Hiring a Cold Caller
WI · Member since 2021 · 52 posts · 16 votes
Is it worth it to hire a cold calling company instead of doing the cold-calling myself? The company I am considering states it would call for 4 hours per day, 20 hours per week, and generates an average of 6 leads per week. I have never cold-called before, so unsure if I should do it myself or go straight to hiring someone out. Looking for the pros and cons of both. Thanks!
Hey Catie!
Great question—and welcome to the world of real estate investing! As someone who owns a cold calling agency that specializes in working with investors like yourself, I’d be happy to share some insight.
Hiring a cold caller—especially a trained professional—can save you a ton of time and mental energy. Cold calling isn’t just about dialing numbers; it’s about handling objections, qualifying sellers, and building rapport quickly. A skilled cold caller can generate higher-quality leads because they’re laser-focused on the task and trained to spot motivation.
Another major plus is that agencies often come with better skip tracing resources. That means cleaner data, more accurate contact info, and ultimately, better conversations and lead flow.
Also, if you’re working with a company rather than a solo caller, they can usually assist with other parts of the acquisition process—data management, CRM updates, even follow-ups—which helps you focus on what matters: closing deals.
Of course, the best way to find out if it’s worth it is to test it yourself. I always recommend giving a cold calling agency a trial period—say 1 to 2 weeks. If you’re seeing results and quality leads, then great! If not, no harm done—you can explore other options.
If you have any questions or need advice as you go through this, feel free to message me anytime. Happy to help however I can.
Best of luck on your journey!
How many leads do you generate per call? Conversion rate?
What kind of success have your clients had? How long on average do your clients stay with you?
I've been thinking about this route myself. I don't have the time to cold call but I also don't want some person who barely speaks English spewing nonsense and ruining credibility right off the bat.
Direct mail seems to still be a thing too - seems like every property I buy gets spammed shortly thereafter with flyers from people who will buy "as-is"
Is it worth it to hire a cold calling company instead of doing the cold-calling myself? The company I am considering states it would call for 4 hours per day, 20 hours per week, and generates an average of 6 leads per week. I have never cold-called before, so unsure if I should do it myself or go straight to hiring someone out. Looking for the pros and cons of both. Thanks!
Serious question: If you did hire them, how would you know if they're any good?
Without some performance benchmarks, I could see you paying out for months with nothing to show for it. Getting 6 leads per week may sound good, but that's only true if these are qualified leads that you can turn into revenue.
I'd definitely want to speak with several of their existing clients to see just how valuable these leads are.
Also, watch out for long-term contracts. These folks are probably going to want you to commit to several months of service, so keep that in mind when you set your budget.
Lastly, it's worth asking if cold-calling is the best way for you to reach prospective clients. (Honestly, it's my least favorite method!)
What made you choose it?
Hi @Catie Fihn,
Cold-calling can be effective, but hiring a professional company might save you time and ensure consistency if you're new to it. However, have you considered integrating SMS marketing alongside cold-calling? It’s a great way to reach sellers quickly and often gets higher response rates.
If you'd like, I can share some insights on how combining the two can significantly boost your lead generation. Let me know!
@Zeeshan S.
I would really appreciate it if you would also share your insights with me.
Thanks!!
Hey Catie!
Great question—and welcome to the world of real estate investing! As someone who owns a cold calling agency that specializes in working with investors like yourself, I’d be happy to share some insight.
Hiring a cold caller—especially a trained professional—can save you a ton of time and mental energy. Cold calling isn’t just about dialing numbers; it’s about handling objections, qualifying sellers, and building rapport quickly. A skilled cold caller can generate higher-quality leads because they’re laser-focused on the task and trained to spot motivation.
Another major plus is that agencies often come with better skip tracing resources. That means cleaner data, more accurate contact info, and ultimately, better conversations and lead flow.
Also, if you’re working with a company rather than a solo caller, they can usually assist with other parts of the acquisition process—data management, CRM updates, even follow-ups—which helps you focus on what matters: closing deals.
Of course, the best way to find out if it’s worth it is to test it yourself. I always recommend giving a cold calling agency a trial period—say 1 to 2 weeks. If you’re seeing results and quality leads, then great! If not, no harm done—you can explore other options.
If you have any questions or need advice as you go through this, feel free to message me anytime. Happy to help however I can.
Best of luck on your journey!
Hey Catie!
Great question—and welcome to the world of real estate investing! As someone who owns a cold calling agency that specializes in working with investors like yourself, I’d be happy to share some insight.
Hiring a cold caller—especially a trained professional—can save you a ton of time and mental energy. Cold calling isn’t just about dialing numbers; it’s about handling objections, qualifying sellers, and building rapport quickly. A skilled cold caller can generate higher-quality leads because they’re laser-focused on the task and trained to spot motivation.
Another major plus is that agencies often come with better skip tracing resources. That means cleaner data, more accurate contact info, and ultimately, better conversations and lead flow.
Also, if you’re working with a company rather than a solo caller, they can usually assist with other parts of the acquisition process—data management, CRM updates, even follow-ups—which helps you focus on what matters: closing deals.
