Cold Approach Success Rate

Iain successfully interacts with women from cold approach.

Cold approach success rate is a subject that often invites debate and speculation, especially amongst guys looking to meet women.

The question of whether solid interactions can be formed by walking up to a random woman in a public setting can seem disputable.

Part of that uncertainty comes from the fact that there’s hardly any mention of cold approach in mainstream media—films, television shows and books rarely feature a man casually approaching a woman he’s never met before and striking-up a genuine conversation.

Why People Are Sceptical

Because cold approach is so quick—sometimes just a matter of seconds—many guys have no strong mental reference for it.

In psychology, we form associations through repeated exposure to certain scenarios.

If you’ve never seen a guy succeed with cold approach in real life or on screen, your mind naturally lacks the reference point to believe it’s possible.

In most portrayals of romance, relationships start through mutual friends, shared interests or extended conversations, rather than a direct approach out of nowhere.

As a result, cold approach can feel alien or even socially risky, leading to further scepticism.

Shifting Perceptions

For men who’ve never tried it, the initial thought might be, “There’s no way this works.”

That doubt was shared by many who first dipped their toes into cold approach in the late 2000s and beyond.

The idea of approaching a woman on the street or in a café, striking up a conversation, and walking away with a genuine connection can feel impossible.

Concerns about rejection or social judgement loom large.

Yet, as with any skill, practice can gradually replace doubt with confidence.

Moments of genuine success—even small ones—begin to build a foundation of belief that this method of meeting women can be surprisingly effective.

Defining Success

Success itself is subjective and varies from one person to another.

For some men, success might be as simple as managing to have a friendly, low-pressure conversation.

Others are focused on collecting phone numbers or instagrams.

However, a more meaningful benchmark is whether that initial connection leads to ongoing communication.

After all, getting a phone number that never results in a text conversation or date is pointless.

If she responds, continues the chat and rationalises that she’s open to meeting again, that’s a strong indicator the cold approach went well.

The Role of Skill and Practice

Cold approach is much like learning a sport or any other skill.

You often hear, “The more it’s practiced, the more the results improve,” but there’s a caveat: you need to recognise where you’re going wrong and make adjustments.

If you keep repeating the same mistakes, you won’t see better results.

This is exactly where a cold approach coach can step in to help you pinpoint and correct those issues.

It’s also useful to define what exactly we mean by success rate.

In this context, it’s the percentage of phone numbers that lead to dates, divided by the total number of phone numbers collected, multiplied by 100:

Success Rate (%) = (Numbers that lead to dates ÷ Total numbers obtained) x 100

From what I’ve seen, the average guy doing cold approach usually gets around a 5–10% success rate, meaning he’ll get a date for every 10 to 20 numbers he collects.

In my experience working with men looking to meet women, most guys who get pretty good at cold approach tend to fall within a 10–25% success range.

You rarely come across anyone who does better than that.

In over 15 years, I’ve only witnessed one guy reach close to a 50% rate, on just a couple of occasions.

As for me, at my absolute peak—when I was hitting the streets 7 days a week—I once had a single day where I got to an 80% success rate: I collected 10 numbers, and 8 of those led to dates.

I won’t pretend I’ve matched that again.

Quite frankly, I can’t be asked to put that level of effort in anymore.

However, it goes to show how high your success rate can climb if you put in enough work.

Progress and Benchmarks

Tracking improvement is key for getting results.

After each approach, reflect on what felt comfortable and what might have been off.

Initially, many guys struggle to come across as trustworthy or genuine, but steady practice leads to more relaxed body language, smoother conversation flow and, eventually, better responses.

Each small win adds up, and even the moments of rejection can provide valuable insights into what to tweak next time.

Embracing Uncertainty

Human interaction will always carry a degree of unpredictability.

Everyone has unique preferences, moods and daily circumstances.

Sometimes the timing just isn’t right, or the woman you approach might already be in a relationship.

It’s tempting to wish for complete control, but life isn’t so neatly arranged.

Accepting these unknowns makes the entire process less stressful.

By focusing on sharpening interpersonal skills—confidence, listening and empathy—you can make your approaches feel more natural and increase your odds of success.

Final Thoughts

Despite mainstream scepticism regarding cold approach success rates, believe you me, it is entirely possible to achieve ridiculously high results if you’re genuinely committed to putting in the work.

This goes beyond pure luck; it depends on your willingness to identify and correct mistakes, persist through inevitable rejections and steadily refine your approach.

For men who are motivated to get access to quality women, cold approach can be a powerful way to get abundance and form relationships with women you’d otherwise never meet.

There’s no magic formula guaranteeing success every single time, but with enough consistency and determination, you might be surprised at just how far you can push your success rate—and the rewarding experiences that follow.