When it comes to cold outreach, businesses often face a common dilemma: cold email vs cold call—which one gets better results? Both are widely used strategies in sales and marketing, but they come with distinct advantages and challenges.
A cold email involves sending emails to potential customers who haven’t interacted with your brand yet. In contrast, a cold call requires your sales rep to pick up the phone and directly connect with a prospect to deliver their sales pitch.
But deciding whether to send a cold email or make a cold call isn’t always straightforward. Factors like your target audience, sales cycle, and resources play a huge role in determining the winner. This article explores the differences between cold emailing and cold calling, the pros and cons of each, and how to choose the right strategy for your business. We’ll also discuss how combining these approaches can amplify your cold outreach efforts.
What is Cold Emailing?
Cold emailing is the practice of sending emails to potential customers who have had no prior interaction with your business. It’s a common cold outreach strategy in sales and marketing, often used to generate leads, initiate conversations, and nurture interest in a product or service.
How Does Cold Emailing Work?
The process typically involves:
- Identifying prospects: Use tools or databases to collect email addresses of potential leads.
- Crafting personalized emails: Focus on engaging, personalized cold emails that address the recipient’s needs or pain points.
- Automating the process: Use email automation tools to manage email campaigns and track response rates.
Advantages of Cold Emailing
- Scalability of cold emails: You can reach a large number of people with minimal effort.
- Cost-effectiveness: Compared to calling, sending emails is more affordable.
- Non-intrusive communication: Unlike a call out of the blue, recipients can read and respond at their convenience.
- Record keeping: Emails sent are documented, making follow-ups easier for a sales team.
Disadvantages of Cold Emailing
- Risk of being ignored: Many cold emails end up unopened or in spam folders.
- Lack of personal touch: Emails can feel impersonal without proper customization.
- Time to see results: Unlike calls, emails don’t provide immediate feedback.
When to Use Cold Emailing
- When targeting a large audience.
- In B2B sales, especially for C-suite executives who prefer written communication.
- To complement an ongoing marketing strategy, like email marketing campaigns.
By using cold email templates and a strategic approach, businesses can improve their success rates. While cold emails provide a scalable way to connect with prospects, the real power lies in crafting compelling messages tailored to their needs.
What is Cold Calling?
Cold calling is a direct approach where a sales rep contacts a prospect by phone without any prior interaction. It’s one of the oldest and most effective methods of cold outreach, designed to initiate conversations, pitch products or services, and close deals.
How Does Cold Calling Work?
- Prospect identification: Sales teams gather contact information for cold leads.
- Preparation: Use scripts or outlines to deliver a clear and engaging sales pitch.
- Execution: Pick up the phone and make the call, aiming to engage the person on the other end.
- Follow-ups: Track responses, schedule callbacks, and nurture interested leads.
Advantages of Cold Calling
- Personal interaction: Cold calls give you the chance to build rapport quickly with potential customers.
- Instant feedback: Salespeople can address objections or questions in real time.
- Higher engagement: A direct call often feels more urgent than an email.
- Quick decision-making: A well-timed sales call can move a lead further down the funnel.
Disadvantages of Cold Calling
- Time-consuming: Making cold calls to multiple prospects can take significant effort.
- High rejection rates: It’s common for people to hang up or decline the purpose of the call.
- Resource-intensive: Effective cold calling requires skilled salespeople and advanced tools.
When to Use Cold Calling
- When selling high-ticket items that require a personalized approach.
- For products or services with short decision-making cycles.
- When immediate interaction or feedback is critical.
While cold calling is still a valuable tool, it requires preparation and persistence. A single call is enough to turn a warm lead into a deal, but consistent effort is key to success.
Key Differences Between Cold Emails and Cold Calls
Choosing between cold email vs cold call depends on your goals, audience, and resources. While both are powerful cold outreach methods, they differ significantly in approach, effectiveness, and scalability.
1. Personalization
- Cold calls allow for immediate interaction. A sales rep can adjust their sales pitch based on the prospect’s response.
- Cold emails, however, rely on crafting personalized emails beforehand. These can feel less engaging if not tailored correctly.
2. Scalability
- Cold emails provide scalability. You can use email automation tools to send hundreds of emails to prospects in a single campaign.
- Cold calls, in contrast, require more effort. A salesperson can only make a limited number of calls in a day.
