Busting the myth – Do more calls really equal to more leads?  

One of the main challenges every marketer face is getting more leads. The adage, “more calls equal to more leads” has influenced many salespeople and marketers. 

Yes, a salesperson needs to make a lot of calls to get leads, but it’s always quality over quantity. You can‘t keep making calls without putting thought into how the call impacts your leads and potential prospects. 

We come across many myths disguised as statements or quotes, but are they really worth implementing?  

So, this week, I’ve taken up to busting another myth with the help of industry experts! 

Table of content

1. Michael Kawula
2. Roy Morejon
3. Kris Lippi
4. Jeff Walker
5. Sharon Von Donkelaar
6. Sam Shelper
7. Page Anrof-Fenn
8. Jordan Bishop
9. Sandeepan Jindal
10. Michael Alexis
11. Trevor Larson
12. Miles Chapman

More calls equal to more leads – Hear from the industry experts 

1. Michael Kawula

Co-Founder, CBA 

Sales is definitely a contact sport where success is obtained not just in the first outreach, but in the follow-up.  

It’s not a fire once-and-done approach whether cold calling, emailing, or any form of outreach.  

Personally, our team reaches out to as many prospects as possible with personalization for the first message or call and then using automation for the follow-up after the initial outreach. 

We also try to reach contacts on as many platforms as possible (phone, email, social).  

If I had to pick one though, I’m going to go with more targeted outreach over a machine gun approach. 

2. Roy Morejon 

President and Co-Founder, Enventys Partners 

When it comes to sales, the goal is to be effective–more doesn’t always mean better.  

Convenience and user mobility are two significant trends in consumers’ perception of a brand. Often there are many competitors for a product, so what makes your brand different?  

When pitching your product, the best sales techniques that work are:  

• Honesty. Not everyone is going to benefit in the same amount from your product. It’s important to be honest and realistic with customers about the extent to which a product can help them.
• Useability. How is this product actually going to help a customer? Where are the gaps in their business or life? This product can help fill? 

3. Kris Lippi

CEO, ISoldMyHouse 

More calls equal to more leads is one of the most prominent principles in selling wherein global-scale sales enterprises like call centers and telemarketing agencies’ business models sprung from. 

The only reason this fundamental strategy has been washed down and labeled as a myth is because of the internet-induced modernization.  

Regardless, every sales strategy of today still revolves around communicating with the market so making more sales calls in an internet-centric era still results in increased lead generation. All it takes is to prompt awareness of, and interest in, your offering through whatever internet- or traditionally-powered communication device or channel. 

4. Jeff Walker 

CEO, Bestvpncanada 

Just because sales is a numbers game doesn’t mean that having a high volume of calls would equate to having more leads too.  

For me, it’s not the number of calls you make that’ll enable you to book more appointments. Instead, it’s about concentrating on calling the right prospects that you’ll be able to have great numbers. Relying on making more than a hundred calls a day to have more leads is just like a game of luck, you don’t have total control of the outcome.  

But with efficient and great calling techniques, more leads are always guaranteed.    

5. Sharon Van Donkelaar 

CMO, Expandi 

The logic behind that is that the more calls you make, the more opportunities you have to take a lead. If you only make, let’s say, 20 calls, you only have 20 opportunities, and the statistics say that it usually takes up to 8 calls to reach a prospect, so our 20 calls fall short.  

The more calls you make, the more opportunities you have to connect with someone interested, still, the system, the people you’re calling, and your natural talent for sales are the ultimate combo that will help you actually generate a lead. 

6. Sam Shepler 

CEO, TestimonialHero 

Do more calls equal more leads? Yes, definitely. However, ‘more calls’ is an ambiguous term since what do ‘more calls’ really mean? Does it mean making 100 or more calls a day?

If that’s the case, my answer is no, as I believe meaningful and quality conversations should always be above quantity.

Nonetheless, making more calls a day will undoubtedly result in more leads, as long as they’re done correctly and with the intent of actually generating leads rather than just making them reach a particular milestone. 

7. Paige Arnof-Fenn 

CEO, Mavens & Moguls 

I disagree, in my experience, it is about quality, not quantity.  The worst time to call prospects in any region is 8-10 am when everyone is rushing to work and preparing for the day so calling them is a waste of time.   

Quality calls to the right target with the right message/offer results in more leads. Don’t annoy/stalk by leaving voice mails or hanging up in case they have called ID you will only be labeled a spammer/telemarketer. 

8. Jordan Bishop 

CEO, Yore Oyster 

Business owners often have the misconception that “more calls equals to more leads,” but this is not always true. Sales myths such as these are often perpetuated by those who don’t know what they’re talking about. 

Any sales professional can tell you that there’s a lot of work involved in converting a lead into a sale. Business owners should focus on generating quality leads rather than quantity when it comes to sales strategies.

9. Sandeepan Jindal 

Co-Founder, BidFortune 

More calls equal to more leads – this is a myth. 

a) Qualification of the potential customer being called is more important. The better you can qualify the lead and verify the possibility of them being converted to a customer. It generates more leads when called. 

b) Are your potential customers willing to talk to you on a call in the beginning? Or do they prefer a stronger sales pitch – in terms of demos, and collaterals that can present your offerings? Calling such customer profiles will not generate leads. 

c) Does the sales cycle involve multiple people and long decision-making? Calling here will not generate leads, as most probably you will be calling somebody at the lower, or at the most middle segment of the decision-making chain. 

d) Is your offering simple enough to be explained or get interest over a call? If not, it will be hard to generate leads even if there is a large number of calls made. 

10. Michael Alexis 

CEO, TeamBuilding 

Technically speaking, of course, more calls can lead to more leads.  

Certainly, if you could call everyone in the world with an appropriately targeted message, some of them would become leads and maybe even customers. 

However, I still consider this claim a bit of a myth. In business, you are constantly balancing where you apply finite resources. If you put all of your time and attention into “more calls” then you may see diminishing returns, and also have limited resources you can apply to other areas.  

11. Trevor Larson 

CEO, Nectar 

More calls to the right people equal to more leads. One of the central tenets of selling anything is that you shouldn’t waste time on people who are not interested in buying what you are selling.  

We don’t live in the Glengarry Glen Ross universe where if you hound someone long enough, they will realize they need to buy your product or service. People are either in the market for what you are offering or they are not.  

This is not to say there is no art of persuasion inherent in selling, but you need to take a data-based approach that identifies the leads that are most likely to need or want what you are offering and focus your efforts there. Spamming calls haphazardly will result in poor ROI. 

12. Miles Chapman 

Head of Sales, V7 Labs 

Assuming that you target the right people with the right messaging, more calls should result in more leads, and therefore more sales opportunities. 

Of course, it is not as black and white as it may seem. 

Although the quality over quantity mantra holds true, being proactive with chasing new leads is a surefire way to build a larger pool of potential opportunities.  

So, my advice is to go ahead and make as many cold calls as you can, but keeping in mind that how many phone calls you make is as important as what kind of phone calls they are. 

Final Thoughts 

I’m always thankful to the experts that help me shed light on such common myths. It truly helps every reader to make an informed decision and excel at their work. 

I strive to share information that will help every salesperson and marketer when they’re interacting with leads and prospects. It’s easy to get lost under the plethora of myths and execute ineffective campaigns.  

So, if you want to keep learning about the truth behind sales and marketing myths, our myth-busting article goes live every Wednesday!