Cold Calling Strategies: Best Practices for Calls in 2025

Introduction

Cold calling in 2025 is not for the faint of heart.

Answer rates are down, spam filters and call blocking apps are up, and buyers are more skeptical than ever. The average cold-calling success rate (dial to meeting) has slid to around 2.3% in 2025, roughly half of what it was in 2024. If you’re still running a 2018-era playbook-spray-and-pray lists, generic scripts, and random call times-your SDRs are getting punished for it every day.

But here’s the nuance most “cold calling is dead” hot takes miss: when it’s done well, the phone still punches far above its weight. Multiple studies show that 70-80% of decision-makers have taken a meeting or attended an event that began with a cold call. Once you get someone on the line, roughly 65% of those conversations can turn into a booked meeting or qualified next step. The bottleneck isn’t persuasion-it’s getting to a real conversation.

This guide is written for B2B sales leaders, SDR managers, and frontline reps who are still in the trenches dialing every day. We’ll walk through:

• The real state of cold calling in 2025 (numbers, not opinions)
• Data-backed strategies to improve connect and conversion rates
• Modern call frameworks and messaging that actually work
• How to use tech and AI to make cold calling less of a grind
• Coaching, metrics, and process changes to keep your team sharp

By the end, you’ll have a practical blueprint to make cold calling a repeatable, scalable pipeline engine-not a morale-crushing chore.

The State of Cold Calling in 2025: Brutal, But Worth It

Let’s level-set on the environment you’re operating in.

The Reality: Success Rates Are Low, But So Is the Bar

Across recent studies, the average cold calling success rate (dial to meeting) in 2025 sits around 2-3%. Cognism’s 2025 analysis pegs it at 2.3%, down from 4.82% in 2024. A separate synthesis at Scrap.io shows a typical 2-4.8% conversion range, with B2B-specific success around 5% and top performers hitting 10-15% call-to-meeting.

On the surface, those numbers look ugly. But they also show something encouraging: there’s a huge gap between average and great. If you’re stuck at 1-2%, you’re not doomed-you’re just running behind the teams that have already modernized their approach.

Connect Rates Are the Primary Bottleneck

Most calls never turn into conversations.

• Modern SDR teams see cold call connect rates between 3% and 10% in the U.S. market.
• Some aggregate data suggests an overall connection rate around 16.6%, but with 80% of calls going to voicemail and 87% of Americans not answering unknown numbers.
• One 2025 study notes it now takes 18+ dials just to connect with a single prospect on average.

Put differently: your reps can be world-class once they’re talking, but without good data and smart timing, they simply won’t get enough at-bats.

The Upside: Conversations Are Incredibly Valuable

Here’s the flip side.

SalesSo’s 2025 SDR data shows that around 65.6% of live conversations result in some meaningful next step-usually a meeting. EBQ’s compilation of sales prospecting stats (pulling from DiscoverOrg and others) notes that 78% of decision-makers have agreed to a meeting or attended an event because of a cold call.

That means if you can:

1. Get through to more of the right people, and
2. Not waste the conversation when you do,

…cold calling still has a great business case-especially for complex B2B deals where one meeting can be worth six or seven figures.

The Phone Is Still a Preferred Channel (In Context)

Despite the explosion of digital channels, the phone hasn’t been kicked out of the stack. A synthesis of B2B research shows:

• The phone remains the second preferred channel for B2B buyers across several studies.
• Up to 57% of C-level and VP buyers say they prefer phone over email when engaging with vendors.
• Around 69% of buyers have accepted a call from a new supplier in the last 12 months.

They’re not anti-phone-they’re anti-irrelevant, poorly timed interruptions.

The modern cold calling game is about earning the right to call and using the phone inside a broader multichannel motion. Let’s get into how.

Strategy #1: Build Smarter Target Lists and Call the Right People

If your list is bad, nothing else matters.

Tighten Your ICP and Segmentation

Start by getting painfully clear on your ideal customer profile (ICP) in 2025 terms-not whatever was slapped into a slide deck three years ago.

Key dimensions:

• Firmographics: industry, company size, region, funding stage
• Technographics: key tools in their stack (e.g., Salesforce vs. HubSpot, AWS vs. Azure)
• Business model: PLG vs. sales-led, recurring vs. transactional
• Buying triggers: recent funding, hiring spikes, tech migrations, regulatory changes

Then layer in persona-level detail: what changed for your VP Sales, RevOps Director, or CMO in the last 12-18 months? Your cold call hits differently if it clearly maps to problems they actually care about this year.

