep's cold calling approach by observing their ability to adjust conversations — more than double any other indicator.
"Adaptability" is different for cold callers than it is for jam band members (I swear I'm going somewhere with this.)
Adaptability for jam bands is about recognition. It's understanding when to pivot to your next 35-minute song because your audience is bored with your current 35-minute song.
That kind of awareness is only part of the equation in cold calling. Here, adaptability is the sum of several factors, including communication depth, product knowledge, and tone-mirroring.
Sales leaders generally acknowledge the importance of adaptability, yet many still primarily train on rigid scripts and frameworks.
Reps develop adaptability through varied experience. They need to get, well, reps in.
Leaders might want to explore experiential training methods, such as calls across different personas, real-time feedback, and more controlled script deviations."
The cold calling skill reps should work on the most comes before the dial.
When asked about the skills reps should focus on to be more effective cold callers, 30% of respondents cited research and preparation to personalize conversations — 12 points higher than the next most popular response.
Cold calling's traditionally high volume often prompts the question:
"When the hell can I find time for meaningful research between calls?"
Well, hypothetical salesperson who asks me convenient questions, you might want to reevaluate your definition of "meaningful research."
It's not 30 frantic seconds of LinkedIn stalking before a call. It's something you accrue.
Constantly gather context about your vertical — study elements like industry trends, the typical challenges of businesses of a certain scale, or how trigger events impact companies like your prospects'.
Establishing that kind of baseline can elevate even the hastiest individual prospect research.
What can you do with this next-level, revelatory insight?
For reps: Think of scripts as scaffolding, not architecture. Learn them fully, then learn when to deviate from them. Deeply internalize the frameworks you're trained in, then adapt and improvise within them.
For managers: Focus on transition moments during call reviews to get a sense of reps' adaptability. Did a rep recognize when the conversation shifted? Did they adjust or plow forward? Be mindful of those micro-moments for coaching.
For leadership: Invest in data and intelligence tools that reduce research friction. Sound research and call prep are essential. Make it as easy and readily accessible for reps to handle them. Research happens when it's efficient.
"People stop me on the street all the time and say, 'Hey! Are you the guy that wrote the 1/12/26 edition of The Science of Scaling Newsletter?' I tell them 'Yes, I am. Thank you for being a fan — but no pictures, please.'"
Jay Fuchs. Managing Editor, The Science of Scaling Newsletter
The data in question
We sourced the data we used here through Panoplai: The panoramic research platform that rules more than any of its competitors rules. It rules so hard.
How do you gauge how sophisticated your reps' cold calling approaches are?
- Observe their ability to adjust conversation direction based on prospect responses - 43%
- Evaluate the business knowledge they show during initial prospect interactions - 19%
- Measure their success in identify and engaging multiple people per account - 14%
- Track their consistency in following processes while maintaining natural conversations - 16%
- Assess how well they use pattern interrupts and non-traditional conversation starters - 6%
- None of the Above - 3%
What skill should reps focus on developing to cold call more effectively in the next two years?
- Research and preparation techniques to personalize every conversation - 30%
- Questioning strategies that uncover business impact beyond surface-level needs - 18%
- Digital communication skills for multi-channel prospecting approaches - 12%
- Industry expertise development to establish credibility faster - 9%
- Emotional resilience and rejection management for consistent performance - 10%
- Data analysis skills to identify patterns in successful conversations - 10%
- AI tool proficiency for conversation analysis and performance improvement - 11%
Sales Skills
.png)
