In early 2025, we started tracking every practice session on Cold Call Coach. Not just the outcomes, but the patterns: where calls went wrong, what top performers did differently, how quickly people improved.
Twelve months later, we have data from over 50,000 practice sessions.
This is not data from real sales calls. It is data from practice, which means it reveals something different: how people actually learn to get better at cold calling. What works, what does not, and how long it really takes.
The Big Picture: Practice Actually Works
Let us start with the obvious question: does practising cold calls actually make you better at them?
The short answer is yes, but with important caveats about how you practice.
Users who completed at least 10 practice sessions reported a 34% improvement in their confidence on real calls. Those who completed 20+ sessions reported 52% improvement. Self-reported data has limitations, but the trend is clear and consistent.
More interesting is what we saw in the practice sessions themselves. Call quality scores, based on factors like pace, rapport-building, and objection handling, improved by an average of 28% between a user's first session and their tenth.
The lesson: practice works, but you need enough repetitions for it to matter.
Where Practice Calls Go Wrong
We tagged every practice session that ended poorly and analysed where things fell apart. The results were striking.
The first 30 seconds are everything
73% of failed practice calls showed clear warning signs within the first 30 seconds. The most common issues:
- Speaking too fast (41% of early failures)
- Launching into a pitch without any rapport (28%)
- Failing to get the prospect's name right (12%)
- Awkward pauses suggesting lack of preparation (11%)
- Overly scripted delivery that sounded robotic (8%)
If you want to improve your opening, see our guide on the first 30 seconds of a cold call.
Objection handling is the second major failure point
Of the calls that survived the opener, 61% that ultimately failed did so at the first objection. The pattern was almost always the same: the salesperson either argued with the objection or abandoned the call entirely.
The best performers did neither. They acknowledged the objection, asked a question, and kept the conversation moving. The right response turns "I'm not interested" into an opening to explore further.
Asking for the meeting is surprisingly hard
Even users who handled the opener and objections well often fumbled the close. 22% of otherwise successful practice calls ended without a clear ask. The salesperson just trailed off or said something vague like "so, what do you think?"
The Improvement Curve
How many practice sessions does it actually take to get better?
We tracked improvement across thousands of users and found a consistent pattern:
In sessions 1-4, most users show little improvement. Call quality scores are erratic. This is normal. Users are getting comfortable with the format and overcoming initial awkwardness.
Sessions 5-15 are where the real improvement happens. Call quality scores increase by an average of 23% during this phase. Users report feeling "like something clicked" around session 8-10.
Between sessions 16-30, improvement continues but at a slower pace, about 8% across this phase. Users are refining technique rather than building foundational skills.
After session 31, scores stabilise. Users at this stage are typically working on specific advanced skills like handling complex objections or multi-threading conversations.
The takeaway: if you have only done 3-4 practice sessions and feel like you are not improving, keep going. The gains come after session 5.
What Top Performers Do Differently
We identified the top 10% of users by improvement rate and call quality scores. Here is what they do differently from everyone else.
They practice specific scenarios, not generic calls
Average users tend to run the same generic cold call over and over. Top performers choose specific scenarios: "Handle a budget objection," "Get past a gatekeeper," "Discovery call with a sceptical CFO."
Targeted practice produces better results than repetitive general practice.
They listen to their recordings
Top performers are 3x more likely to listen to their practice session recordings. Hearing yourself reveals issues you do not notice in the moment, like filler words, rushed pacing, or awkward transitions.
They practice in shorter, more frequent sessions
The optimal pattern we observed: 3-4 sessions per week, each 15-25 minutes. This beats both daily practice (too much, no consolidation time) and weekly marathon sessions (not enough repetition).
They focus on one skill at a time
Rather than trying to improve everything at once, top performers work on one element per session. One week it is openers. The next it is objection handling. This focused approach produces faster gains.
Timing and Consistency
When do people practice, and does it matter?
Morning practitioners improve faster
Users who practice before 10am show 18% faster improvement than those who practice in the afternoon or evening. We suspect this is because morning sessions happen before the mental fatigue of the workday sets in.
Consistency beats volume
Users who practice 3 times per week for a month improve more than users who do 12 sessions in one week and then stop. Spaced practice allows skills to consolidate between sessions.
The Monday effect
Practice sessions on Monday show slightly lower scores than other days, about 4% lower. We attribute this to weekend rust. By Tuesday, scores return to normal.
Common Mistakes by Experience Level
We segmented users by self-reported experience and found distinct patterns.
New salespeople (0-1 years experience)
Most common issues:
- Over-reliance on scripts (sound robotic)
- Panic at first objection
- Speaking too fast due to nerves
- Not asking for the meeting
For help with nerves, see call reluctance and how to beat it.
Mid-career salespeople (2-5 years)
Most common issues:
- Autopilot mode (going through motions)
- Weak discovery questions
- Giving up too easily on objections
- Inconsistent energy levels
Experienced salespeople (5+ years)
Most common issues:
- Over-confidence leading to shortcuts
- Not adapting to different prospect types
- Talking too much, listening too little
- Assuming they know what the prospect will say
Experienced salespeople often improve fastest once they commit to practice. They have the foundation; they just need to shake off bad habits.
The Skills That Transfer
The question everyone wants answered: does practice actually help on real calls?
We cannot track real call performance directly, but we surveyed users about their results. The findings:
Opener confidence transfers quickly
87% of users who mastered their opener in practice reported immediate improvement on real calls. This makes sense: the opener is scripted and predictable, so practice translates directly.
Objection handling takes longer
Only 54% reported immediate improvement in objection handling. This skill requires more real-world exposure because objections in practice, while realistic, cannot capture every variation.
Overall confidence is the biggest win
91% of users who completed 15+ sessions reported feeling "significantly more confident" on real calls. Even if specific skills take time to transfer, the reduced anxiety from practice creates immediate benefits.
What This Means for You
If you are thinking about incorporating cold call practice into your routine, here is what our data suggests:
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Commit to at least 10 sessions before judging whether it is working. The improvement curve does not really start until session 5.
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Practice specific scenarios, not just generic calls. Target the areas where you struggle most.
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Keep sessions short and frequent. 20 minutes, 3-4 times per week beats occasional marathons.
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Listen to your recordings. This single habit separates top improvers from everyone else.
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Focus on the opener first. Since 73% of failures happen in the first 30 seconds, that is where to start.
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Expect objection handling to take longer. This skill needs both practice and real-world exposure to fully develop.
The data is clear: deliberate practice works. But it has to be deliberate, consistent, and focused on specific skills. Random practice produces random results.
We will continue updating this data as we gather more sessions. For now, the message is simple: the salespeople who practice are the ones who improve.