Obsess Over Data Quality and Direct Dials

Average connect rates are already painful. Bad data makes them catastrophic.

Given that it can now take 18+ dials just to connect once, dialing wrong or dead numbers is a tax you can’t afford. Invest in:

• Verified direct dials and mobile numbers
• Role accuracy (no more calling individual contributors with an enterprise-wide pitch)
• Data hygiene processes to purge bounced numbers and outdated contacts

Many teams see an immediate jump in connect rates-often from ~3% to 8-10%-just by cleaning lists and upgrading their data provider.

Use Micro-Segments for Sharper Relevance

Instead of one generic list of “US mid-market SaaS,” break your universe into micro-segments:

• Mid-market SaaS with field sales teams
• PLG SaaS with heavy SDR reliance
• Services firms with complex, multi-stakeholder deals

Then tune your cold call openers and problem statements to each micro-segment. You want prospects thinking, “Okay, this actually sounds like my world,” within the first 15 seconds.

Prioritize with Intent and Engagement Signals

With success rates this low, you can’t treat every account equally.

Use intent data (content topics researched, tech install changes) and engagement signals (email opens, site visits, webinar attendance) to prioritize who gets called first.

Example:

1. Tier 1: High-intent accounts + engaged contacts (multiple web visits, email opens) → Call-heavy cadences now.
2. Tier 2: ICP-fit, no visible intent → More email/LinkedIn first, then call.
3. Tier 3: Low-fit or stale accounts → Exclude from call-heavy programs.

Cold calling is still a numbers game-but it’s weighted heavily toward quality.

Strategy #2: Make the Phone the Backbone of a Multichannel Cadence

In 2025, a “call-only” motion is asking for pain.

Why Multichannel Matters

SalesSo’s 2025 outreach data shows that multi-channel outreach (email + phone + LinkedIn) can boost results by nearly 3x compared to single-channel. Buyers themselves say they prefer multi-touch, multi-channel engagement rather than being hammered in just one place.

For cold calling, this means your calls should rarely be the very first touch. Instead, treat the phone as the spine of a cadence that looks something like:

1. Day 1, Personalized email
2. Day 2, LinkedIn profile view + connection request
3. Day 3, First call block
4. Day 5, Follow-up email referencing a relevant resource
5. Day 7, Second call block
6. Day 10, LinkedIn message or comment on their post
7. Day 12-15, Third call block & breakup email

That’s 6-8 touches over 2-3 weeks, which aligns with benchmarks from Highspot and other sources that recommend 6-8 outbound touches per cold lead.

Time Your Calls for When Humans Actually Answer

Let’s talk timing.

Analyses from Gong, HubSpot, and others consistently point to Tuesday–Thursday as the prime days for calling, with Tuesday and Wednesday usually winning. For time of day:

• Late morning (10-11 a.m.), Prospects have cleared early email and are not yet buried in midday work.
• Late afternoon (4-5 p.m.), Often the most effective hour, with some studies showing this slot can be 70%+ more effective for qualifying and booking than mid-morning.

You don’t have to be a slave to these windows, but you should protect them as your team’s primary call blocks.

Build Cadences Around Moments of Engagement

Cold calls work best when they feel slightly warm.

Examples:

• Someone opens your email twice within an hour → drop them into a “hot openers” call queue.
• A prospect clicks a case study or pricing page → prioritize that account in the next call block.
• A contact accepts your LinkedIn request → call within 24 hours and reference that acceptance.

Most sales engagement tools will let you trigger tasks off of engagement events. Use that to ensure you’re calling when your name is already in their head.

Don’t Over-Rely on Email

Cold email in 2025 is getting hammered:

• Average B2B cold email open rates have dropped from ~36% to 27.7%.
• Reply rates are down to 5.1%, meaning 19 out of 20 cold emails get ignored.

That makes the phone more valuable, not less. It’s the only channel left where you can create a net-new conversation on demand-as long as you get your list, timing, and messaging right.

Strategy #3: Modern Cold Call Frameworks That Actually Work

Let’s move from strategy to what actually gets said when someone finally answers.