Of course, the best way to find out if it’s worth it is to test it yourself. I always recommend giving a cold calling agency a trial period—say 1 to 2 weeks. If you’re seeing results and quality leads, then great! If not, no harm done—you can explore other options.
If you have any questions or need advice as you go through this, feel free to message me anytime. Happy to help however I can.
Best of luck on your journey!
How many leads do you generate per call? Conversion rate?
What kind of success have your clients had? How long on average do your clients stay with you?
I've been thinking about this route myself. I don't have the time to cold call but I also don't want some person who barely speaks English spewing nonsense and ruining credibility right off the bat.
Direct mail seems to still be a thing too - seems like every property I buy gets spammed shortly thereafter with flyers from people who will buy "as-is"
Hey Catie!
Great question—and welcome to the world of real estate investing! As someone who owns a cold calling agency that specializes in working with investors like yourself, I’d be happy to share some insight.
Hiring a cold caller—especially a trained professional—can save you a ton of time and mental energy. Cold calling isn’t just about dialing numbers; it’s about handling objections, qualifying sellers, and building rapport quickly. A skilled cold caller can generate higher-quality leads because they’re laser-focused on the task and trained to spot motivation.
Another major plus is that agencies often come with better skip tracing resources. That means cleaner data, more accurate contact info, and ultimately, better conversations and lead flow.
Also, if you’re working with a company rather than a solo caller, they can usually assist with other parts of the acquisition process—data management, CRM updates, even follow-ups—which helps you focus on what matters: closing deals.
Of course, the best way to find out if it’s worth it is to test it yourself. I always recommend giving a cold calling agency a trial period—say 1 to 2 weeks. If you’re seeing results and quality leads, then great! If not, no harm done—you can explore other options.
If you have any questions or need advice as you go through this, feel free to message me anytime. Happy to help however I can.
Best of luck on your journey!
How many leads do you generate per call? Conversion rate?
What kind of success have your clients had? How long on average do your clients stay with you?
I've been thinking about this route myself. I don't have the time to cold call but I also don't want some person who barely speaks English spewing nonsense and ruining credibility right off the bat.
Direct mail seems to still be a thing too - seems like every property I buy gets spammed shortly thereafter with flyers from people who will buy "as-is"
Great questions—and totally understand your concerns.
On average, a full-time VA working 8 hours a day generates around 2 qualified leads per day. Of course, this can vary—some days you might get 3-4 solid leads, others maybe 1 or even none, depending on data quality and market response. But 2/day is a realistic, consistent average for leads that meet the main qualification pillars (motivation, timeline, condition, and price).
We’ve had clients close multiple deals with us—some use their own acquisition teams to take leads to the finish line, while others rely on our full-service acquisition team to close deals from A to Z. Either way, the goal is to make sure you’re getting seller conversations that actually have potential—not just contact numbers.
As for English fluency—this is non-negotiable for us. One of our top hiring filters is excellent spoken English with clear, neutral accents. We know how damaging a poor first impression can be, and we’re committed to protecting your brand’s credibility.
If you’re open to discussing more, I’d be happy to jump on a quick call and walk you through the process or answer any other questions you have. Just let me know!
Is it worth it to hire a cold calling company instead of doing the cold-calling myself? The company I am considering states it would call for 4 hours per day, 20 hours per week, and generates an average of 6 leads per week. I have never cold-called before, so unsure if I should do it myself or go straight to hiring someone out. Looking for the pros and cons of both. Thanks!
@Catie Fihn I have ample experience with all of the outbound marketing channels, as I've been wholesaling full time since 2015. An important metric to track is how many leads it will take to get one property under contract from cold calling. Based on my company's metrics, we're averaging 100 leads to 1 contract with cold calling. In new virtual markets or cities where the median sales prices of homes are over $400k, it takes 200 leads to get a deal. In 2024, our cold callers averaged 1.5 leads per day, and I had 40 callers on my team.
Let's answer an even more pertinent question: How long will it take to get a contract from cold calling? On average, it took us 60 - 90 days for the hot leads to convert into a contract in 2024.
If the agency you're using will generate 6 leads per week then you'll realistically get your first contract in 4 months.
Because of these abysmal contract timelines, I'm not suggesting my JV partners or clients utilize cold calling as their primary marketing channel. It was my main marketing channel from 2019 - 2023, but cold texting has since replaced it.
You can get the same lead volume from one day of texting 5,000 sellers as you would with 5 cold callers dialing for a month. At $5 per hour per cold caller, on the low end, your labor expenses will be at $4,000 per month. Texting 5,000 sellers at .0075 cents per text will cost $37.50, and this will generate roughly 50 leads per day. Additionally, the leads from texting are more motivated.
If you're considering cold calling, I would treat it like direct mail - you must go all in on it or else it doesn't make sense as a marketing channel. A part time caller, even on a very targeted and motivated list, will not generate enough leads to get a property under contract in the next 30 days.
