The Cold Call Comeback: How to Finally Hit Your BD Numbers (Without Burning Out)

“You just have to pick up the phone.”

“You need to make more calls.”

If you’ve been in recruitment for a while, you’ve probably heard those lines more times than you can count.

And if you’re anything like most recruiters, you are picking up the phone, just not as often as you’d like.

Maybe this sounds familiar…

You start the day fired up.

Coffee in hand, music on, ready to smash your call target. By mid-morning, you’re flying, the calls are flowing, conversations are happening, you’re in the zone. Then, around lunchtime, it dips.

The energy drops.

You tell yourself you’ll reset after lunch.

But when you get back, it’s like you’re running through quicksand. The dials dry up, the motivation fades, and by the end of the day you’re staring at your call sheet thinking, “How did I fall so short again?”.

You’re not lazy.

You’re not bad at BD.

And you’re definitely not “not cut out for it.”

You just haven’t been shown how to set yourself up for success.

Why Most Recruiters Struggle with Call Volume

When I start working with my members or recruiters inside The Recruiter Academy, this is one of the first challenges we tackle.

Nearly all of them come in believing they’re bad at hitting call targets. But when we dig into it, the problem isn’t effort.

It’s structure.

Here’s what’s really going wrong:

1. They Don’t Prepare Properly

It sounds simple, but it’s the number one issue.

If your target is 100 calls a day, but you only have 60 numbers on your list, you’ve already lost before you’ve started.

Too many recruiters spend their morning hunting for new names to call instead of actually calling. Then, when they run out of data, they panic-dial anyone just to fill the gap.

Before you start, build a list that’s bigger than your target. Make sure every name has a purpose. Why are you calling them, and what do you want to achieve from that call?

Without that clarity, you’re not doing BD, you’re doing busywork.

2. They Don’t Have a Plan

You’ve got a list. Great. But when are you going to call them?

Most recruiters have a “BD hour” in their diary. That’s not enough. You can’t cram 100 calls into an hour and expect results.

You need structure.

Dedicated time blocks

Realistic milestones

and realistic pacing

Break your day into focused call sprints, track your hourly progress, and don’t move on until you’ve hit your mini target.

If you don’t plan your call blocks, your day will fill up with distractions. Emails, admin and quick chats, all of them feel like work, but none of them move the needle.

Plan the work, then work the plan.

3. They Lose Motivation Too Early

Let’s be honest, recruitment rejection hits hard.

You can make 50 calls, get 50 no’s, and it takes everything in you to make call number 51. That’s why motivation can’t be left to chance. Set small, achievable milestones throughout the day.

Then reward yourself when you hit them.

Maybe after 25 quality calls, you grab a coffee.

After 50, take a walk.

Give yourself a reason to push through the tough parts.

But make sure your goals reward the right behaviour, not just volume for volume’s sake. Don’t celebrate random dials, celebrate pipeline-building actions that lead to revenue.

The 3 P’s to Boost Your Call Volume

If you want to hit your call targets consistently, without working longer hours, build your day around the 3 P’s:

Prepare:Create a call list that’s longer than your target. Know your objectives before you pick up the phone.

Plan:Block out proper time for calling , not just an hour here and there. Track your hourly progress and adjust as you go.

Praise:Set micro-goals and reward yourself when you hit them. Keep your momentum high, even when the day’s tough.

Final Thought

Most recruiters think call volume is a discipline problem.

It’s not. It’s a design problem.

Once you learn how to prepare, plan, and pace yourself properly, your numbers rise naturally, and so does your confidence.

Inside The Recruiter Academy and the Top Biller Membership, we break this down in detail.

From how to build high-impact call lists, to structuring your day for maximum activity and results.

Because hitting call targets shouldn’t be about working harder, it should be about working smarter.