When is the best time to cold call?

It depends on who you are cold calling. If you are calling on the main business decision maker, I have always found them to be easier to reach either very early or after normal work hours. The benefit to this is that the gatekeeper is generally not in and a hard working business person usually wants the people they do business with to work just as hard. I typically would rotate my calls to each contact from early to late. That way the contact thought I was always working and would be a reliable business partner. Also networking in LinkedIn and being able to reference a mutual contact or friend is helpful.

Good luck, cold calling is a challenge but the rewards are enormous.

Assume the C-suite exec doesn't sleep and doesn't take vacation. Saturdays and the week between Christmas and New Years are good times. But, be sure you start with a clear, concise value proposition so your prospect knows you're not wasting his time.

Using your CRM tool, as Joseph, said is a great point. I knew an insurance agent who kept trying to reach a prospect and couldn't get to him. After reviewing his call history, he realized he was calling the prospect at the same time. So he called at a different time and got business.

Actually, it would better far better to "warm call" - ask happy customers if they know of anyone you might call that would benefit as the did.

Having just read a book about this, I'm torn. One side of me says that cold calling actually results in quality leads because that's what I've been taught for over 10 years. The other side says that if you keep slamming your head against the wall and it hurts like hell every time, shouldn't you try something else?

I agree with Michael that working with prospects who are looking to buy rather than trying to sell something is a much more effective way to go about my day. Think about it, if you're a CTO that has 3 meetings throughout the day and countless other things to do, wouldn't a cold call from someone you've never heard of selling a product that you don't need drive you insane. Why do you think those people have assistants/gatekeepers? Exactly!

Although I do still call on qualified lists, I generally try to network with as many people as possible and ask for referrals from existing clients. This does two things . . . it keeps me from seaming desperate and it lets me keep control of the sales process. Lastly, try developing and distributing direct or electronic mail that provides a value add to the prospect. Everyone loves FREE stuff. It's not a numbers thing, it's a trust thing.

Warm calling would be ideal for you. Cold calling takes a lot of time and usually you don't get far if your lists don't match up right. I would say there is no "best time" to cold call. Just try to play your cards right and hope it works out in your favor. Capitalizing on your connections is crucial to your success.

I agree with some of the other commenters in this thread that early morning or late are best for cold calling for CxO level execs. Personally I wouldn't call before 8.00am as when I've tried this I could tell from the tone of voice that they weren't ready for their day yet.

This is a trick question. You should never cold call a CXO, but assuming you're ready to rock their world with massive amounts of ROI data... Right about the time their spouse would call to see when they will be home for dinner: 5:30-6:45PM.

The best time to cold call a C-Level is anytime you need business, and he's part of the decision process. However I suspect your real concern is either: 1) When is the C-Level most receptive, or 2) When should I call so I don't get blocked by his secretary? If it's either of these, then you really don't deserve to get through.

The idea of having to "charm" a gatekeeper, or go around her, is nonsense. She is not only a decision maker (owning the decision not to put you through,) but she is also probably extremely knowledgeable about what's going on with the company and what's important to the executive, and she can track him down, or even pull him out of a meeting, if necessary.

What matters is your value proposition. If you can't sell her on the value of putting you through, you sure-as-heck aren't going to sell him.

Thank you for the responses guys. I think I need to step my game up and get to the office a little earlier than usual. I know it's going to be tough, but the words of encouragement helped.

I am not very familiar with customs in the US as far as social calling is concerned, but I will speak about my experiences here in Europe and it is not well-accepted here to call anytime earlier than 09h00 because before people are setting into their daily work routine or any later than 17h00 because then people are looking forward to leaving the office, so are not receptive before those times.
Also, calls between 11h30 and 13h30 should not be made because of lunch breaks, etc.

Fredrico, I used to agree with you about waiting till 9 am so people can get settled in.I have been telemarketing for years.
I am now trying to contact senior managers and find it VERY hard to get them during the day, they are always "out or at a meeting".
I read an article by an expert marketer the other day and she said the best time of day to catch these sorts of people is after 3.30 pm.
So I tend to agree with the first two posters.
But I had not though of before 8 am !

Mmmm.... and to this I say, what a great idea, not. If I wanted to know what the best time of day to call my client list was, I'd experiment, I'd call solid for a week or three - marking down the high contact points, occasionally I'd vary the hours I'd marked down to make sure my observations were on course.

Because my clients are not necessarily in the same market as yours, or following the same work patterns.

If you called before 8 in the UK, you'd never reach anyone, and calling before 9 doesn't work that well either. Afternoons were better Mon - Thu, and Friday before 2 p.m. Though if you can catch someone on a Friday afternoon, they'll usually be happy to talk for longer.

I agree you that can be productive from 7-9 am and 5-7 pm, but you also need to use your CRM tool to try alternate times as well. This will help you avoid duplicating failure. As people are different, so too are their work schedules. Also, most all C level execs will have their gatekeeper in place from 9 to 5, so concentrating on winning them over is a real key.

Lots of really good answers here and I would have to say we have been tracking this like Eric for about 3 months with Cazoomi sales and after we initiate the social media strategies around the CxO of the start-up we usually catch them around 7am 31% of the time / 8am-5pm 46% / after 6pm 23% of the time on a direct email, chat or call.

We've actually tracked this for a while now. Without a doubt, the best way to get a hold of a C-Level Executive is to call before 8am or after 5pm. Start cold calling a select group of people starting a little after 7am. If they are as hard of a worker as you are, they'll be in the office early. If you haven't reached them that early, follow up again after 5pm. How many of us actually leave at 5 on the dot? Not many.

When running into gatekeepers and charm and wit don't get you through, try calling during the lunch hour. That's when the receptionist is away from her desk and usually the person filling in will let you skate right through.

Eric - River Run Computers, Inc.