Can we take a moment to appreciate salespeople?
The job isn't easy. Okay, most jobs aren't, but these people have to stick their necks out and talk to literal strangers on the phone (*shudder*) AND somehow convince them to buy something.
I guess you'd know, being a salesperson yourself.
Cold calling is the worst. But what can you do about it?
Well, consider this: a cold call script.
Look, we know you've got what it takes.
But we also believe in working smarter, not harder, any chance you get - because let's face it, it's not like you're running out of things to do.
So before you wing your next batch hoping for the best, do us a favor and read this blog.
By the end of it, you'll understand:
You can thank us later.
Let's start with the basics, like: exactly what is cold calling in the first place?
Cold calling is the art of contacting your unassuming prospects and trying to hook them into the sales funnel. That's fancy talk for getting strangers to eventually want to buy something from you with no prior contact.
And it's just about as fun as it sounds.
But does it even work?
Let's whip out the data:
So, yes, if done right, cold calls work.
A cold call script then, is a set of preparations and precautions you take to help this process run smoothly.
As smoothly as possible, anyway; it's still cold calling we're talking about.
A decent cold calling script provides structure, helps prevent pitfalls, and, if nothing else, at least makes the process go faster. Kind of like ripping off a bandaid.
The best cold call script does all that and more.
Here's the thing.
Nothing can stop all prospects from saying no. In fact, the best cold call sales scripts don't try to. Quite the opposite, they make prospects say no even more…
Before they finally say yes.
Because this is how cold calling works. Hold on, we have a bit more data to illustrate it for you:
Did you know that 60% of customers say no 4x before agreeing to meet? Four times.
80% of successful sales actually require five follow-ups.
Couple that with the fact that 44% of salespeople give up after a single phone call, and 22% after the first follow-up...
You can see where a big part of cold calling goes wrong.
And, yes. That's a lot of rejection for one person to take just for the mere possibility that the person on the other end of the line will eventually accept the offer.
Hey, who said sales are easy?
But that's exactly why you need a wicked script: to raise all the chances for your pitch to succeed.
The best cold call sales script is an optimized framework that you set up once and tweak as needed to get the maximum ROI on your calls.
When we say framework, we mean that all stages of the process are supported. That includes:
|
Stage |
Summary |
|
Arming you for that initial talk (and the follow-ups) |
Develop a strong script template that covers introductions, value propositions, handling objections, and scheduling next steps. |
|
Introducing you to the prospect |
Research your prospects beforehand to personalize greetings and tailor your pitch to their specific needs. |
|
Putting your company on the prospect's radar |
Briefly highlight your company's reputation, expertise, and unique selling proposition. |
|
Saving you time and effort |
Reduce call prep time with a structured script and avoid scrambling for words on each call. |
|
Keeping conversations focused |
The script acts as a guide to ensure discussions stay relevant and productive. |
|
Reducing rejection sting |
Prepare for objections and know how to address them professionally. |
|
Maximizing call efficiency |
Minimize time between calls and focus on making more connections. |
All with the goal of collecting more qualified leads, of course.
We know that investing your time into this only pays off if you end up with the ultimate cold call script that achieves all these things.
So let's power through the mandatory steps to get you the most R out of that I.
Nope, plotting how to generate leads is not the first step. Before you initiate any contact, you need to know everything you can about your audience. Enough to make them see this later on the call.
This means doing the research first. You shouldn't be calling people at random anyway.
There must be some reason your target audience is your target audience, so spend a hot minute getting to know that reason.
Use these questions as your compass:
And so on. Anything you can bond over or use to spark their interest on that first call is worth writing down so it's at arm's reach when you need it.
Pro tip: don't have just one version set in stone. You should have multiple variations to the script to help you successfully navigate any direction the call might take.
If it wasn't obvious so far, this is the deal: cold calling is all about the prospect.
Everything you say needs to resonate with their point of view and convince them that working with you is in their best interest, not just in yours.
Remember that stat about pushy salespeople? There are plenty more where that came from that say the same thing.
Prospects hate it when you hassle them or outright don't understand them.
We've all been on the other end of that call where the salesperson clearly didn't care who they were reaching. They kept banging on with information about their product and why you should buy it immediately...
Meanwhile, you just woke up and don't even know what menopause is because you're eleven and the sales call was clearly directed at your mom.
A decent cold calling script doesn't make the prospects' skin crawl.
Or the prospects' kids' skin, while we're at it.
