Cold calling remains the fastest path to booking a meeting. While cold email reply rates continue declining, 57% of C-level executives and VPs say they would rather hear from sales reps via phone than any other channel. The problem is that most SDRs are doing it wrong.
Sarah Plowman, known as the Cold Calling Queen of TikTok with over 130,000 followers, has built a reputation by cold calling live on social media and sharing exactly what works. Her approach challenges conventional wisdom on call frequency, voicemail strategy, and channel sequencing.
This guide breaks down the twelve most actionable tactics from her methodology, supplemented with current industry data and practical implementation guidance for revenue teams.
The Current State of Cold Calling
Before diving into tactics, the numbers establish context. The average cold calling success rate has dropped to approximately 2.3% in 2025, nearly half of the 4.82% rate from 2024. Only 28% of sales calls are answered, meaning 72% go to voicemail or are ignored entirely.
Despite these challenges, the channel works for those who execute properly:
- 82% of buyers are open to meetings with sales reps who cold call them
- Top performers using multi-channel outreach see 287% higher engagement than single-channel approaches
- Teams investing in cold calling training see up to 38% higher conversion rates
The gap between average performers and top performers has never been wider. These twelve tactics represent the difference.
1. Call 8-12 Times Over 14 Days
Most SDRs give up after two or three attempts. Plowman recommends calling the same prospect 8-12 times over a two-week cadence.
“People are so busy these days. Even if you speak to someone and this is a really hot lead, and you can’t believe they just blew you off - if you call them four days later, they’re not going to remember that you gave them a call.”
The fear that prospects will be annoyed by frequent calls is largely unfounded. Decision-makers receive dozens of calls daily. Unless you leave excessive voicemails or become aggressive, most prospects genuinely do not remember previous attempts.
Implementation
Structure your 14-day calling cadence:
- Days 1-3: Initial dials (2-3 attempts)
- Day 2 or 3: First voicemail
- Days 4-7: Continue dials (2-3 attempts)
- Days 8-14: Final push with second voicemail at end
- Intersperse: LinkedIn touches and emails throughout
The cadence should be call-heavy but not voicemail-heavy. Leave only 2 voicemails maximum during the 14-day period.
2. Master the Voicemail Script That Drives Email Responses
With 80% of sales calls going to voicemail and only 15% of recipients actually listening to them, voicemail strategy becomes critical. Instead of asking for a callback (which rarely happens), direct prospects to respond via email.
Here is Plowman’s voicemail script:
“Hey [Name], I was just giving you a quick call. This was a cold call. However, I was calling in regards to [specific topic] as I noticed [relevant observation about their company]. No need to give me a call back. I’m actually sending you over an email titled [specific subject line] - if you could respond to my email on that, that would be fantastic.”
Why This Works
The script accomplishes several things:
- Acknowledges the cold call - disarms defensiveness
- Provides specific context - shows research was done
- Removes callback pressure - makes the next step easier
- Creates email anticipation - prospect watches for the message
- Specifies the subject line - makes the email findable
The follow-up email should arrive within minutes of the voicemail, with the exact subject line you mentioned. This coordination between channels creates a cohesive experience rather than disconnected touches.
3. Double Dial Multiple Numbers
When data providers like ZoomInfo or Apollo show multiple phone numbers for a prospect - headquarters line, direct dial, and mobile - call all of them in sequence.
“People are going to come at me for this one. They’re going to be like, this girl’s crazy, but I’m a double dialer. If ZoomInfo or some sort of system on my computer is giving me two really good numbers, why not call both? They’re right there. Why would I call one number and then be like, I’ll try the next one tomorrow?”
The Logic
Your first dials should always be your worst dials from a connect rate standpoint. By calling all available numbers on the first attempt, you:
- Identify which number actually works
- Cross bad numbers off the list immediately (fax machines, gatekeepers, wrong numbers)
- Find the live number faster instead of spreading discovery across multiple days
If you wait to try numbers one at a time across different days, you might not find the working number until the fourth dial - then you still have to call that number four more times. Double dialing compresses the discovery phase.
4. Start with LinkedIn Before Calling
Counter to the conventional “pick up the phone first” advice, Plowman starts with LinkedIn touches before making calls. This creates recognition that makes subsequent calls more effective.
