Okuzeka
Sales & Retail vocabulary · Prospecting & Leads

Cold call

Meaning in sales & retail, with examples

/ˈkoʊld ˌkɔːl/nounCore term

In sales & retail, cold call means: A phone call to a person or business that has had no earlier contact with you, made to introduce a product and start a sales conversation.

In Turkish: soğuk arama, tanımadığınız müşteriyi arama

How it is used

Used as a noun (make a cold call) and a verb (cold-call a company); the activity is cold calling. Many people find it hard, so you often hear “I hate cold calling.” A warm call is a call to someone who already knows you or has shown interest.

Example sentences

  1. I made 40 cold calls this morning and booked two meetings.

  2. Cold calling works better when you have researched the company first.

Common collocations

  • make a cold call
  • cold-call a prospect
  • cold calling script
  • cold email
  • prospectA possible customer who has been checked and seems a good fit, with a real need for the product and the ability to buy it.
  • leadA person or company that may become a customer, for example someone who downloaded a brochure, called for information or was found through research.
  • gatekeeperA person, such as a receptionist or assistant, who controls access to a decision-maker and decides which calls and emails get through.
  • lead generationThe work of finding and attracting new potential customers, through activities such as events, ads, content, cold outreach and referrals.
  • social sellingUsing social media, especially professional networks such as LinkedIn, to find prospects, build relationships and start sales conversations.

More terms: Prospecting & Leads

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