Interruptions or Opportunities? Rethinking Cold Calls

Not long ago, I came across an interesting comment on LinkedIn. A business development rep shared how they had cold-called a Business Development Director—only to be met with an abrupt and dismissive response.

At first, that surprised me. After all, a director in that role is likely encouraging their own team to make similar calls every day to generate opportunities. If their team is expected to do it, shouldn’t they also model how to respond to it?

That story got me thinking about the way we view cold calls—and the bigger question of whether they’re simply interruptions, or potential opportunities.

 Why Cold Calls Get a Bad Reputation

Let’s be honest: cold calling has always had a stigma. For many, it feels like an unwanted interruption in an already busy day. It’s easy to understand why the instinct is to brush it off quickly.

But sometimes, instead of a polite “no thank you,” the response is much harsher. People hang up mid-sentence. They snap. Some even cross the line into outright rudeness.

Why does this happen? A few common reasons:

• The call comes at a bad time, right in the middle of deep work.

• Past experiences with overly aggressive or scammy approaches.

• Stress—where the call simply becomes the tipping point.

All of these factors may explain the reaction. But do they excuse it? The short answer is no.

At the end of the day, everyone has a job to do. The person making the call isn’t out to make your day harder—they’re working, just like you are. Showing disrespect says more about the responder than it does about the caller.

Other ways to respond?

No one expects you to accept every sales pitch. But the way you decline matters. A few best practices:

1. Pause before reacting. Take a second before responding.

2. Listen briefly. You might catch something useful or insightful.

3. Decline with respect. A simple, “Thanks for calling, but this isn’t relevant to me,” goes a long way.

Kindness costs nothing. And if the conversation does happen to reveal a nugget of value, you’ve gained something you wouldn’t have otherwise.

 The Bigger Picture

The next time you receive a cold call, remember: it’s not just another pitch. It’s a person on the other end, doing their job.

Empathy in business isn’t soft—it’s a competitive advantage. How we treat people in small, everyday interactions reflects the culture we’re building in our teams and organisations. Not only that, it’s a small world and you never know when your paths may cross again in a different context – rudeness can leave a long-lasting impression.

So, interruptions or opportunities? Maybe cold calls can be a bit of both. But either way, the choice is yours: treat them as annoyances to shut down, or as moments to practice professionalism, patience, and respect.