“Sometimes I hit success and book a meeting right away from my first LinkedIn touch. So I don’t actually ever have to call them before I meet with them. I will always try LinkedIn first.”
The key insight: LinkedIn shows when someone has read your message. When you see their profile picture pop up next to your message, indicating they viewed it, that becomes your trigger to call.
The Recognition Call
When you call after they have viewed your LinkedIn message:
“Hey [Name], this is Sarah over at [Company]. I saw you actually saw my video. One, how much did you actually watch of it? And two, did you get my follow-up message?”
This opener puts the prospect in an interesting position. They know they viewed the messages and have been “leaving you on red.” Most will acknowledge the message rather than pretend ignorance.
5. Record Video Messages on LinkedIn Mobile
LinkedIn allows you to record and send video messages directly through the mobile app - not the desktop version, only mobile. This feature remains underutilized and dramatically stands out in crowded inboxes.
“Take out your mobile phone and go into the LinkedIn app. Go into a DM of someone you want to message and there is an option to send and record a video literally in the DMs on the mobile app.”
Video Message Structure
Keep the same messaging as your cold call script. Consistency across channels helps prospects connect the dots:
“Hey [Name], this is totally out of the blue and I know you probably don’t receive videos this often. But I’m trying to stick out here, hopefully it works. The reason I was reaching out - I noticed you were looking to hire SDRs and I saw you were connected with [mutual connection] who I’m actually really good friends with. I wanted to get some time on the calendar. I’m trying to see if you have availability either tomorrow at 2 o’clock or Friday morning at 10. Hopefully I’ll talk to you soon.”
The data supports this approach: LinkedIn videos receive five times more engagement than text or image posts, and users are 20x more likely to share video content. For B2B specifically, 62% of buyers trust LinkedIn video content, making it highly credible for sales outreach.
Embrace Mistakes
Plowman shares a story about falling off a kitchen chair while recording a prospecting video during COVID-era remote work. She accidentally hit send instead of delete. The prospect responded: “Sarah, this is hilarious. Send me one again, perfectly, just so I could understand what you’re trying to sell me.”
She booked the meeting.
The lesson: authenticity beats perfection. Prospects receive polished, obviously templated messages constantly. A genuine moment of humanity - a stumble over words, a visible laugh at yourself - signals that a real person is reaching out.
6. Follow Up Videos with “What Did You Think?”
If your video message does not receive an immediate response, the follow-up is simple: “What did you think of the video?”
Send this either the next day if they have not viewed it yet, or immediately if you see they have watched it. LinkedIn shows when someone has viewed your message, so strike while the iron is hot.
This simple follow-up produces responses about 80% of the time according to Plowman. The responses range from genuine interest to “didn’t like it, move on” - but even negative responses provide closure and feedback.
If they say they did not like it, ask: “What didn’t you like about the video? What would you improve?” This connects to the broader philosophy of asking for feedback on cold calls.
7. Ask for Feedback on Your Cold Calls
When a cold call generates good energy but does not convert to a meeting, ask for feedback:
“Give me a scale of one to ten - how did I do on my pitch?”
Most prospects will engage with this request. Many will compliment the effort or provide genuine suggestions. At minimum, it ends the call on a positive note and creates a memorable interaction.
This tactic serves multiple purposes:
- Improves your skills through real-time feedback
- Differentiates you from other callers
- Creates rapport even when the meeting does not happen
- Leaves the door open for future conversations
Not every call presents this opportunity, but when you feel positive energy from the prospect, capitalize on it.
8. Call 9 Before 9, 5 After 5
Decision-makers are most accessible outside standard business hours when they are not in back-to-back meetings. Plowman recommends:
- 9 cold calls before 9am
- 5 cold calls after 5pm
“Book it in your calendar, try it today. I can assure you, you’ll get so many more pickups than you do throughout the day.”
This aligns with industry data showing optimal cold calling windows. Research consistently shows that late morning (10-11am) and late afternoon (4-5pm) on Tuesdays and Wednesdays produce the highest connect rates. Early morning extends this window further.
