Cold Call Telemarketing Tracking Sheet

Cold calling can be hard enough, but accurately keeping track of those phone calls can be a headache, too. Yet your success as a salesperson depends on it. The idea behind a tracking sheet is to give you a way to easily manage your cold calling. The sheet lets you easily track the number of calls you make, the number of decision-makers you reach, and the number of follow-up appointments you set.

The Purpose of Keeping a Tracking Sheet 

Prospecting is the first stage in the sales process, so if you don't do enough cold calling or if your cold calls aren't effective, your entire pipeline will suffer. Print out a copy of your cold call tracking sheet every day and write the date at the top of the sheet.

Here's an example of what you should be working with. 

Date: _____________ Start Time: _____________ End Time: _____________

Dials

❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ - 10
❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ - 20
❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ - 30
❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ - 40
❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ - 50
❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ - 60
❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ - 70
❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ - 80
❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ - 90
❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ - 100

Total Dials __________

Decision Makers

❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ - 10
❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ - 20
❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ - 30
❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ - 40
❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ - 50
❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ - 60
❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ - 70
❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ - 80
❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ - 90
❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ - 100

Total Decision Makers __________

Appointments

❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ - 10
❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ - 20
❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ - 30
❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ - 40
❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ - 50
❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ - 60
❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ - 70
❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ - 80
❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ - 90
❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ - 100

Total Appointments __________

Total number of decision maker contacts divided by total number of appointments: __________%

How to Manage the Sheet 

As the day goes on and you complete each cold call, put a check or an X in the next open checkbox in the first section. Mark off a box in the second section each time you speak with a decision maker. Mark off a box in the third section each time you set an appointment. The number at the end of each row is a reminder of how many you've achieved in total so far.

Add up the numbers for each section at the end of the day and write them in the space at the bottom of that section. This will help you keep track of the percentage of calls you're able to transition to appointments. If the percentage is very low, you might need to work on your cold calling strategy, perhaps by revising your phone script or writing a new opener. If the percentage is high but you're still not getting enough sales, simply upping the number of cold calls you make could resolve the problem.

Keep copies of your tracking sheets in a binder or folder for future reference. If you change cold calling scripts or otherwise make a major change to your approach, write a note to that effect on the sheet, or attach a sticky note summarizing the information. This will help you compare your results before and after making the changes so you can see if they're really helping you. 

How Long You Should Keep Them 

At a minimum, you'll want to hang onto your tracking sheets at least until the quota period ends. But it may be a good idea to keep them even longer. You might find it interesting to compare your results from this time last year to this year, for example. What changed? What did you do differently? Those notations and sticky notes you attached should help you remember, and remembering means refining your cold calling technique even more.