Apple’s iOS 26 just made cold calling harder, here’s how to win anyway.
+What no one tells you when you start in sales?
Apple just released a new call screening feature. As if getting through to your prospect wasn’t already hard enough. The feature aims to filter more spam calls.
This iOS 26 feature will silently answer unknown callers, and if it’s a real person, it will prompt them to identify themselves and provide the reason for their call. It will then ring and transcribe their message.
If they don’t like what they hear:
Straight to voicemail
Flagged as Spam
Ghosted
Ignored
Connecting with prospects is already tough. This may present an interesting new hurdle. What does this mean for cold calling? The answer is concise communication and clear value.
Concise Communication
Other companies have similar features, and it’s always been tough to connect with prospects. Connection rates have declined consistently for years, and it’s more important than ever to have the tools and skills to prove immediate value when connecting with someone cold.
I still believe that buyers need valuable and impactful solutions, and sellers need to connect with them at the right time with value. We may need to bring calling landlines back, but calling cell phones is still the quickest way to speak directly to your prospect.
So what do you do?
Be concise and clear about who you are and why you are calling
Do not mislead or lie to get the prospect to take your call
Don’t use AI to make your cold calls
Follow up
Follow up
Follow up
People who have problems to solve or significant pain will still need solutions. There are sales being made every day, and it’s up to you as a sales professional to adapt and engage buyers in a way that meets them where they are and shares the value of your solution clearly. If there is a big enough pain and the timing is right, they will buy.
Right person, right time, right solution.
If you do not learn how to be clear and concise, this feature will kill your phone results. I think that even with this feature and messages being transcribed, the buyer will answer your call if you catch the right person at the right time with a relevant value statement.
I know this will decrease connection rates even more. It will be even harder to get conversation reps in because fewer connections will occur. This is why an omnichannel approach is important, even more now.
Clear Value
Similar features have existed at other companies before. Not everyone has it turned on. This is not entirely new, and if you’ve been in a role that requires cold calls, people still answer their phones.
However, gone is the low-skilled and poor-communication salesperson. Volume and charm won’t be enough anymore. Context and clear value will be paramount.
Now what?
Lazy openers won’t work
Relevance is not an option
Clear concise communication is key
Phone skills are important
Cold calling is still not dead. It has evolved, and it will continue to do so. I’m hearing more and more that sellers want to avoid picking up the phone and having real and uncomfortable conversations with strangers, instead relying heavily on inbound leads or social selling. Anything to avoid direct contact with a real human.
However, real conversation is how you grow and earn big money.
A volume-based approach is dying, and sellers who don’t sharpen their skills will fumble the moment a connection happens. Not only will a highly relevant opener be important, but getting to value quickly is key.
Don’t let that be you. Don’t let this dissuade you from picking up that phone.
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Until next time,
Tajh
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