3. Cost
- Sending cold emails is cheaper. Email platforms allow for mass outreach without significant expense.
- Cold calling requires more investment in training, scripts, and potentially a call center setup.
4. Response Time
- Cold calls give instant feedback. You can gauge interest and handle objections on the spot.
- Cold emails often have delayed response rates, depending on how engaging the content is.
5. Efficiency in Sales Funnel
- Cold calling and cold emailing serve different purposes. A call out of the blue might close deals faster for urgent needs, while an email campaign can nurture long-term leads.
Comparison Table
| Aspect | Cold Emails | Cold Calls |
|---|---|---|
| Scalability | High; suitable for mass email outreach | Low; time-intensive |
| Cost | Low; relies on tools | High; requires training and manpower |
| Response Rate | Moderate; depends on email subject | Higher; immediate interaction |
| Engagement | Can feel impersonal | Builds trust and rapport |
| Best For | Long-term email marketing strategies | Quick decision-making or high-ticket items |
When to Choose Cold Email Over Cold Calling
Cold email is often the preferred method for businesses looking to engage a wide audience with minimal effort. Here are some scenarios where cold emailing shines:
1. When Targeting C-Suite Executives
High-level decision-makers, such as CEOs or CFOs, often prefer written communication. A well-crafted, personalized cold email allows them to review the message at their convenience.
2. When Budget is Limited
Compared to cold calls, sending emails is far more cost-effective. Businesses with small teams or tight budgets can leverage scalable cold email campaigns to reach a larger pool of prospects.
3. For Long Sales Cycles
In industries like B2B sales, where relationships take time to build, email campaigns help nurture leads over weeks or months. You can use email automation to stay consistent and track engagement.
4. When You Need Scalability
If your sales and marketing strategy requires reaching thousands of cold leads, email is the best choice. It enables quick outreach with tools that support tracking and analysis of response rates.
5. When Detailed Information is Required
Emails can include rich content like attachments, links, or visuals. These elements are particularly useful for explaining complex products or services to potential customers.
When to Choose Cold Calling Over Cold Email
Sometimes, picking up the phone can achieve what an email cannot. Cold calls are more effective in situations where real-time interaction and a personal touch are crucial. Here are scenarios where cold calling outshines cold emailing:
1. When Immediate Feedback is Necessary
Unlike emails, which can go unanswered for days, a cold call provides instant insights. Whether you’re gauging interest, addressing objections, or refining your sales pitch, the interaction happens in real time.
2. For High-Ticket or Complex Products
Expensive or intricate products often require detailed explanations. A salesperson on a call can tailor the conversation to the person on the other end, ensuring clarity and trust.
3. When Building Personal Rapport Matters
Hearing a human voice helps establish a connection that an email often lacks. For industries like real estate or consulting, trust can be a deciding factor, making cold calls give you an edge.
4. When Decision-Making is Quick
Products or services with short decision cycles benefit from calls. A well-timed sales call can move a lead from interest to action faster than waiting for an email reply.
5. For Small Target Lists
If your outreach focuses on a select group of high-value leads, making cold calls allows you to prioritize quality over quantity.
Knowing when to use cold calling ensures your team maximizes its resources and effectiveness. While it’s less scalable than email, it’s an essential tool for high-stakes and relationship-driven sales opportunities.
Combining Cold Emails and Cold Calls for Maximum Impact
Using cold emails and cold calls together can create a highly effective outreach strategy. By leveraging the strengths of both methods, businesses can build relationships and improve conversion rates.
1. Start with a Cold Email
Begin your cold outreach efforts by sending a well-crafted cold email to introduce yourself and your offering. Use personalized cold emails to make a positive first impression. A clear email subject and compelling content can increase the likelihood of engagement.
Why start with an email?
- Warms up the prospect before a call.
- Provides detailed information the recipient can review.
- Allows tracking of open and click rates to identify interested leads.
2. Follow Up with a Cold Call
Once the email has been sent, a follow-up cold call ensures the conversation moves forward. If the prospect shows interest in your email, a call can help answer questions and close the deal.
What does a follow-up call achieve?
- Shows commitment and professionalism.
- Provides an opportunity to address objections.
- Builds trust with the person on the other end.
3. Use Data to Refine Your Approach
Insights from email campaigns can inform your call strategy. For instance:
- Call prospects who clicked links in the email.
- Use email metrics to prioritize high-potential leads.
