Outbound sales—especially cold calling often feels like a chore for several reasons. For instance, you may hear that SDRs get bored with the process, day in, day out, because it’s repetitive.

We agree with that situation. 

We are also well aware of the fact that your business isn’t the only one engaged in prospect outreach. There are tons of competitors working in parallel. Imagine the sheer volume of emails and cold calls these prospects get each day. 

So, next to your business, what are the odds of closing a deal as compared to your No. 1 competitor? 

At the same time, the bottom line is that outbound cold calling and warm calling are part of a relationship-focused business activity. And that’s what matters at the end of the day.

Cold calling isn’t dead. It’s just been done wrong for way too long. Traditional strategies don’t work anymore. Prospects are well aware of cold calls and cold emails, and they can sniff stuff from over a mile away.

The right approach is to use a different dynamic; out of the box strategies that may require extra work, but promise a higher yield.

That being said, we had been aching to dig deep into boosting your sales ramp through a different set of outbound cold calling techniques. Bear in mind that cold calling is just part of the strategy deck, and it’s a means to an end, which you need to combine with the rest of the processes for maximum results.

Let’s get started.

What Does Ramp Up Mean in Sales?

When we talk about ramping up in sales, we’re referring to the process of getting new sales reps (especially SDRs—Sales Development Reps) fully productive. This includes training, refining techniques, and helping them hit their stride in outbound prospecting.

An SDR ramp period can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months, depending on the complexity of the product, market, and sales cycle. The goal? To shorten that ramp time while maintaining (or even improving) conversion rates.

Why Outbound Sales Still Matters (And How to Do It Right)

Outbound sales is all about reaching out to potential customers before they come to you. 

Cold calling is the classic example, but modern sales teams also use emails, LinkedIn messages, and even social media DMs.

The key difference between outbound and inbound?

• Inbound = Customers find you (through content, ads, referrals).
• Outbound = You find them.

Both are important, but outbound gives you control over who you’re talking to and when.

The problem? Most companies do outbound sales badly. They blast generic messages, ignore personalization, and treat prospects like numbers.

Here’s how to fix that.

Cold Calling Isn’t Dead—It Just Needs a Makeover

Yes, people hate spammy cold calls, and the same goes for cold emails, cold social media DMs, and vice versa.

But prospects don’t hate good conversations. They prefer personalized interactions with a human touch because that’s the reality we live in.

From that point of view, the best trick is to make cold calling feel less like a sales pitch and more like a helpful chat. The only problem is how do you do that? Here are a bunch of ways to tackle the issue. 

Feel free to make any adjustments, though.

How to Warm Up Cold Calls

1. Research Before Dialing
   Calling without context is a waste of time. Check their LinkedIn, company website, or recent posts. Find a reason to connect beyond “I want to sell you something.”
2. Lead with Value, Not a Pitch
   Over 75% of buyers choose the first rep who offers real insights. Instead of jumping into your product, ask questions like:
   
   • “What’s the biggest challenge you’re facing with [relevant problem]?”
   • “Have you tried other solutions? What worked or didn’t work?”
3. Make It a Conversation, Not an Interrogation
   Nobody likes feeling cornered. Instead of rapid-fire questions, try:
   
   • “Tell me about how your team handles [X issue] right now.”
   • “What would make your process easier?”

The goal isn’t to close on the first call—it’s to start a relationship.

Cold Messaging on Social Media (Without Being Annoying)

We’ve all gotten those cringey LinkedIn DMs:

“Hi [First Name], I see you’re in [Industry]. Want to 10X your revenue? Let’s hop on a call!”

Yeah… no.

How to Actually Get Responses

• Engage Before Pitching
  Like their posts. Comment thoughtfully. Watch their stories. Then, when you message, reference something they’ve shared.
• Ask, Don’t Tell
  Instead of “We help companies like yours…” try:
  “I noticed you posted about [challenge]—how’s that going for your team?”
• Leave the Door Open
  If they’re not interested now, don’t push. Say:
  “No worries if now’s not the right time—would it be okay to check in a few months?”

The Power of Referrals (And How to Ask Without Feeling Awkward)

Referrals are gold. They convert faster, close easier, and build trust instantly.

But most reps hate asking for them. Why?

