9 Cold Calling Strategies to Use This Holiday Season
Cold calling strategies should change from season to season, year to year. Remaining stagnant in your strategies can cause you to miss out on lucrative marketing opportunities. Adjusting and adapting your cold calling strategies to your audience’s current needs, wants, and interests shows that you’ve done your homework. And consumers can tell.
The more organized and in-tune you are to your audience, the more likely you are to be heard and respected. Ever heard the phrase, “You get what you give”? The better you are at adapting your cold calling strategies, the better customers and clients you’ll gain. After all, the main goal is to win repeat, lifelong customers, right? The first step is getting their attention.
Cold calling during the holiday season can be challenging. People’s schedules become hectic, and they prefer to focus on celebrations with loved ones. So, keep these 9 cold calling strategies in mind to help improve your success rates.
Is Cold Calling Still Relevant?
Believe it or not, cold calling is still a viable marketing strategy. People still use phones, don’t they? Of course, digital communication and changing consumer preferences have impacted traditional cold calling. But here’s why cold calling can still be effective:
First, it works well for high-touch sales. In industries like B2B, real estate, or high-value sales, cold calling allows for direct, personal contact. It’s a chance to start a conversation, build rapport, and create trust, especially in complex industries where a relationship matters.
It also provides an opportunity to target calls with research. Calls with tailored messages—based on prior research about the prospect’s company, role, and needs—are far more effective. When the person on the other end feels understood, they’re more likely to engage.
It’s important to keep in mind that “cold calling” is typically used as a blanket term for telephone marketing. What really seems to work is “warm” cold calling strategies, so to speak. A modern take on cold calling involves “warming up” prospects first, using emails, social media interactions, or other forms of communication. This makes the actual call feel less random or “out of the blue”. In short, cold calling works well in conjunction with other marketing channels.
Finally, cold calling allows for immediate feedback. Unlike emails or online ads, cold calls provide instant feedback. You can adjust your pitch in real-time based on the prospect’s reactions, giving you a better chance to connect and respond to objections.
Cold calling strategies can still be effective, especially in high-touch industries, but it’s generally most successful as part of a multi-channel strategy. By focusing on high-quality leads, doing research, and approaching calls as relationship builders, you can still achieve results, even if the role of cold calling has shifted.
How to Navigate the Do Not Call Registry
Regulations like the National Do Not Call Registry (in the U.S.) and similar laws globally have made it difficult to use cold calling broadly for consumer outreach. These regulations don’t eliminate B2B cold calling but do impose boundaries.
Consumers can register their phone numbers on the Do Not Call (DNC) list as a way to minimize telemarketing phone calls, essentially opting out of them. Companies calling numbers that are registered on this list in order to market products or services can face fines and other legal penalties.
Fortunately, there is a way (or two) to circumvent this. The first way is with a phone validator. This allows you to search a particular phone number and find out whether it is registered on the DNC list, or, whether it is safe to call. You can also do this in bulk if you have an entire list or database of numbers you want to use for a cold calling campaign. Simply upload the list to get a DNC label for each number you should not call.
If you want to label and organize the numbers that are safe to call as soon as they enter your system, you can use a phone validation API. However, it is still a good idea to verify these numbers regularly or at least before launching a telemarketing campaign because numbers can change hands and/or become registered at any time without your knowledge.
9 Cold Calling Strategies for the Holiday Season
1. Be Mindful of Timing
Avoid calling during peak holiday times (e.g., around Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve).
Try mid-morning or early afternoon, and consider days in early December or between Christmas and New Year’s, when people may have a lighter workload.
2. Personalize Your Message with a Holiday Twist
Open the call with a lighthearted holiday greeting. Acknowledge the season to make the call feel relevant and personable.
For example, start with, “Happy holidays! I know it’s a busy time of year, so I’ll keep this quick…”
3. Offer a Limited-Time Holiday Promotion
People are often looking for holiday deals. If your company has a holiday promotion, lead with that, mentioning that it’s only available for a limited time.
Even if you don’t have a specific promotion, emphasizing the benefits of starting now rather than waiting until the new year can create a sense of urgency.
4. Empathize and Be Brief
Recognize that the holiday season can be overwhelming and assure them you’ll keep the call short.
Use phrases like, “I understand this is a busy time of year, so I’ll make this brief,” or “I’m here to make things easier for you this season.”
5. Position the Call as Holiday Planning or New Year Prep
Frame your offer as something that can help them prepare for the upcoming year or ease holiday stress.
For example, “I’m calling to share a way we can help streamline your operations in the new year,” or “We’re offering a solution that might lighten your load during the holiday rush.”
6. Offer to Follow Up After the Holidays
If they’re not interested now, suggest a follow-up in January. This shows respect for their time and opens the door for a future conversation.
Say, “Would it be better if I reached out after the holidays?”
7. Create a Warm Ending with a Holiday Touch
End on a positive note by wishing them well for the season.
For instance, “Thank you for your time, and happy holidays to you and your family!”
8. “Warm Up” Your Lead by Combining with Other Strategies
Cold calling works best when used in combination with other strategies. A blended approach, where cold calling is paired with inbound marketing, email outreach, or social media engagement, often has the best success rate. Rather than going for an immediate sale, effective cold calling now focuses on starting conversations that can be nurtured over time.
9. Prioritize Quality over Quantity
It’s more effective to call a smaller list of qualified leads with personalized pitches than to cast a wide net to reach a broad audience. Warm cold calling can help produce a higher quality leads list as well, and you are able to better utilize your time and resources.
Each of these strategies respects your prospect’s busy schedule while subtly keeping your offer top of mind for the new year.
Peace on Earth and Peace of Mind
Cold calling remains a viable marketing strategy, but its effectiveness can vary widely based on factors like industry, target audience, and approach. Keep cold calling best practices in mind this holiday season, and use the shift to your advantage.
Don’t forget to verify each number you plan to call before you call it! Don’t get caught out of TCPA compliance for failing to honor the DNC list. Check out Searchbug’s phone validation tools and resources today so that you can implement your cold calling strategies this holiday season with peace of mind. Christmas is calling, and so are you.