I really do not like being the bearer of bad news, but I've seen so many investors go down the marketing route you're taking, and they end up spending all their hard-earned money on methods that do not work well. However, I do think it's the natural progression for many investors, and some lessons are better learned through experience.
At the end of the day, you'll need to choose the marketing channel that best fits your lifestyle, budget, and goals. For some investors, it's direct mail because they're in a rural market with many elder homeowners. For others, voice broadcast is crushing it. At the moment, my research indicates that cold texting is working extremely well in any market and demographic.
Lastly, I do not suggest to cold calling yourself unless you're dialing a very motivated list like an inherited or auction list. It's very difficult to keep up with cold calling daily especially when you're making offers, building a buyers list, and maintaining your family life outside of real estate. When you stop dialing, the leads stop. And when the leads stop, your business stops. As with any marketing channel, you see the best results by consistently reaching out to sellers daily.
I hope this helps and best of luck! You're on the right track and asking all the right questions.
@Mitch Messer All good points. The two companies I have interviewed gave me an average number of leads that they pull in per hour and per week. That is simply a lead, which doesn't necessarily mean it will become a closed deal. I chose cold-calling because we are in the middle of a battle with Google to get our website back up, and in the meantime, we are assessing the best way to reach motivated sellers. If we are going to have any calling done for our business, I'd rather outsource that so that we can spend our time finding properties in other ways. I'm on the fence about mailers, but I know a lot of people have success with them. May I ask, what is your preferred method of getting leads?
@Mitch Messer All good points. The two companies I have interviewed gave me an average number of leads that they pull in per hour and per week. That is simply a lead, which doesn't necessarily mean it will become a closed deal. I chose cold-calling because we are in the middle of a battle with Google to get our website back up, and in the meantime, we are assessing the best way to reach motivated sellers. If we are going to have any calling done for our business, I'd rather outsource that so that we can spend our time finding properties in other ways. I'm on the fence about mailers, but I know a lot of people have success with them. May I ask, what is your preferred method of getting leads?
My preferred strategy for getting leads is to contact "tired landlords."
I identify property owners who have recently filed an eviction suit against their tenants, filtering the court data to pick out high-value prospects, as evidenced by:
- plaintiff (landlord) is a natural person, not an LLC, corporation, trust, or apartment complex
- active (unresolved) case status
- large unpaid rent balance
- plaintiff's address is an actual physical address, not a P.O. box
Depending on the state and county, I can usually extract this data directly from public data sources, such as online court systems.
In addition to names and addresses, often this case data includes landlord phone numbers and sometimes email addresses!
I usually text, but one could also call or send direct mail.
We did this when I was wholesaling and focused on Tulsa as my primary market, and I personally closed half a dozen deals there in 2022.
@Mitch Messer this is great info! I hadn't yet accessed online court records to find deals, but will add this strategy to my list. Thank you so much!!
@Zeeshan S. I would absolutely LOVE to use texting, but I thought it was illegal? Or at least a gray area of legality? If I am misunderstood about that, then I would absolutely incorporate SMS into our strategy. And yes, I would greatly appreciate any insights into how combining the two can boost our lead generation. Thanks!
@Zeeshan S. I would absolutely LOVE to use texting, but I thought it was illegal? Or at least a gray area of legality? If I am misunderstood about that, then I would absolutely incorporate SMS into our strategy. And yes, I would greatly appreciate any insights into how combining the two can boost our lead generation. Thanks!
Great question @Catie Fihn! SMS marketing is perfectly legal if done the right way as compliance is key. Platforms like Launch Control or Smarter Contact ensure all campaigns adhere to A2P 10DLC regulations, making it both effective and safe.
Texting allows you to reach sellers directly and generate faster responses compared to traditional cold calling. It works wonders when combined with other methods like cold calling—you can text leads who didn’t answer your calls, creating a seamless follow-up system.
I’d be happy to walk you through how to set up a compliant, high-converting SMS strategy. Let me know, and I can share some stats and tips that’ve been a game changer for others!
@Amanda Smith This is really wonderful feedback. Thank you!! I will be sure to reach out if I need anything!
@Cornelius Garland This is fantastic information. Thank you so much! I'm interested in the part where you mentioned that the leads from texting are more motivated. I have no doubt that is true, but what makes a text lead more motivated as opposed to someone who is reached by call?
I am very interested in cold texting, but many I have spoken to have questioned the legality of it. Have we been misinformed about that?
You make very good points against cold calling myself. I was more leaning towards hiring a company, but I am now sold on doing so, lol. But like I mentioned, I am very interested in cold texting, and would love to implement that strategy into our business. If you have any tips on cold texting, I would appreciate any insight you have!
From somebody who gets cold calls every single damn day: Please Don’t! Super annoying. Find a way to get inbound leads.
From somebody who gets cold calls every single damn day: Please Don’t! Super annoying. Find a way to get inbound leads.
SEO and a website?
I like this because instead of looking for motivated sellers - these sellers will be looking for you. It's a much smaller funnel to deal with since the leads you have from the website are already qualified to an extent.