r/engineering • u/MineGuy1991 • 21d ago
[GENERAL] Cold Calls
Is anyone else noticing a HUGE uptick in the number of cold calls, unsolicited emails, and even unaccounted visitors asking to meet to sell you/your company a product or service you don’t need?
This year has been nuts and I don’t know what’s changed.
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u/1060nm 21d ago
Yes, but I’ve only been in engineering for a couple years so I thought it was normal. One email caught me on a bad day and opened with the line “I’ve reached out a couple times and this will be the last time you hear from me…” and I responded “I’m glad to hear it will be the last time,” and deleted the thread. I know they’re just trying to make a sale, but I want them to all fuck off.
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u/MineGuy1991 21d ago
I’ve responded in similar ways. I’m not an ass usually, but sales people just trigger me
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u/j-random In it for the groupies 21d ago
I'm getting hammered with text messages offering my company money for expansion. It was 3-4 times a week before, now it's 4-5 times a day.
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u/BigGoopy2 21d ago
Yeah I don’t even know how they get my number. I just saw no thanks and hang up before they can get another word in
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u/MineGuy1991 21d ago
That’s what gets me too. One lady said “I found you on LinkedIn and called your company directory to get this extension”
Like wtf?
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u/clozcloz 17d ago
Cold calling engineers directly is usually counterproductive because most of us are in the middle of deep CAD work, lab testing, or meetings. An unscheduled phone call feels like an interruption.
However, whether cold outreach works depends heavily on company size: Large Corporations / Defense (Lockheed, Boeing, Tesla): 0% success rate. The receptionist will simply direct you to their Workday portal. Never cold call large firms.
Small Consulting Firms / Machine Shops / Boutique R&D (<50 people): Cold calls can work here, but only if you ask for the Engineering Manager or Principal, not HR. Keep it under 45 seconds: state who you are, mention a specific project they did, and ask if they have 5 minutes for a quick chat or if you can send over a 1-page portfolio.
The vastly better alternative: Send a hyper-specific cold email or LinkedIn message directly to the Lead Engineer or Department Head. Don't send a generic resume.
Attach a 2-page visual PDF portfolio showing real hardware, CAD models, or test rigs you've built. Engineers respond to tangible proof of work, not polished sales pitches.
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u/Krusty_Double_Deluxe 17d ago
Hell yeah. Usually it’s just Keyence, but this year it seems like everyone is crawling out of the woodwork looking for a slice of our pie
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u/Bryguy3k 17d ago
We’re in a deep recession and people are hungry.
If you’re in the medium to small range you’re probably still busy enough that you can keep the lights on - but you can tell that the big firms are feeling the pain as they’re cutting all the non-essential shit they don’t need.
If you look at bidnet and similar public bid platforms you’ll see the giants bidding on stuff they would have never even download the bid form for two years ago.
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u/Mercy_CA 17h ago
Even for me, yes, and I never answer the spam calls. Haven't had one since developing that method in 6 years. Finally getting a small resurgence. I'm guessing they cycle through all the numbers again every so often.
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u/Sad_Tangerine_1385 10h ago
Absolutely. I’ve noticed the same thing. The volume of cold calls, automated emails, and unsolicited sales visits has increased dramatically this year. AI and automated lead-generation tools have made it much easier for companies to reach businesses at scale, but the downside is that a lot of the outreach feels poorly targeted and repetitive.
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u/Poondobber 21d ago
Yes but only from foreign suppliers. It must be tough breaking into the industry with everything going on.