Stop Memorizing Scripts; Start Teaching Frameworks

A rigid script is a crutch. The second a prospect says something unexpected, your rep is off the rails.

Instead, teach a simple, repeatable structure and let reps adapt the wording:

1. Opener & Permission, Break the pattern and earn 30-60 seconds.
2. Context & Relevance, Who you help and what you solve, in their language.
3. Problem Insight, A sharp observation or question about a real pain.
4. Micro-Discovery (1-2 questions), Enough to qualify, not interrogate.
5. Clear Ask, Book a specific time or next step.

If a rep can hit those beats naturally, they’ll sound confident and consultative instead of robotic.

Use Data-Backed Openers, Not Tired Lines

Gong’s analysis of millions of calls surfaced some counterintuitive truths:

• Calls that start with a clear reason for calling have 2.1x higher success rates.
• “Did I catch you at a bad time?” as an opener makes you 40% less likely to book a meeting.
• Successful cold calls feature reps talking ~55% of the time, with longer monologues (~53 seconds) early in the call.

A simple, effective opener might sound like:

> “Hey Sarah, this is Jamie with Acme. I know I’m calling out of the blue-mind if I take 30 seconds to tell you why I thought of you, and you can tell me if it’s relevant?”

Then, once they give you that micro-permission:

> “We work with VPs of Sales at B2B SaaS companies who are seeing their SDR connect rates fall into the low single digits. Usually they’ve already maxed out email, and they’re trying to figure out how to get more live conversations without just doubling headcount…”

You’re not asking, “How are you today?” You’re showing in the first 10-15 seconds that you understand their world.

Right-Size the Conversation: You’re Selling the Next Step

Remember the stat: only ~2-3% of dials turn into meetings, but once you’re talking, 65%+ of those conversations can move forward. Your goal on the first call is not to close the deal-it’s to sell time and curiosity.

Keep these guardrails:

• Aim for 60-120 seconds to earn interest.
• If they’re engaged, a 5-6 minute call is a strong leading indicator; successful calls often cluster around that length.
• Your CTA should be a low-friction next step: “15-20 minutes next week to dig into your team’s connect and conversion rates?”

Ask Fewer, Better Questions

In a cold call, asking 10 discovery questions is usually overkill.

Instead, pick one or two powerful questions tied directly to the problem you solve. For example:

• “How happy are you with your SDR team’s current connect rate?”
• “When a rep does reach the right VP or C-level, what typically happens?”
• “What’s your current plan to increase meetings without just throwing more headcount at the problem?”

Then listen strategically. You’re looking for keywords and phrases you can mirror back and anchor your value to.

Handle Objections with Calm, Not Combat

In 2025, buyers are getting hammered with outreach. Expect objections like:

• “We’re already working with someone.”
• “Just send me an email.”
• “Now’s not a good time.”

Teach reps a simple objection framework like Acknowledge, Clarify, Reframe, Ask:

> “Totally get it, sounds like you’re slammed. Just so I don’t waste your time, is it more a timing thing, or are you already getting all the meetings you want from your current outbound motion?”

If they answer, you’ve just opened the door to a real conversation.

Example Cold Call Framework

Here’s a lightweight framework you can plug into your enablement today:

1. Opener, “Hey [Name], it’s [Rep] with [Company]. I know I’m calling out of the blue-mind if I take 30 seconds to tell you why I thought of you?”
2. Context, “We work with [role] at [segment] companies that are seeing [specific problem].”
3. Problem Insight, “Lately we’re hearing that even with 50+ dials a day, reps are only getting 3-4 real conversations-and it’s killing pipeline coverage.”
4. Qualifying Question, “How does that compare to what you’re seeing with your SDR team?”
5. Value Bridge, “Got it. The reason I reached out is we’ve been able to lift connect rates and meetings for teams like [customer example] by [brief result].”
6. Ask, “If I could show you how they did it in 15-20 minutes, would it be crazy to find time next week?”

Don’t overcomplicate it. Reps just need a repeatable rhythm they can personalize.

Strategy #4: Use Tech and AI to Beat Low Connect Rates

You can’t out-hustle 2025’s connect rates with elbow grease alone. You need help from the machines.

