You've probably seen the studies. "The best time to cold call is Wednesday between 4-5pm." Or "Thursday morning converts 49% better."
I believed this for years. Then I actually tracked my own calls.
The Problem With "Best Time" Research
Most of these studies come from companies selling diallers or sales engagement software. They're analysing millions of calls across every industry, every role, every company size.
That's the problem. Averages hide everything useful.
The "best time" to call a startup founder is completely different from the best time to call a procurement manager at an enterprise company. One is checking email at 6am and taking calls during lunch. The other has back-to-back meetings until 4pm and leaves at 5 on the dot.
Research from Cognism confirms this: success rates vary wildly by role, industry, and company stage.
What My Data Actually Showed
I tracked 8 months of calls across two different roles: selling to marketing leaders and selling to finance teams.
Marketing leaders:
- Best connect rates: 8-9am and 4-5pm
- Worst: 10am-12pm (they're in standups and reviews)
- Fridays were actually decent because they're wrapping up campaigns, not in meetings
Finance leaders:
- Best connect rates: 7-8am (before their day gets hijacked)
- Worst: Month-end and quarter-end weeks
- Tuesday-Thursday only because Mondays they're dealing with weekend fires
Same company. Same product. Completely different calling patterns.
The Variable That Actually Matters
Here's what the research consistently shows that IS useful: your energy and tone on the call matters more than when you call.
In my data, calls made during my first hour of the day had a 23% higher conversion rate than calls made after 3pm. Same prospects, same script. The only difference was me.
By late afternoon, I was tired. My tone was flatter. I rushed through objections instead of handling them properly. The "best time to call" was whenever I was at my best.
If you struggle with energy on calls, your mental state affects your performance more than you might realise. Call reluctance is real, and learning to manage it pays dividends.
A Better Framework For Call Timing
Instead of chasing mythical perfect hours, do this:
1. Block your highest-energy hours for calling
If you're a morning person, that's your call block. Protect it. No emails, no Slack, no "quick meetings." Just calls.
2. Learn your specific prospect's schedule
Selling to teachers? Don't call during school hours. Selling to restaurant owners? Morning before the lunch rush. Selling to accountants? Not during tax season.
This sounds obvious, but I've seen reps call restaurant owners at 7pm on a Saturday and wonder why they're getting yelled at.
3. Test your own data
Track your connect rate and conversion rate by hour for one month. You'll find your own patterns. They won't match the studies, and that's fine.
4. Consistency beats optimisation
A rep who makes 50 calls every day at a "suboptimal" time will crush a rep who makes 20 calls at the "perfect" time. Volume matters more than timing precision.
Research on sales activity consistently shows that the reps who win are the ones who make the most attempts, not the ones who time their attempts perfectly.
The One Timing Rule That's Universal
Don't call during lunch. 12-1pm has measurably lower connect rates everywhere I've seen data. People either don't answer or they're distracted and want to get off quickly.
That's really the only universal rule. Everything else depends on who you're calling.
What To Do With This
Stop reading articles about the best time to call (including this one, ironically).
Start tracking your own calls. A simple spreadsheet with time, outcome, and prospect role will tell you more than any study.
And when you find your best hours, protect them ruthlessly. Use our guide on the first 30 seconds to make sure you're converting those connections into conversations.
That's your competitive advantage, not some magic Wednesday afternoon window that everyone else is also targeting.