I’ve done my fair share of cold-calling as a sales rep. 

And it wasn’t always pretty. 

I’ve experienced it all:

• Dialing for hours only to get a handful of connects
• That pit-in-your-stomach feeling wondering if someone is actually going to pick up
• And those rare but magical moments when a call leads to a booked meeting

Cold calling today isn’t dead — despite what you might read on your LinkedIn feed. 

But it’s harder than ever. And it has evolved. 

What worked last year — heck, what worked last month — has changed dramatically.

But the difference between today’s top performers and everyone else? They don’t guess. They use data to know what works.

• What’s the best way to open a cold call? 
• How should I start my pitch?
• And when should I ask for the meeting?

Now we don’t have to wonder.

Nooks analyzed 5,000,000 cold calls with AI to find proven patterns that lead to booked meetings in 2025.

Below are the three most effective tactics for booking meetings by phone — backed by data and easy to implement.

Let’s get into it.

Tip #1: Asking an open-ended question in your opener gives you a 310% higher chance of booking a meeting

Closed questions kill conversations.

• “Did I catch you at a bad time?”
• “Are you the right person?

These create yes/no moments — easy exits.

But open-ended questions do the opposite. They create momentum.

When you ask something like:

• “How are you currently handling X?”
• “What’s been your biggest challenge with Y?”

You’re inviting a longer, thoughtful response. That’s key.

The longer someone talks, the more invested they become. It’s a psychological effect known as the “commitment consistency bias” — people are more likely to stay in conversations they’ve already contributed to.

More talking = more context = more relevant pitch = more meetings booked.

Yet, fewer than half of reps are using this tactic.

❌ Most reps think efficiency means getting to the pitch faster.

✅ Elite reps know engagement is what earns permission to pitch.

Now that you’ve opened the door, it’s time to walk through it.

That leads us to the next tip. 

Tip #2: Mentioning a pain point in your opener gives you a 6.3x higher chance of booking a meeting

Too many reps sound like this:

“We help companies improve efficiency and reduce costs.”

Yawn.

Compare that to this:

“Most VPs of Sales I talk to are frustrated with reps wasting time chasing bad leads — is that something you’re seeing too?”

See the difference? One is forgettable. The other is a friction point that hits home.

Pain creates relevance. And relevance gets attention.

Here are a few examples pulled directly from real (winning) cold calls:

• “I talk to a lot of enablement leaders who are tired of reps forgetting to follow up after demos — is that a challenge for you?”
• “Most sales leaders I talk to say pipeline reviews are a mess because no one trusts the forecast — sound familiar?”
• “A lot of teams tell me they’re burned out from low connect rates. Curious how you’re tackling that.”

The best reps diagnose before they prescribe.

They speak to the pain the buyer already feels — not just the solution they want to sell.

And remember:

Pain is the strongest motivator.

Not ROI. Not “better tech.” Not more features.

Discomfort might not feel good — but it gets results.

Tip #3: Asking for the meeting right after the prospect shows interest = 11.8x higher chance of success

Here’s what not to do:

Prospect: “Yeah, that’s actually something we’re dealing with.”

Rep: “Awesome! Let me tell you how we solve that…”

[5-minute monologue ensues]

Prospect:  ‘*mentally unsubscribes*

The best time to ask for a meeting is the moment your prospect gives you a signal of interest.

Not two minutes later. Not after a mini-demo.

Right then.

It’s the cold call version of “strike while the iron’s hot.”

Here’s what that sounds like:

→ “That’s exactly what we help with — want to grab 15 minutes to walk through how other teams are solving it?”

→ “Sounds like this is relevant — should we put 20 minutes on the calendar next week to dig in?”

Why this works:

• You’re matching momentum with action
• You’re showing you can read the room (aka, EQ)
• You’re making it easy for them to say Yes

When you delay, the moment cools. And you lose the magic.

It’s not about being pushy — it’s about being precise.

Want to put these tactics into action?

Nooks isn’t just analytics. It’s the all-in-one platform modern teams use to book more meetings.

👉 Give it a try here.