4. Tools for Streamlined Outreach
- Email automation platforms for sending bulk emails and tracking performance.
- CRM tools to manage calls and email interactions.
- Scheduling tools for follow-ups to maintain consistency.
5. Example Strategy in Action
- Send cold emails to a targeted list of prospects.
- Analyze response rates to identify warm leads.
- Pick up the phone to call leads who showed interest.
- Use information gathered during calls to tweak future cold email campaigns.
Combining these approaches lets you reach a broad audience while maintaining personal connections. Together, cold emailing and cold calling can boost the effectiveness of your sales team and generate better results than either method alone.
Metrics to Measure Success
Tracking the right metrics ensures your cold outreach efforts are effective. Whether you rely on cold emails, cold calls, or both, understanding key performance indicators (KPIs) helps you refine your approach and achieve better results.
Cold Email Metrics
- Open Rate: Measures how many recipients opened your email.
- A strong email subject improves open rates.
- Average range: 15%–30%.
- Click-Through Rate (CTR): Tracks how many clicked on links within the email.
- Indicates interest in your offering.
- Industry benchmark: 2%–10%.
- Response Rate: Reflects how many replied to your email.
- Improved by using personalized cold emails and engaging content.
- Bounce Rate: The percentage of undelivered emails.
- High bounce rates suggest issues with your email addresses or database quality.
- Conversion Rate: Tracks how many leads took the desired action (e.g., booking a call or purchasing).
Cold Call Metrics
- Call-to-Meeting Ratio: The number of calls required to schedule a meeting.
- Lower ratios indicate more effective calls.
- Call Duration: Tracks the average length of conversations.
- Longer calls often indicate deeper engagement with the prospect.
- Conversion Rate: Measures the percentage of calls resulting in sales or the next step in the funnel.
- Call Attempts: The number of calls made to reach a decision-maker.
- Typically ranges between 6–10 attempts.
- Rejection Rate: Helps assess resistance and refine your sales pitch.
Metrics for Combined Outreach
- Engagement Overlap: Percentage of prospects who respond to both emails and calls.
- Time to Close: Tracks the combined impact of cold emails and cold calls on deal closure time.
- Pipeline Growth: Measures how outreach contributes to the total number of leads in your sales pipeline.
Refining Based on Data
- Use email automation to A/B test subject lines and content.
- Track cold calls made to identify the best times to reach potential customers.
- Optimize cold email campaigns by targeting the most engaged prospects.
FAQs
1. What’s the average success rate of cold emails vs cold calls?
Cold emails typically have a response rate of 1%–5%, depending on factors like personalization and subject lines. Cold calls, on the other hand, can achieve connection rates of 5%–10% or higher with skilled sales reps. Success often depends on the quality of your cold outreach efforts and the industry.
2. How many follow-ups are necessary for each method?
For cold emails, 2–4 follow-ups are standard, spaced out over a week or two. For cold calls, it often takes 6–10 attempts to connect with a decision-maker. Persistence is key for both.
3. What tools can I use to improve my cold outreach?
Cold emails: Tools like HubSpot, Mailchimp, or SalesLoft for email automation and tracking.
Cold calls: CRM platforms like Salesforce or call-tracking software for better organization.
For combined strategies, consider tools like Outreach.io that handle both email and call workflows.
4. Are there industries where one strategy is clearly better?
Cold emails work best in industries with long sales cycles, like SaaS and enterprise B2B sales.
Cold calls excel in high-ticket sectors like real estate, consulting, or financial services.
Conclusion
Deciding between cold email vs cold call ultimately depends on your goals, audience, and available resources. Both methods have unique advantages, making them effective for different scenarios.
- Cold emails excel in scalability, cost-effectiveness, and nurturing long-term leads. They work best for businesses targeting a broad audience, especially in B2B sales.
- Cold calls stand out for building trust, receiving instant feedback, and handling objections in real time. They’re ideal for high-value products or services requiring personal interaction.
However, the best results often come from a combined approach. Using cold emails and cold calls together allows you to balance wide-reaching engagement with personal connections, leading to a more impactful cold outreach strategy.
Rather than arguing that cold emailing or cold calling is better, focus on when and how to use each. Tailor your strategy to your prospects’ preferences and your business goals. Whether you send cold emails or make a cold call, success comes down to preparation, persistence, and continuous improvement.
