Unpopular Opinion: Cold Calling Is a Terrible Way to Start Wholesaling

[Jeremy Beland]

This might ruffle some feathers, but I think a lot of new investors need to hear this.

Cold calling is a terrible way to start this business.

Not because it never works — it clearly does for many people.
But because it stacks the odds against beginners.

When you cold call, most of your day looks like this:

• Hang-ups

• Voicemails

• Rejection

• Angry homeowners asking how you got their number

That doesn’t build momentum. It trains you to expect “no.”
Early on, confidence and momentum matter more than thick skin.

People often say cold calling is how you “pay your dues.”
That it builds character. That it makes you a better closer.

It sounds good — but in practice, I don’t think it helps most beginners succeed faster.

There’s also the cost side that gets ignored.

Cold calling isn’t free if you’re doing it properly:

• Data

• Skip tracing

• Dialers

• Phone numbers

• Software

You’re easily spending a few hundred dollars per month — plus a massive amount of time.

Now compare that to pay-per-lead or PPC style marketing.

Are they perfect? No.
Are the numbers always as clean as people claim? Also no.

But you’re speaking with people who already raised their hand.
People who want to have a conversation.
People who are open to solving a problem.

That accelerates learning.

You get better at:

• Talking to sellers

• Understanding motivation

• Solving real problems

• Structuring real deals

Instead of spending most of your time fighting for someone to stay on the phone.

At the end of the day, this business pays you for:

• Talking to sellers

• Going on appointments

• Building relationships

• Locking up contracts

Everything else is mostly busy work.
Busy work feels productive — but it doesn’t generate revenue.

Cold calling also adds complexity beginners don’t need:

• List pulling

• System setup

• Tool management

• Compliance concerns

• Constant rejection management

You’re already learning contracts, numbers, negotiation, and market dynamics.
Why make it harder?

I’m not saying cold calling never works.

If you’re established, have capital, or are hiring callers — that’s a different conversation.

But if you’re brand new and trying to bootstrap everything for free, I think this mindset holds people back more than it helps.

In my own experience, the biggest results came when I focused on:

• One lead source

• Getting better at real conversations

• Improving follow-up and closing skills

The method mattered less than the skill.

Learning how to talk to sellers and solve problems created momentum — not grinding for the sake of grinding.

Struggle doesn’t automatically make you better.
Sometimes it just makes success take longer.

Curious where others land on this.

If you’re newer:

• What lead source helped you gain traction fastest?

If you’re experienced:

• Do you still believe cold calling is the best starting point?

Looking forward to hearing different perspectives.

[Chris Seveney]

Quote from @Jeremy Beland:

This might ruffle some feathers, but I think a lot of new investors need to hear this.

Cold calling is a terrible way to start this business.

Not because it never works — it clearly does for many people.
But because it stacks the odds against beginners.

When you cold call, most of your day looks like this:

• Hang-ups

• Voicemails

• Rejection

• Angry homeowners asking how you got their number

That doesn’t build momentum. It trains you to expect “no.”
Early on, confidence and momentum matter more than thick skin.

People often say cold calling is how you “pay your dues.”
That it builds character. That it makes you a better closer.

It sounds good — but in practice, I don’t think it helps most beginners succeed faster.

There’s also the cost side that gets ignored.

Cold calling isn’t free if you’re doing it properly:

• Data

• Skip tracing

• Dialers

• Phone numbers

• Software

You’re easily spending a few hundred dollars per month — plus a massive amount of time.

Now compare that to pay-per-lead or PPC style marketing.

Are they perfect? No.
Are the numbers always as clean as people claim? Also no.

But you’re speaking with people who already raised their hand.
People who want to have a conversation.
People who are open to solving a problem.

That accelerates learning.

You get better at:

• Talking to sellers

• Understanding motivation

• Solving real problems

• Structuring real deals

Instead of spending most of your time fighting for someone to stay on the phone.

At the end of the day, this business pays you for:

• Talking to sellers

• Going on appointments

• Building relationships

• Locking up contracts

Everything else is mostly busy work.
Busy work feels productive — but it doesn’t generate revenue.

Cold calling also adds complexity beginners don’t need:

• List pulling

• System setup

• Tool management

• Compliance concerns

• Constant rejection management

You’re already learning contracts, numbers, negotiation, and market dynamics.
Why make it harder?

I’m not saying cold calling never works.

If you’re established, have capital, or are hiring callers — that’s a different conversation.

But if you’re brand new and trying to bootstrap everything for free, I think this mindset holds people back more than it helps.

In my own experience, the biggest results came when I focused on:

• One lead source

• Getting better at real conversations

• Improving follow-up and closing skills

The method mattered less than the skill.

Learning how to talk to sellers and solve problems created momentum — not grinding for the sake of grinding.

Struggle doesn’t automatically make you better.
Sometimes it just makes success take longer.

Curious where others land on this.

If you’re newer:

• What lead source helped you gain traction fastest?

If you’re experienced:

• Do you still believe cold calling is the best starting point?

Looking forward to hearing different perspectives.

 We raise capital and I am 100% against cold calling to target investors. We believe it is a waste of time. For wholesaling, I also think its not the best use of time or money and believe there are other marketing strategies that work, but in most markets its spending big $ on flyers and ads which is tough to compete against the big firms, which is why there are a lot of people who claim to be wholesalers but most are never closing deals.