How to Get Phone Numbers For Cold Calling [Guide]

Sales development representatives (SDRs) can tell you more than anyone that cold calling can be difficult but that it’s a lot easier when you’ve got a direct phone number.

Cognism says that the average cold calling success rate is only 2%. You can make 100 calls and only get two people into your pipeline. And that’s no guarantee those two will convert. 😬

Despite that seemingly low percentage, cold calling is still the most effective way to connect with prospects. As many as 49% of buyers prefer to be reached through a cold call instead of other methods, including email or direct mail.

So, with only 2/100 cold calls turning into hot leads, you need to be able to position your solution as essential on the phone. 

So, where can SDRs get up-to-date phone numbers for the right prospects? That’s exactly what we’re going to talk about in this post. 👇

9 ways to get phone numbers for cold calling

Ready to connect with more potential customers?

Of course you are!

That means finding phone numbers to build a solid cold calling list.

This is a big task, so you might want to combine prospecting sales tools and strategies to get those phone numbers.

These are the nine best ways to find enough prospect information to create that list of leads.

1. Use a prospecting tool.
2. Manually on LinkedIn.
3. Ask your network.
4. Call the company switchboard.
5. Use a bulk phone finder.
6. Use online directories.
7. Google search operators.
8. Look for personal sites or online resumes.
9. Just ask them.

1. Use a prospecting tool

Prospecting tools are the quickest way to find a large number of phone numbers for cold calling lists.

Automated prospecting tools like Kaspr are a game-changer for sales reps.

Kaspr has an extensive and verified database of cell phone numbers. Kaspr is also part of Cognism. Cognism is renowned for data accuracy and has one of the largest cell phone databases in the US, and we share information between our data sets.

The accurate data is updated in real-time from over 150 providers, so as soon as you identify a valuable potential customer, you can get dialing right away. ☎️

Kaspr makes prospecting easy, whether you opt for account-based selling (ABS)  strategies or just search for phone numbers on mass.

The LinkedIn Chrome Extension and web app allow you to enrich LinkedIn data while looking for new leads. Access a single contact’s information or get phone numbers from target account lists in bulk.

And, if you have a number of calls per hour, day, or week you want to monitor, Kaspr’s analytics can help there, too. You’ll see user stats telling you how many prospect’s phone numbers and email addresses were accessed through the platform to help you understand the potential ROI. 

👻 Find prospect’s phone numbers and sign up to Kaspr free

2. Manually on LinkedIn

You’ll look closely at individual profiles of potential leads when using account-based sales (or account-based marketing campaigns). 

Sometimes, you can find a contact’s contact information, including email address and work phone number, right on their LinkedIn profile. This is known as the manual approach.

Here’s how you find the contact data. 

1. Go to view your prospect’s profile.
2. Click "contact info” in their bio.
3. If they have their phone number there, you’ll be able to see it.

The prospect may have their website, email address, and/or phone number listed. If it’s there, feel free to use it; this is not published automatically, and people must choose to share it.

There is always a risk that these phone numbers may be outdated. Ironically enough, people often forget to update contact information as they change their job title or company.

Because of this, your outbound sales team is better off relying on a platform that leverages multiple databases (like Kaspr 😉). They’ll increase your chance of success with outbound calls by having accurate and up-to-date phone numbers. 

3. Ask your network

Looking for the phone number of a specific prospect?

Get in touch with your network.

You can see if you’ve got any mutual connections with the person in that target account. Maybe one of your existing prospects in the sales process is connected and interacts with them regularly on LinkedIn.

Reach out with a message like this to ask if they have your target prospect’s phone number. 👇

“Hi {insert name}

I’m trying to get in touch with {first name and last name}, who’s {job title} at {company name}.

I see you two are in contact a fair bit, and I wondered if you had a phone number for them you could share with me?

{your name}”

You need to leverage existing relationships if you can.

That “you’ll never get what you want if you don’t ask” idea has always been accurate in sales. It’s true when trying to close a deal, and it can also be true during the prospecting process.

4. Call the company switchboard

If you’ve found a potential customer that aligns with your ICP, you shouldn’t let anything stop you - including finding that prospect’s phone number!

If you know you want to target a specific company, SDRs can call a company’s switchboard.

If you explain who you’d like to speak to and, most importantly, why the gatekeeper can put you through. Of all the skills, getting past the gatekeeper certainly falls high on the list of sales rep wizardry. 🧙

While you shouldn’t be intimidated, it’s important to remember that gatekeepers are influential people within a business. They literally decide whether your cold call is going through or not.

They’re definitely the sort of people you want on side within target accounts.