• Fear of rejection
• Don’t want to seem pushy
• Assume referrals “just happen”

Here’s how to fix that:

Building a Referral System That Works

1. Time It Right
   Don’t ask right after closing a deal (they’re thinking about costs). Wait until they’ve seen results—maybe 30-60 days in.
2. Make It Easy
   Instead of “Do you know anyone who needs our services?” try:
   “Who’s one person in your network who’s dealing with [specific problem]?”
3. Track & Follow Up
   Use your CRM to log referral requests. If they say “I’ll think about it,” set a reminder to check back in two weeks.

Aside from referrals, UGC shares where users automatically talk about yoru company’s products or services on social media, through emails or any other process is also a gold mine. 

We recommend having a solid relationship with your customers. Maybe you have a bunch of high ticket leads that converted a while ago. 

Give them a gold standard customer service, priority issue resolution, and an overall good treatment. They’ll automatically market for you within their own business circle. 

Using Your CRM to Fuel Your Sales Ramp

A good CRM isn’t just a contact list—it’s your playbook for smarter outreach. Learn to master it, explore everything that the platform has to offer, and see how different strategies stack up. 

Here are a bunch of basic tips to help you get started the right way.

How to Turn CRM Data into Sales

• Identify Your Best Customers
  Who spends the most? Who’s easiest to work with? Focus on finding more like them.
• Spot At-Risk Clients
  If a customer’s engagement drops, reach out before they churn.
• Personalize Every Touchpoint
  Mention past interactions: “Last time we spoke, you mentioned [X]. How’s that going?”

Recording & Learning from Calls

If you’re not reviewing calls, you’re missing huge opportunities.

Tools like Trellus:

• Hear What Works
  Which questions get the best responses? Which phrases make people tune out?
• Train New Reps Faster
  Instead of guessing, new SDRs can listen to top performers.
• Spot Common Objections
  If every prospect says “We’re happy with our current vendor,” you need a better rebuttal.

The Right Mindset for Cold Calling Success

Cold calling is hard. Rejection stings. But the best reps don’t take it personally.

How to Stay Motivated

• Detach from the Outcome
  Not every call will convert. Focus on having good conversations, not just bookings.
• Reframe Rejection
  A “no” now might mean “yes” later. Follow up in 3-6 months.
• Celebrate Small Wins
  Did you get someone to laugh? Did you learn something new? That’s progress.

How Trellus Can Supercharge Your Outbound Cold Calling Strategy

Trellus is an all in one tool that goes beyond the conventional norms of cold calling,  turning your sales floor into a robust team with high conversion.

Ever since we created the program, we have listened to our clients, and introduced tons of different features that are part of a sales enablement program. Think increased outreach through different channels and for different teams in your organization.  Let’s break down exactly how Trellus can be your go-to tool for effective cold calling, tying back to the key strategies we’ve already discussed.

1. Call Coaching & AI-Powered Insights (Learn What Works)

Problem: Most reps repeat the same mistakes because they often experience cold calling objections that aren’t easy to respond to. It’s a well known issue all over.

What if you had a super effective virtual coach to help your SDRs in real time during ongoing live calls?

Here’s How Trellus Helps:

• AI-powered coaching flags ongoing conversation patterns, like when a rep misses a key objection or lacks in an area that could be easily covered via conversational skills, they get real-time cues to help through the situation.

Use Case:
A new SDR struggles with handling objections. Instead of guessing, they can get live assistance through cues and continue with the cold or warm call without any issues.

Meanwhile, the program also scores and helps to track every single conversation for line managers. From a sales point of view, it ensures that the call conversion pipeline is on the dot, and there are no low-effort behaviors. 

2. CRM Integration & Automated Workflows (Make Every Call Relevant)

Problem: Quite a number of cold calling software may not be able to work well with a CRM that your company is already using in full swing. 

This creates issues and tons of additional tabs for your sales reps who have to switch between the CRM and the cold calling software interface, ensuring that To Do activities, task completion, and stuff like that is progressing simultaneously.

How Trellus Helps:

• Syncs and integrates with your CRM (HubSpot, Salesloft, Outreach, Apollo etc.).
• Automated workflows enable SDRs to pause and resume their activities easily
• Single and unified environment for your sales reps without having them switch over several different apps and tabs to do the same process over and over again

4. LinkedIn Superhuman (So No Lead Falls Through the Cracks)

Problem: Most BDRs and AEs often get tunnel vision when they are superfocused on only one or two types of outreach strategies. It could be cold calling, cold emails and cold social media DMs.

