What’s the best time to cold call? You asked, we answered

We've all been there - staring at the phone, wondering when to make that crucial call. As sellers, timing can make or break our cold calling efforts. You know the drill: call too early, and you might catch someone rushing to start their day. Too late, and they're already heading out the door. But hit that sweet spot, and you're golden.

In this article, I'll share what's worked best for us at Regie.ai when it comes to timing our cold calls. Specifically, we'll explore the time windows that have consistently yielded better results for our team, along with factors that can influence your success rate. As you read this, make sure to keep one thing in mind: every business and buyer is unique. Use our experiences and guidance as a starting point, then adjust based on your specific buyers' preferences and behaviors. The key is to stay flexible and keep learning. 

At the end of this article, you’ll also find links to a slew of other cold calling-related content we’ve created if you want to dive deeper into the topic, too.

Let’s dive in!

The best times for cold calling

Now, let's get into the meat of it - when should you actually pick up the phone? Through lots of trial and error (and more than a few awkward conversations), we've zeroed in on some time windows that consistently work well for us at Regie.ai. 

Remember: these aren't set in stone, but they're a solid starting point. We've found these timeframes tend to align well with the typical workday rhythms of our prospects across various industries.

In order of preference, here are the timeframes our team uses for cold calling:

1. Late afternoon (4-6 pm local time): Our top performers have a solid amount of success with the 4-6 PM window in the prospect's local time, particularly with executives. Often, we find that decision-makers are wrapping up their day during this time period, so they tend to be less busy and have fewer things to attend to. As a result, they tend to be more willing to engage in conversations. 
2. Early morning (8-9 am local time): This is another great timeframe to focus on when cold calling – and particularly if you have a lot of high-level executives on your hit list. Unsurprisingly, we’ve found that many prospects tend to start their day before the typical 9 am rush – before things get really busy. This provides us with a brief, but crucial, window of opportunity for us to snag them before they get pulled into the onslaught of meetings booking up their calendars.
3. Mid-day (10-11 am and 1-3 pm local time): I've found that these slots work really well for reaching more of a general audience (i.e., below the executive level). These two blocks typically avoid common meeting times and lunch breaks, which increases our chances of connecting with leads when they're at their desks.

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The best days for cold calling

Now that we've covered the optimal times of day for cold calling, let's zoom out a bit. Just as important as the hour you dial is the day of the week you choose to reach out. After all, timing isn't just about catching someone at their desk - it's about catching them in the right mindset to engage with your call.

Our experience at Regie.ai, backed by industry trends, suggests that some days are significantly more effective than others for cold calling. Here's what we've found, in order of best to worst:

• Wednesdays are by far the best days to do cold calls. Why? By this point in the week, prospects are usually settled into their work rhythm. They've cleared the Monday madness and aren't yet in Friday wind-down mode. They're focused, productive, and more likely to be receptive to new ideas or opportunities. 
• Thursdays are a close second for the same reason we gave above: by this point in their week, people are more settled into their routines and usually are more receptive to spontaneous calls. They aren’t quite at the point of needing to wrap things up for the weekend, like Fridays, so they still offer a solid window for having productive conversations.
• Tuesdays are third, and again for all the same reasons highlighted above. The only reason why Tuesdays are lower on our list is because we’ve found that people tend to use them as a kind of “spillover” day for anything that didn’t get done on Monday, whether it’s tasks, meetings, etc. We’ve found that people can be just as busy on this day – and obviously even more so if a holiday fell on a Monday. 
• Fridays, especially afternoons, tend to be less effective. As the week winds down, many professionals are wrapping up tasks and mentally preparing for the weekend. They're less likely to engage in detailed conversations or make new commitments.
• Mondays are slower, so expect to make fewer connects and leave more voicemails. That said, if you have some prospects on your hit list who you know will pick up, definitely go for it. Otherwise, consider keeping this day more email-heavy to plant seeds with the rest of your leads for future calling opportunities. 
• Saturdays and Sundays are a big nope. Just don’t do it. (It feels like something that should go without saying but believe me: I’ve seen it done and it doesn’t usually end well for the caller.)