Here are some top tips for getting past:

• Do your research. Remember, you need to dig for information on a ground level before you speak to any sort of decision-maker. So you come in armed with a solid reason about why you need to speak with them.
• No matter what, be polite. Cold calling is frustrating at times, but remember, the gatekeeper is just doing their job. Start off your relationship with them on a good note.
• Use your prospect’s first name. It’s good to use the first name of the person you’d like to speak to as it’ll help come across that you’ve spoken to the prospect before.

5. Use a bulk phone finder

When you’re invested in building your lead lists, you might want to find phone numbers in bulk.

Bulk phone number finding tools can be essential here - as long as they’re also providing accurate and verified information.

Some tools prioritize quantity over quality, so make sure you use a tool that values both.

Kaspr has over 500 million accurate, verified phone numbers and email addresses and is constantly checking to ensure the data is up-to-date. Create lists through platforms like LinkedIn Sales Navigator and then download the lists’ contact information in bulk.

With contact information associated with detailed lists, your sales reps can choose personalized lead generation strategies for each prospect to increase the chance of a sale. 

6. Use online directories

Online directories are a great way to find a specific prospect’s contact information.

For example, industry-based directories can often help you find prospects aligned with your ICP.

You can also use expansive tools like Kaspr that create databases of potential prospects with data pulled from multiple sources.

These prospect profiles include information like a prospect’s name, company, industry, job title, location, email address, and phone number(s).

Quickly get an idea of what the company is about and what they do there, so your sales reps will be ready with that personalized outreach. ⏱️

7. Google search operators

Have you ever wished you could make your Google searches a little more laser-focused?

You actually can with Google search operators.

These special characters and commands are unique search parameters that help you find exactly what you want. 

You can, for example, enter a prospect’s name and a specific site you want to search. This can make your search process fast and efficient to quickly grow your list (and your number of cold calls). 

8. Look for personal sites and online resumes 

Want to sell to consultants or founders of small companies? There’s a good chance that you can find their personal business website, which may have their phone number listed.

And if you want to reach employees at larger companies, look at online resumes. Some people post their resumes on online directories or job search sites so recruiters can reach out at any point.

In many cases, these resumes will have their phone numbers, job histories and responsibilities laid out clear as day.

You might be looking at a slightly dated resume, and they may be at a new company or a new position, but this can still give you a great starting point. Especially if you already know the lead, you want to connect with and just need to find their digits. 

9. Just ask them

We’re about to blow your mind with this tip. It’s a traditional method that may be almost extreme by today’s standards.

But if you’ve identified a prospect and can’t find their phone number through any other method, reach out however you can.

That may be a LinkedIn request or an email. Whatever works.

Let them know that you think you could solve some of their problems and that you’d love to speak with them about how they can do this. Ask if you can get their phone number and set up a time for a call.

If you can leverage the value you offer and make it relevant to their needs and pain points, there’s a good chance they’ll say yes, sharing their number and a suitable time to talk. 

FAQs about getting phone numbers for cold calling

Do you still have questions about finding prospects’ phone numbers? Check out our answers! 👇

What are the steps to build a cold call list? 

When you want to build a cold call list, follow these steps:

1. Set goals for how many prospects you want to add to the list.
2. Define what type of prospects you want to reach; is it a broad list, or are you looking for a certain ICP?
3. Use automated prospecting tools to identify potential customers and collect their contact information.
4. Manually search for information that you weren’t able to find. 

Where do people get numbers to cold call?

SDRs may find prospect phone numbers in a variety of different ways, but the most effective method is to use prospecting tools like Kaspr to find users’ contact information.

Use Kaspr to find phone numbers for a single specific lead, or use the list-building tools to download phone numbers of an entire list in bulk. 

What data should be included in cold call lists?

Cold call lists should include the following data for each prospect:

• Name.
• Contact information.
• Company.
• Company information.
• Job title.

How do you get phone numbers for cold calling free?

Getting phone numbers for cold calling without paying loads is hard to imagine and getting them for free is nearly out of this world.

Get started free with Kaspr to access B2B phone numbers and unlimited email addresses.

Kaspr enriches contact data while you browse LinkedIn profiles. You can also enrich in bulk on Sales Navigator, Recruiter Lite, or the LinkedIn search results. Use the Chrome Extension to add your leads to a list and manage them in the web app.

Try Kaspr to find cell phone numbers for free

If you want to get more prospect phone numbers, Kaspr can help. 💪

Use Kaspr’s LinkedIn Chrome Extension to view a prospect’s phone number and email while viewing their LinkedIn profile. You can also export phone numbers in bulk from lists created through Kaspr.

Sign up for free today. Join Kaspr’s 50K+ users to take advantage of everything we offer:

✅ 500M+ accurate and up-to-date email addresses and phone numbers.
✅ GDPR and CCPA aligned.
✅ Credit-card-free sign-up.
✅ Fully self-service.
✅ Custom plans available.
✅ Analytics & ROI tracking included.
✅ Free to get started.