With Trellus, you can expand your reach to other networks, like LinkedIn

How Trellus Helps:

• See all your LinkedIn Messages, including Sales Nav in one place.  Organize all your DM’s by snoozing, categorizing, and tracking conversations.  Move faster than ever before with snippets and hotkeys.

5. Real-Time Call Analytics (Track What Actually Works)

Problem: Most teams don’t know which scripts, pitches, or rebuttals perform best.

How Trellus Helps:

• Tracks call metrics (talk-to-listen ratio, objection handling, conversion rates).
• Identifies top-performing scripts so you can replicate success.

Use Case:
After analyzing 100+ calls, Trellus reveals:

• Key areas via detailed reports where improvements can be made, 

6. Seamless Multi-Line Parallel Dialing

Problem: Cold calling is way less effective when done on single-line dialing mode.

How Trellus Helps:

• Call multiple prospects via our parallel line dialing system for increased outreach and overall better engagement. 

Additional Tips To Scale Your Sales Ramp Effort

Here are a bunch of different tried and tested methods that you can use in-house to increase your team's performance and outbound cold calling campaigns.

Strategizing a Way Forward With Your Top SDRs

When you're new to outbound sales, trying to figure everything out on your own is like wandering through a maze blindfolded. The fastest way to shorten your sales ramp period? 

Go straight to the people who've already solved the puzzle.

Sitting down with three top-performing BDRs is like getting the cheat codes for a video game. These are the reps who've cracked the code on what works right now in your market - not some generic best practices from a sales book written five years ago. When you pick their brains, you're not just learning theory, you're getting battle-tested strategies that are actually moving the needle today.

Pay special attention to how they approach prospecting. 

The best BDRs have developed almost a sixth sense for finding the right people to target. Ask them about their research process - what signals do they look for that indicate a prospect might be ready to talk? How do they structure their sequences to maximize response rates? Get them to walk you through their call approach, email templates, and LinkedIn messaging strategy.

But here's the crucial part: don't just copy them verbatim. Take what you learn and adapt it to fit your personal style. The magic happens when you combine proven techniques with your authentic personality. Maybe you'll keep the structure of their best-performing email but rewrite it in your natural voice. Or perhaps you'll adopt their call framework but adjust the pacing to match how you naturally speak.

Mastering Problem Enablement: The Secret Sauce to Faster Sales Ramp

If you want to ramp sales quickly, you need to shift your focus from what you sell to who you help and how you help them. This is where most new BDRs stumble - they get so caught up in product features that they forget to connect those features to real business outcomes.

The best way to bridge this gap? Go straight to the source. 

Your AEs who've closed deals and your CSMs who work with customers every day are goldmines of insight. They can tell you exactly which pain points resonate most with your target personas. More importantly, they can share the language your customers use to describe their challenges.

When you understand not just what your product does but how it changes your customers' day-to-day work lives, something magical happens in your outreach. 

Instead of sounding like every other sales rep pitching features, you start sounding like a trusted advisor who genuinely gets it. Your messaging becomes less about "our platform has X capability" and more about "we help people in your role solve Y problem so you can achieve Z outcome."

This shift is what separates average BDRs from top performers. When you can crisply articulate how you move someone from their current state to their desired state, you cut through the noise. 

Suddenly, prospects aren't just hearing another sales pitch - they're hearing a solution to something that's been keeping them up at night.

The Uncomfortable Truth About Volume and Your SDR Ramp

Here's the hard truth nobody likes to admit: there's no shortcut to getting good at sales. All the training in the world won't replace actual time in the trenches, making calls, sending emails, and having real conversations. 

Your sales ramp period isn't just about learning - it's about doing, failing, and learning from those failures.

Think of it like learning to play guitar. You could read every book on music theory, watch countless tutorial videos, and memorize chord charts. 

But until you actually pick up the instrument and play - badly at first - you'll never become proficient. Sales is the same way. 

Those awkward first calls where you stumble over your words? They're necessary. Those emails that get no replies? 

They're teaching you what doesn't work.