ValueSelling Report: Cold Calling Beats AI Emails 6 to 1

ValueSelling Associates research released Sept. 1 finds that sellers rate every human-led prospecting tactic above every automated one, with cold calling trailing only client referrals according to Demand Gen Report.

Human Cold Calling Effectiveness

Human-to-human cold calling ranks as the most effective method for reaching new prospects behind only client referrals. The report states that in 2018 client referrals stood at 77 percent and cold calls at 46 percent. In 2026 client referrals declined three percentage points while cold calls rose one percentage point. Salespeople rate every human-led tactic above every automated one.

Barriers Identified by Leaders

46 percent of sales leaders say reps give up too easily when cold calling. 39 percent say reps fear picking up the phone. 40 percent point to handling objections as the barrier. These figures compare to 53 percent and 48 percent respectively in 2018. The research indicates the issue is not the method but skill levels.

Rep Performance Ratings

19 percent of sales leaders rate their reps as excellent or very good at prospecting. 31 percent rate them as good. 49 percent rate them as fair or poor. The findings point to a skills gap that training can address.

Research Scope

The study revisits questions from a similar 2018 report to examine changes after years of sales tech and AI adoption. The ValueSelling Associates e-book Cutting Through the Noise: Prospecting in the AI Era is available for download according to Demand Gen Report.