The great cold call debate is a tale as old as time. LinkedIn warriors take to their keyboards to proclaim “COLD CALLING IS DEAD!” – and then usually promote a tool that can generate 2x your pipeline in four weeks without ever speaking to a prospect.
But the question remains – is cold calling really dead? Have we stopped valuing real human conversation?
We can’t deny that digital tools and AI are brilliant co-workers when it comes to efficiency. But our Business Development Executive, Joel Pugh, is living proof that we can’t afford to lose our voice in the sales journey.
Over the past quarter, Joel’s median target achievement has reached 264%+ across five separate client campaigns. He hasn’t missed a single target – in fact, he’s exceeded every one by a considerable margin.
Joel joined Air just over a year ago, fresh out of college, with no prior sales experience but a genuine thirst to learn the art of prospecting.
“I came to Air knowing I wanted to get into sales. I’ve always had a clear drive and goal to work in business, and the BDE role was the entry point for me to start that journey. I wanted to learn the basics and gain experience so I can progress in the future.”
Over the past year, Joel has become a consistent top performer and now works closely with his teammates to help them achieve similar results. But how exactly does he do it? We sat down with him – and a cup of tea – to find out how he continues to excel in a market that’s telling SDRs to avoid the phone…
What’s something you’ve learnt from your peers that helps you to succeed?
“Don’t say sorry for doing your job – that’s something a lot of people do when they start in sales because they feel like a nuisance. But my peers helped me see that it’s our job, and we’re here to help. Don’t apologise for that.”
If you were a BDE starting from scratch, what would your top tip be?
“Get used to rejection – embrace it. That was probably one of the first things I realised in this job. You can’t let rejection stop you. You’ve got to be OK with it.”
What traits make a good salesperson?
“Competitiveness. I’m a competitive person – not in a nasty way – but that competitive edge is needed in sales. I enjoy the banter with my mates; it helps us push harder.”
When you’re facing a tough day or week as a BDE, how do you turn it around?
“I make promises to myself. I was having a bad week recently, and my Team Manager asked if the workload was getting too much. I said, ‘No mate, I want to be doing all this work.’ I told myself that tomorrow would be make or break – either I’d have a great day or I’d be finished, retired!
I ended up getting seven fresh leads the next day and won the all-in-day incentive. It’s about not dwelling too much on the day before. That’s important. No dwelling on the past – it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
Is cold calling dead?
“Cold calling is king – and I think it always will be. One of the reasons I got into sales is because I don’t fear AI replacing my job. People want to be taught and spoken to by people, not computers or robots. They want to hear a human voice – someone who’s confident and skilled. That’s always going to win.”
So, the answer to the great cold call debate? It’s simple – cold calling isn’t dead. It just takes grit.
There’s no shortcut to pipeline generation. Be like Joel: dedicated to your craft, resilient in the face of adversity, and confident in the power of real human connection.
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