Apple iOS 26 is going to screen your cold calls.

Here's what salespeople need to know...

Call Screening will ask unknown callers to state their name and reason for calling which will display in text on the screen of the person you're calling so they can decide if they want to answer or not.

iOS 26 is in beta through July and full release this fall.

Call Screening will need to be manually enabled, so it's not turned on by default (at least not yet).

Salespeople and leaders are panicking but I think this is a good thing.

Why? 

- Because it's better than do-not-disturb
- Because it's better than cold text messaging
- Because it's better than voicemails

Yes, this is going to change the art and science of cold calling forever.

No, it's not the end of cold calling... it's the start of a new era.

What we need to prepare for is testing an entirely new style of opener that entices prospects to answer our calls.

My advice?

Follow the same practices you've used to perfect your cold calls, voicemails, emails, and subject lines... Test > Tune > Scale!

- Test what works over time
- Tune it to perfection
- Scale it to the moon

The challenge? 

Cold Calls are no longer as simple as having one universal script...

You'll need a cold approach for each possible scenario:

- People who answer right away (traditional cold call)
- People who send calls to voicemail
- People who enabled Call Screening

As with all things sales, it's getting more complex and nuanced, but this doesn't need to be a bad thing.

The bright side is those who enable this feature will most certainly be reading the Call Screenings, so you have their attention, likely more than voicemail.

Use this to your advantage and craft the most powerful openers that work.

Those who crack this code will stand out from the noise because robo-dialers and scammers won't take the time to do it right. 

Whatever you do, don't stop cold calling!

Given this feature is not enabled by default, I don't think it will have a major impact immediately but if they decide to enable it by default it will, and we should plan for that becoming a reality.

In either regard, the opportunity to show someone why you're calling is already baked into the art of a traditional cold call, this is just a new format for delivering that message.

The good news is, the more challenging cold calls become, the more opportunity the best salespeople have to stand out from the noise. Focus on the upside!

Happy Selling,