Remember, these are general guidelines based on typical work patterns. Your specific industry or target audience might have different rhythms. Use this as a starting point, then pay attention to your results and adjust accordingly. The key is to find the days when your prospects are most likely to be open to your call - and that sweet spot might be unique to your particular situation.

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4 additional factors to consider when timing cold calls

In my experience, there are a few key factors that can significantly influence cold calling success. Keep these in mind as you plan your outreach:

1. Your prospects’ schedules

Try to understand your target audience's typical daily or weekly work rhythms. 

• This may involve doing some research or simply paying attention to patterns in your interactions with leads with similar titles, backgrounds, industries, etc. some text
  1. Executives, for instance, often start their day earlier and may be more accessible before 9 AM or after 4 PM, when meetings typically conclude. 
• Tailor your approach by observing patterns within specific industries or job roles. 
• Tools like sales engagement platforms (SEPs) can help track previous engagement times to optimize future outreach​

2. Time zones

Time zone awareness is especially important for geographically diverse targets. Rather than reach out to prospects when it’s convenient for us, we need to focus on doing our outreach when it’s convenient for them.

• Our team’s based on the West Coast, but we target a lot of East Coast-based leads. By the time our day starts, they’re already heading full swing into their afternoons – meaning we’ve missed those initial prime windows of 8-9 am and 10-11 am to get people on the phone. 
• To get around this, when we go after prospects on EST, my team simply shifts our calling hours to make sure we’re hitting them at optimal times in the (late) afternoon time frame.
• Another tactic we use a lot is running targeted call blitzes to timezones we don’t normally get to hit. For example, sometimes we’ll do an early day where we start hitting the phones at 7 am PST and end our day at 3 pm PST. 

3. Industry specifics

Every sector has its own rhythm, and boy, does it pay to tune into that beat. 

• Take retail, for instance. We've found that catching store managers early in the morning, before the daily rush kicks in, can be golden. 
• On the flip side, when we're calling corporate execs, we often have better luck after they've muscled through their morning meeting marathon. 
• The key here? Do a little homework on your target industries. Trust me, understanding these sector-specific habits can be a game-changer for your outreach. 

4. Consistency in persistence

Here's the deal: cold calling isn't a one-and-done game. We've learned the hard way that following up isn't just important - it's make-or-break stuff. 

• On average, it takes about six call attempts to turn a prospect into a customer. 
• So here's my advice: don't put all your eggs in the "perfect timing" basket. Instead, focus on developing a process and sticking with it. 
• Consistent outreach over time is your secret weapon. It beats trying to nail that one "golden hour" call every single time. some text
  • For example, our team runs daily call sessions called the “Dirty 30”: it involves us calling during the first 30 minutes of our day, and then again at the last 30 minutes of our day. We do this every single day to maintain consistency and build momentum with our call channel, and it’s a tactic that’s paid off for us so far.

Final thoughts

We've covered a lot of ground here - from the best times of day to call, to the most effective days of the week, and even some industry-specific tips. But here's the thing: all of this advice is just a starting point. Your perfect timing might look a little different, and that's okay. The key is to take these insights, test them out, and then fine-tune based on what works best for you and your prospects.

Remember, at the end of the day, cold calling is as much an art as it is a science. It's about persistence, adaptability, and building genuine connections. So don't get too hung up on hitting that "perfect" moment. Instead, focus on consistency, keep refining your approach, and most importantly, keep dialing. Every call is a chance to learn and improve, but those opportunities don’t happen if you don’t pick up the phone. Now go out there and make those connections happen.

Want to learn more about cold calling? 

We have a whole content series dedicated to helping your team get the most out of your call channel. Make sure to check out the rest of the articles in this series:

• 19 cold calling techniques Regie.ai's reps use to drive meaningful results‍
• 13 cold calling best practices every rep needs to know (& nail)‍
• 11 cold calling tips that actually work