Press Release: ValueSelling Associates Earns Selling Power’s Top AI Sales Coaching Award for the Third Consecutive Year
New research from ValueSelling Associates and Selling Power finds that human cold calling remains one of the most effective ways to reach new B2B prospects, outperforming AI-assisted personalized emails nearly six to one. Among 153 sales leaders and representatives surveyed, client referrals ranked highest at 74%, followed by cold calls at 47% and social selling at 40%, while AI-assisted emails ranked at just 8%. Despite cold calling’s effectiveness, sellers continue to struggle with execution: 46% of leaders say reps give up too easily, 40% cite difficulty handling objections, and 39% report fear of picking up the phone. Results remain remarkably similar to a 2018 study, suggesting years of sales technology adoption have not replaced human connection or solved fundamental prospecting challenges. The research concludes that organizations should strengthen seller confidence and cold-calling skills through training while using AI to support prospect research, call preparation, personalization, and coaching.
