Happy New Year. The kitchen is open again.
Last year I went quiet. Too much client work, not enough building in public. That changes in 2026.
This year I’m going deeper, more data, more benchmarks, more of what actually moves the needle in outbound. Starting with the operational side that most teams ignore entirely.
Which brings me to today’s episode.
The average cold calling connect rate is 5.4%. Top teams hit 13-15%. That gap isn’t just about what reps say on the phone, it’s about everything that happens before the conversation: data quality, verified mobile numbers, dialers that don’t show up as spam. The operational foundation.
Jason Bay (CEO of Outbound Squad, worked with Rippling, Shopify, Zoom) breaks down what’s actually working right now, connect rates, conversion benchmarks, and the skills that separate average from elite.
Listen on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Snipd.
More coming this year: benchmarks on mobile data providers, a weekly live show, and the data behind why outbound isn’t dead, even if your team is struggling.
Talk soon.
Jason Bay is the Founder of Outbound Squad, where he trains sales teams at companies like Rippling, Shopify, and Zoom on cold calling. He's known for his data-backed approach to cold calling frameworks, drawing on research from Gong and Nooks analyzing 100K+ calls. His methods help reps move from the average 4.6% conversion rate to 20-35%, and get meetings that actually show up.
Listen on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Snipd.
We discuss:
Why cold calling is harder but not dead — and what the data from Rippling, Gong, and Nooks actually shows
The “Permission-Based Opener”: how to survive the first 80 seconds (where most cold calls fail)
The “Reverse Pitch”: why problem-based language gets 3x more meetings than product pitches
“Money Questions”: how top reps expose gaps and create real reasons to meet
How to diagnose cold calling problems rep-by-rep: activity → connect rate → conversion → show rate
The tactics behind 75-80% show rates (when the average is only 56%)
Jason’s 3 non-negotiable cold calling principles
Referenced:
Where to find Jason Bay:
Founder of Outbound Squad, sales trainer for companies like Rippling, Shopify, and Zoom
On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasondbay/
Outbound Squad: https://outboundsquad.com
My biggest takeaways from this conversation:
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