Power Dialers and Parallel Dial

With connect rates in the 3-10% range, dialing one number at a time is like trying to fill a swimming pool with a teaspoon. Power dialers and parallel dial tools (like Orum, PhoneBurner, etc.) let reps:

• Run through bad numbers quickly
• Maximize live connections per hour
• Spend more time talking, less time ringing

Orum, for example, reported millions of extra connections and a 100% increase in conversations year over year for teams using their platform to cut out manual tasks and reach live prospects faster.

Conversation Intelligence for Coaching at Scale

Tools like Gong or Chorus are table stakes now, not luxury.

They:

• Record and transcribe every call
• Surface talk-to-listen ratios, monologue length, and key phrases
• Let managers review specific call moments instead of flying blind

Gong’s data shows that in successful cold calls, reps talk about 55% of the time, with longer up-front monologues (~53 seconds), instead of peppering buyers with questions from second one. That’s a concrete coaching point you can bring to your next call review.

AI for Research and Personalization

Research is necessary; manual research at scale is impossible.

This is where AI comes in. Systems like SalesHive’s eMod automatically pull:

• Prospect role and background
• Company news (funding, product launches, key initiatives)
• Relevant social or content cues

Then they generate personalized email copy and talking points that reps can use to open calls with something sharper than, “So what does Acme do?” SalesHive clients routinely see higher engagement and reply rates from AI-personalized outreach, which in turn warms up the phone conversations that follow.

Data Enrichment and Scoring

Modern sales orgs also lean on AI to:

• Clean and enrich contact data in the background
• Score accounts and contacts based on ideal-fit and intent
• Prioritize who hits the call queue first each day

If your reps are still manually guessing which 50 accounts to call, you’re leaving money on the table.

Strategy #5: Coach, Measure, and Iterate Like a Process

Cold calling success is much more about system design than having a few “natural closers.”

Establish Realistic, Ambitious Benchmarks

Use current benchmarks as a starting point, not a ceiling. For B2B SDR teams in 2025, reasonable targets might look like:

• Dials/day: 40-60 (depending on research expectations)
• Connect rate: 5-10% (bad), 7-9% (average), 9-12%+ (strong)
• Connect-to-meeting: 4-5% (average), 6-8% (good), 9%+ (great)
• Overall dial-to-meeting: 2-3% (average), 5%+ (top tier)

Reddit threads from real B2B SDR leaders map out similar benchmarks, with “great” teams seeing 100 or fewer dials per meeting in software, while laggards need 250+ dials to land a single appointment.

Track More Than Just Dials

If your dashboard only shows dials and meetings, you can’t diagnose anything.

At a minimum, track:

• Dials
• Live connects
• Conversation-to-meeting rate
• Meetings held vs. set
• Pipeline created from cold calls
• Revenue eventually sourced from the phone

Layer on qualitative metrics from call recordings:

• Talk-to-listen ratio
• Call length distribution
• Objection frequency and outcomes

This lets you answer questions like, “Do we need more activity, better lists, or better conversations?” instead of just barking “Make more calls.”

Build a Cadence of Coaching

Coaching once a quarter is the same as not coaching at all.

Create a weekly rhythm:

• Each SDR submits 1-2 calls they’re proud of and 1-2 they’re not.
• Manager picks a theme (openers, objection handling, closing for next steps).
• Team listens to short clips together and breaks down what worked.

Use Gong-style snippets to avoid 30-minute call listening sessions that numb everyone. Focus coaching on specific behaviors-e.g., “state your reason for calling in the first 10 seconds,” not “sound more confident.”

Iterate Scripts and Messaging Monthly

2025 buyers move fast. Your messaging should too.

Set a monthly experiment cadence:

• A/B test 2-3 different openers by segment.
• Try a new problem statement for one persona.
• Compare CTAs (e.g., 15-min “audit” vs. 30-min “discovery”).

If your stack allows, use multivariate testing like SalesHive’s platform does for email-then port the winning subject lines, openers, and value props into your call scripts. The phone shouldn’t live in a silo from what you’re learning in email.

Common 2025 Cold Calling Challenges (and How to Fix Them)

Even with a great strategy, you’ll run into some universal headaches.

Challenge 1: Declining Connect Rates

Between mobile dominance, STIR/SHAKEN, and call blocking apps, live connects are scarce.

