Why Cold Calling Will Never Die (Ask Jeb)

What It Covers

Jeb Blount and Will Fratini address why cold calling remains essential despite declining email response rates. They explain how to combine phone prospecting with multi-channel sequencing, navigate AI gatekeepers through relevance-based messaging, and leverage ZoomInfo to build business acumen by calling end users who benefit from your solution.

Key Questions Answered

• •Multi-Channel Sequencing Strategy: Combine cold calls with voice messages, LinkedIn InMails, emails, text messages, social media comments, and snail mail over 30-90 day periods. Reference previous touchpoints in each message to prove you're human, not AI. Most salespeople quit after two attempts, almost none go past four, creating opportunity for persistent prospectors who sequence strategically.
• •AI Gatekeeper Navigation: AI gatekeepers filter calls based on relevance to the prospect's current problems and business outcomes. Avoid generic opening lines about company capabilities or sycophantic compliments. Use specific language about their industry challenges, business patterns, and aspirations. Separate research time from prospecting time to ensure messages stay on-point when making high-velocity calls.
• •Voice Message Effectiveness: Leave voice messages on both phone systems and LinkedIn that get read as transcripts, not just heard. Mention these messages in follow-up emails and InMails to create human connection and stand out from AI-generated outreach. Phone pickup rates have remained constant for 30 years, but conversion depends entirely on message relevance to the prospect's situation.
• •Building Business Acumen Fast: Call end users and stakeholders who benefit from your product before approaching executives. Ask how they use similar solutions, what problems they face, and who else you should talk to. This approach creates internal momentum and gravitational pull within accounts while teaching you industry language and pain points that executives care about in real conversations.
• •ZoomInfo Implementation for New Users: Set up automated alerts and playbooks in your territory to receive daily updates on account activity and intent signals. Use the platform to find non-decision-maker contacts like account managers, analysts, and field workers who typically answer calls and share valuable information about organizational needs that aren't visible in org charts or public sources.