The Art of the Cold Call, from Resistance to Engagement

A call from an unknown number almost always activates “stranger danger”. In outbound sales this creates immediate friction, which is exactly why cold callers hear “no” many times before they ever hear “yes”.

The numbers tell the story clearly:

• 60 percent of prospects say no four times before saying yes (Vishnepolsky, 2021, Forbes)
  
  
• 48 percent of salespeople never make a single follow up attempt
  
  
• 80 percent of sales require five follow up calls, yet 44 percent of salespeople stop after one

These patterns show that outbound is not a failing channel. It is an under leveraged one.
Behind every early “no” often sits a late stage “yes” that most telemarketers never reach.

Cold calling looks like a tough outbound tool only until you understand why prospects resist. Once you understand that psychology, you can counter it. In outbound, this tactic is simple: You move the conversation to safety before resistance takes over.

To do that, your team needs two skills:

1. The ability to guide the conversation
   
   
2. The ability to recognise resistance early

Let us explore both.

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Why Prospects Resist Cold Calls (And Why It’s Not About You)

We are trained from childhood not to talk to strangers. Even though research shows we are happier when we talk to strangers, we still avoid it. (Sandstrom & Boothby, 2021)

This instinct shows up strongly in B2B:

• Ignoring the call
  
  
• Rushed exits
  
  
• “Send me an email instead”
  
  
• “Not the right time”
  
  

This is not about the telemarketer. This is about perceived risk, uncertainty and time loss.

Your goal in a cold call is not to overpower that instinct. Your goal is to reduce perceived risk and increase perceived control. That is why persuasion, cue detection and micro commitments matter.

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Stay Ahead of the Curve by Narrowing Response Choices

Prospect resistance shows up at two stages:

1. Before they answer the call
   
   
2. Once they are already on the line

Once you get a prospect live, your only goal is to secure the next step: typically a short follow up meeting.

The key is to guide, and not push. You should shape the decision, but not force it.

Research on 153 B2B cold calls in UK telecoms found that top performing sellers used two persuasion tactics (Humă, Stokoe & Sikveland, 2019):

1. Start with unrelated business topics, not the meeting request
   
   
2. Mention and solve contingencies early, before the prospect raises them

In practical terms:

• Start with a neutral, low risk opener
  
  
• Pre answer the objections they are likely thinking
  
  
• Avoid yes/no questions early on
  
  
• Offer two controlled options instead of one big decision

This narrows the prospect’s internal script from “How do I get out of this” to “Which of these options makes the most sense”.

Tools like Pitchbound make this easier because they allow telemarketers to follow a dynamic “if they say X, try Y” model without sounding scripted.

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Spotting Prospect Cues in Cold Calls

Prospects resist in predictable ways. Research shows two main resistance patterns (Humă & Stokoe, 2023):

• Stalling
  
  
• Blocking
  

Understanding these two patterns is the difference between a dead end and a saved meeting.

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Stalling as a Resistance Strategy

A stalling prospect wants to delay the sale, not end it.

Common stalling behaviours:

• “Send me an email”
  
  
• “Call back in a few months”
  
  
• “I need to discuss with colleagues first”
  
  
• “This might be relevant later in the year”
  
  

Here, the prospect is creating distance and safety.

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How to counter stalling

• Offer a micro commitment
  
  • “Totally fine. Let us book a short 15 minute session next week just to see if this is relevant.”
    
    
• Anchor the step in their goals
  
  • “This is just to understand whether it helps you hit your target on X.”
    
    
• Remove pressure
  
  • “You can always say no afterwards.”

Your goal is to turn a vague “later” into a specific “when”.

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Blocking as a Resistance Strategy

Blocking is more direct. The prospect tries to end your talk altogether.

Blocking statements sound like:

• “We already work with a supplier.”
  
  
• “This is not relevant for us.”
  
  
• “We have no budget this year.”
  
  
• “I need to jump into another call.”

Blocking is about ending the interaction now.

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How to counter blocking

• Acknowledge first
  
  • “Makes complete sense. Teams with suppliers still often want a benchmark.”
    
    
• Reframe with insight
  
  • “Most review performance every 12 to 18 months just to ensure alignment.”
    
    
• Offer a very low friction step
  
  • “How about I send you a short benchmark and we do a 10 minute call in a month?”

Not every block becomes a meeting, but many become a future opening.

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Increase Your Sensitivity to Resistance Strategies

Persuasion and resistance operate together, like a push and pull. Your competitive advantage is your team’s sensitivity to that dynamic.

Why this matters now more than ever:

McKinsey research predicts that up to 30 percent of daily tasks across roles will be automated (Chui, Manyika & Miremadi, 2015).

That means outbound teams will have more time to:

• Build relationships
  
  
• Understand accounts
  
  
• Spot micro cues
  
  
• Respond intelligently

In a market where AI increases efficiency, the differentiator becomes human nuance.

Inbound may scale reach. But outbound scales connection, creating predictability.

Telemarketers who master resistance patterns win more often because they:

• Notice stalling early
  
  
• Diagnose blocking quickly
  
  
• Adjust instantly
  
  
• Convert more cold conversations into momentum
  
  

Your goal is not to eliminate resistance. Your goal is to use it, like a skilled fighter uses an opponent’s movement to create space.

Cold calling becomes less about pushing, and more about redirecting. You guide and lead the prospect towards a safer, clearer next step.

That is how resistance becomes engagement, and how engagement becomes pipeline.

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Work with VAEKST

If you want cold calling to produce consistent meetings, not early resistance, book a Sales Enablement session with VAEKST or hire us to do Outbound Sales for you.

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References

• Chui, M., Manyika, J., Miremadi, M. (2015). Four fundamentals of workplace automation. McKinsey Digital.
  
  
• Humă, B., & Stokoe, E. (2023). Resistance in Business-to-Business “Cold” Sales Calls. Journal of Language and Social Psychology.
  
  
• Humă, B., Stokoe, E., Sikveland, R. O. (2019). Persuasive Conduct in Prospecting "Cold" Calls. Journal of Language and Social Psychology.
  
  
• Sandstrom, G., & Boothby, E. (2021). Why people avoid talking to strangers. Self and Identity.
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• Vishnepolsky, V. (2021). How Top Sales Representatives Generate Outbound Leads. Forbes.