Fixes:

• Double down on verified mobile/ direct dials.
• Use local presence dialing responsibly to avoid spam labeling.
• Call in the best-performing windows (mid-week, late morning and late afternoon).
• Layer calls on top of recent engagement (email opens, site visits).

Challenge 2: Compliance and Call Labeling

Regulatory frameworks (TCPA, STIR/SHAKEN) and spam labeling can turn good intent into bad outcomes if you’re sloppy.

Fixes:

• Work with legal to define compliant calling policies by region.
• Avoid high-volume bursts from a single number; rotate responsibly and monitor spam flags.
• Make opt-out language clear and honor do-not-call requests immediately.

Outsourced partners that live and breathe outbound every day (like SalesHive) usually have these safeguards baked into their process.

Challenge 3: SDR Burnout and Morale

Making 50+ calls a day into a wall of voicemail and rejection is a grind.

Fixes:

• Set realistic activity and outcome targets, especially during ramp.
• Celebrate controllable behaviors (quality conversations, good process) not just meetings.
• Mix in warmer activities (calling inbound leads or event attendees) alongside hard cold calls.
• Rotate SDRs across different segments to keep things fresh.

Challenge 4: Remote Coaching Gaps

With hybrid/remote teams, floor coaching and call “osmosis” are gone.

Fixes:

• Mandate camera-on coaching sessions for role plays and call reviews.
• Share call libraries of best-in-class examples for new hires.
• Have team members shadow live calls via conferencing tools when possible.

How This Applies to Your Sales Team

Let’s make this concrete. Here’s how a B2B sales org could apply these strategies over the next 60 days.

Step 1 (Weeks 1-2): Reset the Foundations

• Reconfirm your ICP and segments, with clear “yes/no” rules so Marketing Ops or RevOps can build tighter lists.
• Audit your data sources-how many of your target contacts actually have verified direct dials or mobiles?
• Choose or tune your sales engagement platform and call recording tools if they’re not fully rolled out.

Step 2 (Weeks 2-3): Redesign Cadences and Scripts

• Build standard 15-20 day cadences for each key persona, with 6-8 touches and 3-5 calls embedded.
• Draft segment-specific call frameworks, not rigid scripts, and test 2-3 openers per persona.
• Align email and call messaging so they reinforce each other instead of feeling disconnected.

Step 3 (Weeks 3-6): Execute and Coach Relentlessly

• Shift reps’ calendars so Tuesday–Thursday late mornings and afternoons are reserved for calling.
• Start weekly call coaching using recordings-focus each week on a single skill.
• Measure results by segment, script, and rep, and kill what’s clearly not working.

Step 4 (Ongoing): Decide What to Build vs. Buy

Be honest about your internal capacity:

• If you have strong enablement, RevOps, and front-line leadership, you can build a high-performing in-house team.
• If you’re stretched thin, consider an outsourced SDR partner with proven cold calling programs to either jump-start outbound or cover specific markets.

SalesHive, for example, plugs in with US-based and Philippines-based SDR teams, proprietary sales tech, and AI-powered personalization (eMod) to handle everything from list building and scripting to cold calling and reporting. That lets your AEs and leadership stay focused on deals and strategy instead of SDR hiring, training, and troubleshooting.

Conclusion + Next Steps

Cold calling in 2025 isn’t easy-but it’s absolutely still worth it when you approach it like a modern revenue engine instead of a 1990s boiler room.

The data is clear: average dial-to-meeting rates are low, but decision-makers still take meetings from the phone, and the teams that invest in better data, multichannel cadences, sharp frameworks, and serious coaching are outperforming everyone else. You don’t need magic; you need a system.

Here’s your play:

1. Clean up your data and tighten your ICP.
2. Treat calls as the backbone of a multichannel cadence, not a lone wolf.
3. Equip reps with data-backed call frameworks and objection handling.
4. Use tech and AI to boost time spent in live conversations.
5. Coach and iterate like you would any other critical process.

If building all of that in-house feels like a long road, this is exactly where an outbound specialist like SalesHive can help-bringing you a ready-made cold calling engine that’s already proven across 1,500+ B2B clients and 100,000+ booked meetings.

Either way, the opportunity is still there for teams willing to do the hard work. The reps who adapt will be the ones filling their calendars in 2025—while everyone else is still arguing on LinkedIn about whether cold calling is dead.