The only cold-calling script you’ll ever need

Because the art of cold calling is a tricky one, if you want to be efficiently successful at it, then it's best to take a simple approach that you can adapt to different scenarios.

In this post, we'll go through:

• two simple things to remember for every cold call,
• a basic cold-calling script with a formula that you can tweak for each call and prospect, and
• how to keep the conversation fluid—and avoid getting hung up on
  

Start things off by introducing yourself and where you work clearly. Your listener will perceive it as "speaking with confidence."

(Also, no one wants to pick up the phone and hear, “Hi, this is aiwjerlawer from awejrawlkerm.”)

And even if you’re met with, “You’re who? From what?”, don’t let that discourage you. Just restate your introduction clearly, and move forward with the conversation.

If you know a bit about your prospect already, keep things going with something light and conversational, like:

"I see you went to [College Name]—did you catch the [team name] game last weekend?"

Your goal is to get your prospect talking while starting to show that you’re familiar with their role and/or the company.

Otherwise if this is a 100% cold call, don't waste their time. Get right into why they might benefit from this call. This is a delicate balance—you don't want to sound pushy ("You REALLY want to know about our product") but you need to offer something so irresistible that they don't hang up on you.

You don't have much time to convince your prospect you’re worth their time, so come armed with a concise pitch. Show that you work with customers like them and that you understand their pain points—don't just talk about yourself. By doing this, you’ll set yourself apart from other cold callers.

Need a hypothetical positioning statement? Try something like:

“I work with marketers for small-to-medium-sized businesses. My customers are typically looking to increase their marketing qualified leads without spending a ton of money. Does that sound like you?”

If you get a “yes,” this is your opportunity—not to start selling, but to ask them to tell you more.

As they explain their pain points and objectives, listen. That's it. Listen.

You need this information to continue building your pitch and present something that'll be valuable to them. From there, you should be able to use this information to tweak and customize the cold-call script to fit the specific needs that your prospect describes. They're literally giving you the answers here, so use this information!

This information-gathering is a lot easier if you have a CRM that has a mobile app. This way, your phone can automatically log your calls and record voice notes (hands-free!) while you're on the road. Here's how it looks in Copper:

Here are the basic components of your script. Remember, these are flexible and may change depending on how the conversation goes. You may ask a few leading questions—or maybe you'll get super lucky and your prospect will leap into asking you all the questions once you introduce yourself!

• Introduction: Don't forget your manners—and be sure to hook your listener. Let them know right away that this call is for their benefit too, not just yours.
  • Example: "Hello [prospect's name], my name is [your name]. I work for [your company name] and we [what your company does]. I saw that your company [prospect's company name] has been [describe something that relates their company to your product or service, or why they would be interested].

• Leading Question(s): Ask questions that don't have yes/no answers. This is a cold call after all and you don't know much about your listener—allow them to fill in the gaps and to help you create a better pitch that solves their problems.
  • Example: "That's right, we work mainly with small-to-medium-sized agencies like you. Mind telling me more about some of the [main challenges or something you'd like to find out more about]?"

• Close: Make plans to follow up, or at the very least, let them know that you'll be following up. You don't have to push and close the sale right away. Again, if this is a cold call, then it's probably your first contact with them. Treat it like a first date. Don't be overly pushy, and don't forget to thank them for their time.
  • Example: "Thank you so much for chatting with me, it was great learning more about your business. [Offer to follow up or make plans to follow up—depending on how well the call went.]

Keep the conversation light.

By making the occasional joke and getting your prospect to laugh, you’ll not only bring a little brightness to their day, but you’ll strengthen your relationship as well.

Oh, and if a prospect says, “No thanks, this isn't for me / this isn't a good time,” from the get-go... It's okay to simply say (really, it is), “No problem. I’ll try you again another time."

On to the next!