Executives often arrive early to handle email before their calendars fill up. Reaching them at 8:45am catches them in a more receptive state than mid-afternoon when they are juggling competing priorities.
9. Keep Research Under Five Minutes
Extensive pre-call research creates diminishing returns. Plowman recommends capping research at five to ten minutes maximum per prospect.
The research hierarchy:
- Mutual connections - strongest opener (“I was speaking with [name] yesterday who recommended I reach out”)
- Previous employers - reference work your company did with their former company
- Current initiatives - hiring signals, product launches, funding
- Industry relevance - clients you have worked with in their space
Stop researching as soon as you find something usable from the top of this hierarchy. If you find a mutual connection in the first minute, do not spend another nine minutes looking for something better.
“Don’t spend more than five to ten minutes, because you don’t want to drive yourself crazy for perfection. Sales is definitely not for perfectionists.”
10. Ask for In-Person Meetings When Possible
If you are geographically close to a prospect, ask for an in-person meeting instead of a video call. This tactic provides significant differentiation.
“A lot of prospects I’ve been getting are saying, actually, sure, that’d be really nice to step out of the office and kind of change up a little bit of scenery. Let’s meet downstairs at Starbucks.”
Why In-Person Works
- Demonstrates commitment - traveling to meet shows genuine interest
- Builds deeper rapport - 15-20 minutes of natural conversation happens before business discussion
- Reduces friction - “I’ll be in your area anyway” removes scheduling complexity
- Differentiates - most remote sellers never offer to meet in person
The framing matters. Instead of asking “can we meet in person?”, try:
“I’m actually meeting with a few other [titles] in [their area] on Thursday. I have a block open either before or after. Would that work for you?”
This positioning makes the meeting feel convenient rather than burdensome.
11. Use Previous Touchpoints as Your Reason for Calling
One of the most practical insights: each touchpoint becomes the reason for the next one. This eliminates the need to constantly research new openers.
LinkedIn video sent → “Did you get a chance to look at that video I sent?”
Voicemail left → “I left you a LinkedIn video yesterday, just wanted to see if you watched it”
Email sent → “I’m following up on the email I sent titled [subject line]”
This approach creates a coherent multi-touch sequence where each channel reinforces the others. The prospect experiences one conversation across multiple mediums rather than disconnected spam.
It also reduces research burden. You only need one solid research point for the initial video or email. Every subsequent touch references the previous one.
12. Close After 1-2 Questions - Stop Overstaying Your Welcome
The most common mistake Plowman sees: asking too many questions without closing.
“A lot of SDRs miss that opportunity to just go in for the kill. They stress too much about asking the next question. They don’t know where to go. That’s where you start to really panic and get really anxious.”
The Fix
Prepare one or two strong discovery questions. Once you have asked them and received useful information, close for the meeting immediately. Provide two specific times to make it easy:
“Based on what you just shared, I think it would make sense to continue this conversation. Do you have time on Friday at 10am or 2pm Eastern to chat more about those goals and priorities?”
The data supports this approach. Industry research shows that asking 11-14 targeted questions correlates with a 70% higher success rate - but only when those questions lead to a close. Endless questions without a clear ask wastes the prospect’s time and your opportunity.
Multi-Channel Sequencing: Putting It Together
The individual tactics above combine into a coordinated multi-channel sequence. Here is how the full 14-day cadence might look:
Day 1: LinkedIn connection request with personalized note Day 2: LinkedIn video message Day 3: Follow-up “What did you think of the video?” Day 4: First phone call (double dial all numbers), send email if no answer Day 5: Phone call Day 6: LinkedIn message referencing voicemail/email Day 7: Phone call with voicemail Day 8: Phone call Day 10: Phone call, LinkedIn touch Day 12: Phone call Day 14: Final phone call with closing voicemail, final email
This sequencing ensures:
- LinkedIn establishes recognition before calls
- Each channel references the others
- Call frequency is high but voicemails are limited
- Multiple opportunities for connection across 14 days
Tools for Execution
Implementing this methodology at scale requires the right technology stack.
