Apple’s New Call Screening Is Cold Calling’s Worst Nightmare | Donald Kelly - 1908

t seems like every time you turn around, cold calling is being painted as the worst thing a seller can do. Now, Apple has created a new feature that's making this sales method even worse. Luckily, in this episode, I'm going to provide you with some ways to handle this situation and still close deals through cold calling.

iOS 26: Call Screening

• If you remember from the last episode, I told you what we'd be discussing today: Apple's newest feature, iOS 26: Call Screening.
• It's a feature that lets you ignore unwanted calls from numbers you don't know. Call Screening essentially helps you decide if a call is actually worth answering or if it's just an annoying telemarketer. 
• The trick is that call screening lets you answer unknown callers in the background. Once they share their name and reason for calling, it appears on your screen. You can then decide whether to answer or ignore it.

Apple’s New Feature Is Not Going To Stop Cold Calling

• You might think this new feature will prevent you from hitting your quota, but honestly, I believe it will actually help sellers. 
• With the rise of social media, we found a way to still reach out and connect with our prospects. 
• We just have to evolve and figure out how to do it with Apple’s new feature. Just like with social media, we can adapt to this, too.

How Will Most Sellers Feel About This Change?

• Here’s what I believe most sellers will do because of this change:
• Keep doing the same tasks they've been doing
• Start feeling down because no one is picking up
• Put more effort into cold calling to ensure they reach their quotaTake advantage of AI tools
• I also believe that there will be a group of people who simply adjust to the changes. They might start doing parallel dialing, where they make three to four calls at the exact same time. Whenever one of them picks up, a seller will take that call.

What Should Sellers Be Doing?

• Instead of taking the steps mentioned previously, try these instead:
• Be relevant:
• Remember, call screening will allow you to talk to an AI tool. Think outside the box on how you can connect with prospects on a personal level during this moment.
• Try to be funny:
• I recently played a short clip demonstrating how creative sellers used to be during the days of collect calls. My point is to be witty or make a joke that will make your prospect want to pick up the phone.
• Use a point of reference:
• Make the prospect feel as though they already know you. Try using LinkedIn to connect with them before you do cold outreach. But keep in mind, don't become another spammer. Look for ways to get engagement from others and be smart about your connection requests.
• The keyword is relevance. Try to be as relevant as possible to prospects during cold outreach, and I promise you that you will still be able to close deals despite any new changes coming out. 

"Human beings are like water. We’re going to find a way to get through or around a problem and come back another way. The way we go about Apple’s new feature has to evolve." - Donald Kelly. 

Resources

If you like more guidance with improving your sales skills, join my Sales Mastermind Class. Thinking about starting a podcast yourself? Learn more about Blue Mango Studios. 

Sponsorship Offers

1. This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

2.  This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

3. This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

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Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.