It's loaded with valuable information, so if the need arises, you can be helpful, even if the problem they have doesn't immediately have everything to do with your main objective.
That way, the prospects:
We've seen so far that the initial cold call is only a small part of the job. It will statistically not get you very far unless you follow up with your prospects four or five times at least.
And thinking of what to say once is hard enough.
What the hell do you say to potential customers on five different calls?
Ideally, not the same thing every time. Yeah, this is where you get creative. But if you craft it well, you only need to do it once and the script will give back a thousand times over.
We'll show you how to do it.
Sending a cold email is stressful enough. But cold calling, with the live awkwardness, split-second decisions, and the possibility of rejection in real-time… let's just say that we understand if that's not the highlight of your day.
But embracing and leveraging these downsides can turn your calls around. And for that to happen, you need to write the cold call script that will address everything else ahead of time.
We do mean everything.
To get started, prepare your buyer persona. We've already mentioned it; it's basically all the homework on your target audience and where you come into the picture.
Once you have that done, section things out:
Here's a breakdown you can play with to form the core of that initial call:
|
Section |
What It Covers |
Example |
| Call Goal |
What are you trying to achieve with your call? Why now? Why them? |
To schedule a meeting or product demo with a prospect that could benefit from it. |
| Introduction + Value Proposition |
Briefly who you and your company are, and why you're calling them. |
"Hi Name, I'm John with ABC. We work with [their industry] companies to help them overcome [problem], and we wanted to reach out because…" |
| Prospect Pain Points |
Your prospects' pain points and how you've dealt with them before/can help them now. This is a good point to mention a case study. |
"I hear that, Name. A lot of our clients have been through that. Actually, we've just had a client with a similar situation and they really benefited from…" |
| Your Solution |
What sets you apart from the competition and why you're the best fit? Include anything unique or desirable about your product. |
"We're focusing specifically on [their problem] and if you agree, I would love to give you more details/show you some features..." |
| Next Steps |
When and how you will be in touch again, depending on the call goal and the conversation. |
|
That's a rough outline, but you get the picture.
Try to find a couple of variations for each stage. But ultimately, you should be as concise and direct as possible because this is a cold call and we're all busy.
One of the main uses of a script is to make sure you don't forget anything.
It's meant to be right there in front of you so you can use all the brainpower on listening, adapting, and winning customers over.
When you cover these basics, the human aspect of the call and its quick pace really become something you can use to your advantage to ensure clarity and get almost instant responses.
Because these are the real benefits of calling vs. emailing.
The conversation is happening in real time.
The prospect is responding to you naturally, you quickly test out what's working and adjust what isn't, and people are more likely to give you extra information compared to what they would write in an email.
Plus you get a feel of their language and tone, two things your marketing team would die for. Trust us.
A cold call script blog wouldn't be complete if we didn't include a real estate section. I mean, this screenshot should tell you everything:
Yeah, realtors make cold calls all the time. But that doesn't have to be the worst thing ever. You just need a solid real estate cold call script and a lot of practice to get it right.
And while we can't do these calls in your stead, we can help you prepare.
So. When it comes to real estate, there are two things that really need to be said. Not to say these aren't generally important, but they especially matter here.
I'm talking about two Ls:
Being local refers to knowing the area your prospects are selling in. But other than just being knowledgeable about said area, there's another detail about you that needs to say "local" and it's incredibly simple.
It's your phone number.
Having an ID that's "from out of state" is one way to look like you're calling from outer space and have your prospects immediately thinking: scam.
To avoid this, you can simply invest in a mobile VoIP with a local ID to give you the chance to get properly rejected instead of disqualified.
The other thing is leads. Jokes aside, for a real estate cold call script to make any difference, you need a list of people who have a low (but existent) investment in working with you, not just whoever will pick up when you call.
You can find solid leads:
Or by contacting companies that have access to potential leads like new home builders.
That said, it's not legal to just contact anyone, anyhow.
To stay in the safe zone, get familiar with the "Do Not Call Registry" and the current regulations before you start firing away.
With that out of the way, cold call script templates are pretty much the same across the sales board.
Cold calling can be a powerful tool to generate leads and sales, but crafting the right script is crucial for success. Here are various cold call script examples and templates to suit different situations:
Purpose: Introduce yourself, your company, and establish a connection to pique the prospect's interest.
Hi [Prospect Name], this is [Your Name] from [Your Company]. I understand you're in the [Prospect's Industry] industry, and I came across [Company/Achievement/Reason for Calling] that impressed me.
