Cold Calling Isn’t ‘Hard Work,’ It’s Wasted Work: Why Modern Agents Quit the Phone
Ask any real estate agent what they dread most, and you’ll likely hear one answer: cold calling.
It’s the oldest method in sales — and the most disliked. Yet, agency bosses still push their agents to “just call more owners.”
But the truth is, this dated approach isn’t just unpleasant; it’s actively costing agents business, risking PDPA fines, and guaranteeing burnout.
In a world where trust and data transparency define success, the cold call has become the coldest part of the profession.
1. What Cold Calling Really Means
Cold calling is the act of contacting someone who has no prior relationship or interest in your service — usually a property owner or a lead pulled from an outdated list.
In theory, it’s a numbers game:
“Call 100 owners, get 10 interested, close 1 deal.”
In practice, it’s a time sink:
“Call 100 owners, get 2 to pick up, 1 to scold you, and none to sign.”
It’s not that agents are lazy — it’s that the cost-to-yield ratio no longer makes sense in today’s market.
At RM8 per hour, an agent who spends 10 hours a week cold calling just wasted RM80 for zero return — and lost time that could have been used to build real networks.
2. The Emotional Toll
Cold calling feels like rejection on repeat.
For every polite conversation, there are ten more that go:
- “Not interested.”
- “Stop calling me.”
- “How did you get my number?”
Each unanswered call chips away at motivation.
There’s no human warmth, no face-to-face empathy — just a wall of suspicion and resistance.
The result? Emotional exhaustion leading to genuine burnout and business-killing procrastination.
It forces agents to dread the very tool they are supposed to use to grow their business.
3. The Compliance Problem
In Malaysia, cold calling isn’t just inefficient — it’s potentially illegal.
Under the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), contacting individuals without explicit consent can cross legal lines, especially when data is sourced from:
- Unverified directories,
- Developer sign-up sheets, or
- WhatsApp and Telegram group exports.
Agents who don’t understand PDPA risk breaching privacy laws, even unintentionally. This turns a marketing activity into a potential compliance liability.
A single reported breach under PDPA can lead to fines up to RM500,000 or imprisonment. It’s simply not worth the risk.
4. The Efficiency Problem
Cold calling is inefficient because:
- 90% of numbers are outdated or uninterested.
- Property owners already receive multiple calls a day.
- Conversations rarely happen when both sides are ready.
An agent might spend three hours dialing and get two short, unproductive chats. By contrast, digital leads can be filtered, verified, and tracked, allowing agents to focus only on serious prospects.
Time is the real cost here — and cold calling burns it faster than any ad budget ever could.
5. What Works Instead
a) Collaboration Over Competition: Warm Leads through Verified Networks
The modern market rewards cooperation. Join verified agent networks — like ListingMine’s Group and Co-Broking ecosystem — where listings, buyers, and roles are transparently matched. Every call then starts warm, not cold.
b) Stop Dialing, Start Tracking: Systemised Lead Management
Use structured CRMs like ListingMine ERP to store leads, tag clients, and automate follow-ups. Every message, every reminder, every update is traceable — removing the chaos that cold calling creates.
c) Reverse the Flow: Building a Social Trust Funnel
Instead of chasing owners, attract them. Post consistently, share insights, and let people see your expertise before they ever hear your voice. When trust flows toward you, every inquiry is already half-qualified.
6. The Bottom Line
Agents don’t hate hard work. They hate ineffective work.
Cold calling is a relic of a time when data was scarce and relationships started from zero. Modern agents thrive on verified data, digital trust, and structured cooperation.
The future of sales isn’t about who makes the most calls — It’s about who builds the most credibility before the first call is ever made.
