Let’s face it: Cold calling is tough. It’s unpredictable, nerve-wracking, and full of rejection. But here’s the thing – it’s also one of the most powerful tools in sales. When done right, it can be the difference between a struggling pipeline and a thriving one.
We got into the nitty-grity of cold calling during a recent session with MySalesCoach experts Rich Smith, Zac Thompson, and Jack Frimston. They broke down what’s going wrong, how to handle objections like a pro, and how to turn cold calls into real conversations that drive results.
If you’re in sales and you’re picking up the phone, this one’s for you.
Numbers don’t lie, and the stats prove that cold calling is far from dead:
82% of buyers accept meetings with sellers who reach out first.
60% of buyers say no four times before saying yes. Most reps give up way too early.
Only 2% of cold calls convert immediately, but the real win comes from follow-ups and relationship-building.
But here’s the kicker – while sales teams know they need to cold call, most of them aren’t doing it well. The biggest issue? Poor objection handling.
Let’s talk about how to fix that.
Objections are inevitable. But the problem isn’t the objections themselves – it’s how reps handle them.
Rich put it perfectly:
“Most people rush to answer objections, but the best reps take a second. Just pausing for a couple of seconds can completely change the tone of the call.”
When you get an objection, your first instinct might be to push back immediately. Instead, take a breath. That split second can lower resistance and give you time to respond thoughtfully.
Zac explained it like this:
“When someone answers a cold call, their first thought is, ‘Is this safe? Is this boring? Do I need to get out of this?’ If you don’t get past their inner gatekeeper, you’re done.”
Your job isn’t just to pitch – it’s to guide the prospect past their initial defence mechanisms and into a real conversation.
Jack pointed out a common mistake:
“Overcoming objections makes it sound like you’re fighting the prospect. Instead, you need to understand them and work with them.”
Instead of bulldozing through an objection, try to clarify and explore what’s really going on.
Rich shared a killer framework to make objection handling easier. Here’s how it works:
Pause – Take a moment before responding.
Acknowledge – Show the prospect you’ve heard them.
Understand – Ask a clarifying question but provide options to choose from.
Small Ask – Suggest a low-risk next step.
For example, if a prospect says, “We’re all set right now,” you could respond like this:
Pause
Acknowledge: “Yeah, most people I speak with feel like they’re in a good spot when I first call.”
Understand: “Just so I get it, is it that everything’s running perfectly, or did i just do a bad job of explaining how we help?”
Small Ask: “Would you be against hearing how we’ve helped similar teams and seeing if it’s worth revisiting later?”
Simple, but effective.
Zac added another great method, the ACERS framework:
Accept – Validate the objection instead of fighting it.
Clarify – Ask for specifics (e.g., “When you say that, what do you mean?”)
Explore – Dig into their current challenges and see if there’s an opportunity to help.
For instance, when a prospect says, “We don’t have budget,” try this:
Accept: “I totally get that. Most people I speak with don’t have extra budget lying around.”
Clarify: “Just so I understand, is it that budgets are locked for the year, or do you just need a strong case to make a change?”
Explore: “If budget wasn’t an issue, is this something you’d want to fix?”
Redirect: “Going back to what you mentioned before, it sounded like generating enough pipeline is an issue for you?”
Wrong Approach: “Oh, but we’re better than them!”
Right Approach:
Pause
Acknowledge: “That makes sense – most companies have something in place.”
Understand: “Out of curiosity, is it that you're so happy with your current provider that you would never likely move away from them, or is that you're content with what you have but are open minded to learn what else is out there?”
Small Ask: “Would you be against a quick chat to see if we could help in that area?”
Wrong Approach: “Well, when is a good time?”
Right Approach:
Accept: “I totally get it, timing is everything.”
Clarify: “Is it that you’re in the middle of a project, or that you’re just not looking at this right now?”
Explore: “If we spoke in three months, what would need to be different for it to make sense?”
Wrong Approach: “Who is?”
Right Approach:
Acknowledge: “Makes sense –I tend to find that its very rarely one single person who would make the decision on this type of thing."
Understand: “Do you have zero input in this, or is it the case that you do have a voice, but it would need the buy in from others too for it to go anywhere?”
Small Ask: “Would you be open to seeing if this even makes sense to involve your colleagues. in the first instance?”
Master a Framework – Whether it’s PAUS, ACERS, or something else, structure makes handling objections easier.
Practice in Real Scenarios – Don’t just role-play on Zoom – call your colleagues and practice like it’s a real cold call.
Get Comfortable with Rejection – 98% of calls won’t convert immediately. Your goal is to learn, improve, and follow up.
Ask Better Questions – The best salespeople don’t pitch – they probe. Get prospects talking about their problems.
Focus on Progress, Not Perfection – Every call is a chance to refine your approach and get better.
Cold calling isn’t about scripts or trickery – it’s about real conversations. When you shift from “overcoming” objections to understanding them, everything changes.
As Jack put it:
“Your job isn’t to convince someone to buy. Your job is to find people who have a problem big enough to fix.”
If you keep that mindset, you’ll not only survive cold calling – you’ll thrive.