Purpose: Leverage a referral or existing connection to build trust and open the conversation.
Hi [Prospect Name], [Mutual Connection Name] mentioned I should reach out to you. They spoke highly of [Their Company/Their Role] and thought you might be interested in learning about [Your Solution].
Purpose: Quickly grab attention and deliver your value proposition in a short, impactful way.
Hi [Prospect Name], I help [Target Audience] achieve [Desired Outcome] by [Unique Selling Proposition]. Do you have a minute to chat about how we can help your company?
Purpose: Offer the prospect choices to engage based on their availability.
Hi [Prospect Name], this is [Your Name] from [Your Company]. I'm reaching out because we help companies like yours [Solve Pain Point]. Would you be free for a quick 15-minute call to learn more, or perhaps I can send you a short video explaining our solution?
Purpose: Leave a clear message after an initial unanswered call.
Hi [Prospect Name], this is [Your Name] from [Your Company]. I left a message earlier about [Briefly Reiterate Value Proposition]. If you're interested in learning more, please don't hesitate to call me back at [Your Phone Number]. Thanks for your time.
Purpose: Navigate past gatekeepers and connect directly with the decision-maker.
Hi [Gatekeeper Name], this is [Your Name] from [Your Company]. I'm calling to speak with [Decision-Maker Name] about [Brief Value Proposition]. Is [Decision-Maker Name] available, or can I schedule a convenient time to connect?
Purpose: Introduce a limited-time offer or promotion to spark immediate interest.
Hi [Prospect Name], this is [Your Name] from [Your Company]. We're currently offering a special discount on [Your Product/Service] that can help you [Benefit]. Would you be interested in a quick chat to learn more about this limited-time offer?
Remember: These are just templates, personalize them to fit your specific product or service and research your prospect beforehand.
Bonus Tips:
By using these cold call script examples and following the tips, you can increase your chances of success and turn cold calls into warm leads.
You've got the secret sauce... Now it's just a matter of not accidentally burning it. Use these cold call script tips to make sure your custom template stays on point.
"How about we set up a meeting tomorrow and I make all of your dreams come true?"
Yikes.
Overselling doesn't do anything for anyone, especially on a cold call. You don't give as much info or real value, you immediately lose the person's interest, and you come off lazy at best.
Instead, be specific. What exactly can you solve? Precisely why are you the best option? What makes you think you know what the prospect needs?
More effective, less annoying. Win-win.
Everything that happens on a cold call matters. How long it lasted, the words you said and the order in which you said them, every micro-reaction from your prospect, every objection they had...
This seems tedious and impractical… but only if you're not using a CRM system.
Wait. Have you been doing sales calls without a CRM?
Well, there you have it. If you'd like to optimize virtually every process and organize your sales funnel, we have an entire article dedicated to the best CRM software on the market to get you started.
Not like, toxic positive. But don't get defensive.
People will respond in some way, ask scary questions, or pose unsolvable problems. But all of these can be reset when you default to a generally agreeable, understanding approach by starting your sentences with:
And then you can add the "how about" or "do you think," and even a "what would make more sense?"
Remember, if the answer to a meeting is no, but the permission to stay in contact is granted, the cold call was a success.
Most books never get published because they never get finished.
Similarly, most cold call sales don't happen because the salesperson gave up too quickly.
This should be a comforting fact, because, if there's anything about sales that you can master immediately and always have up your sleeve, it's not giving up.
It literally takes no skill.
Just the sheer determination to show up time and time again, even if you don't have anything else working in your favor.
Don't just talk about yourself. Engage your prospect by asking open-ended questions that go beyond "yes" or "no" answers.
For example, instead of "Are you happy with your current solution?" ask "What are your biggest challenges with [their current process]?" This gets them talking and reveals valuable insights into their needs.
...just yet.
Cold calling is perhaps the single worst part of a salesperson's job. That amount of rejection on a daily basis requires some seriously thick skin. And even then, the time and energy you waste on prospects that don't go anywhere simply isn't worth it.
And yet, cold calling remains a profitable pursuit for the best salespeople. The ones who can persevere and persuade their customers.
Their trick?
Cold call scripts.
The best cold call scripts make this process bearable. Apparently, even enjoyable.
But why stop there?
Now that you have a script in your corner, don't let things like an old landline phone stand in your way.
Request a demo with Ringy to see how else you can automate your processes and streamline your sales.