Data and Phone Numbers
Access to verified direct dials and mobile numbers is essential for double-dialing and high call frequency:
- Apollo.io provides 210M+ contacts with direct dial phone numbers and integrates prospecting with engagement
- ZoomInfo offers the largest B2B database with 260M+ contacts and 135M verified phone numbers, though at enterprise pricing
- Both platforms provide the multiple phone numbers per prospect that enable double-dialing
Sales Engagement Platforms
For teams running structured cadences across phone, email, and LinkedIn:
- SalesLoft and Outreach provide enterprise-grade multi-channel cadence automation with built-in dialers
- Apollo.io offers cadence features at a more accessible price point for mid-market teams
- Skylead combines LinkedIn automation with email in unified Smart Sequences
Cold Email Infrastructure
For the email components of multi-channel sequences:
- Instantly offers unlimited email accounts with built-in warmup for high-volume sending
- Smartlead provides similar capabilities with advanced deliverability features
- lemlist supports multichannel sequences including LinkedIn, email, and calls with personalization features
LinkedIn Outreach
For automated LinkedIn touchpoints:
- Skylead provides smart sequences with conditional logic across LinkedIn and email
- Native LinkedIn Sales Navigator works for manual, high-touch prospecting
- The mobile LinkedIn app (not automatable) enables video message recording
Measuring Success
Track these metrics to evaluate cold calling effectiveness:
Connect Rate: Percentage of dials that reach a live person. Industry average is around 28%. Top performers using optimal timing and multi-dial approaches exceed 35%.
Conversation-to-Meeting Rate: Percentage of live conversations that convert to scheduled meetings. Target 20%+ for qualified prospect lists.
Voicemail-to-Callback Rate: While callbacks from voicemails are rare (under 5%), track whether prospects respond to the email referenced in your voicemail.
LinkedIn Video Response Rate: Track engagement with video messages versus standard text messages. Expect 3-5x higher response rates from video.
Calls per Meeting: The industry average is 209 calls per appointment. Teams implementing these tactics should target under 100 calls per meeting booked.
Common Objections to This Approach
“Calling 8-12 times feels like harassment.”
The data does not support this concern. Prospects receive dozens of calls and hundreds of emails weekly. They are not tracking your individual attempts. The SDRs who give up after two or three tries are losing to competitors who persist.
“I don’t have time to record individual videos.”
A 30-second video takes 30 seconds to record. The ROI on that time investment dramatically exceeds sending another templated email that gets ignored.
“My prospects won’t answer before 9am or after 5pm.”
Test it. The connect rate data consistently shows these windows outperform standard business hours. Decision-makers work early and late; they are unreachable during back-to-back meetings from 9am to 5pm.
“Asking for feedback is awkward.”
Awkward for you, perhaps. Prospects consistently respond positively to genuine requests for improvement. It humanizes the interaction and differentiates you from robotic callers.
The Bottom Line
Cold calling works when executed with persistence, multi-channel coordination, and genuine human connection. The 2.3% average success rate reflects the poor execution of average callers, not the inherent limitations of the channel.
Sarah Plowman’s approach succeeds because it treats prospects as busy humans who need multiple touches across multiple channels before engaging. The methodology respects their time while maintaining professional persistence.
The core principles:
- Call more than you think is appropriate
- Leave voicemails that drive email responses, not callbacks
- Use LinkedIn video to stand out and create recognition
- Start social touches before calls to warm the prospect
- Reference previous touches as your reason for calling
- Close after discovering pain - do not overstay your welcome
Implement these tactics systematically and track the results. The gap between 2% and 20% conversion rates comes down to execution of fundamentals, not access to secret techniques.
Related Resources
- 7 Critical Cold Email Changes Coming in 2026 - Understand the trends reshaping cold outreach effectiveness
- The Show Me You Know Me Method - Deep personalization strategies for cold email
- How to Build a Fully Automated Cold Email System - Set up hands-off email campaigns with AI reply handling
- Apollo.io - Sales intelligence platform with 210M+ contacts and direct dials
- ZoomInfo - Enterprise B2B database with 260M+ contacts
- Skylead - Multi-channel automation combining LinkedIn and email
- Instantly - Cold email platform with unlimited accounts and built-in warmup
- SalesLoft - Enterprise sales engagement with conversation intelligence