15 on point cold calling scripts for your sales squad

Here’s the complete outline of this article, so you can skip to your favorite part.

1. Is cold calling really dead?
2. What is cold calling exactly now?
3. Important aspects for writing a sales cold calling script
4. 15 sales cold calling scripts
5. Expert views on cold calling
6. Bottomline

Hello, am I talking to all the readers looking for the best cold calling scripts?

If cold calling is your method, you and I already have a strong connection. I know that cold calling is one of the toughest methods to start a sales conversation. But I also know that 92% of all customer interaction happens over a call.

So, calling, in general, is extremely important for a business.

As cold calling is one of the oldest methods, many of us have started believing that cold calling is dead.

So, is cold calling really dead?

According to a study, 9 out of 10 B2B top-level decision-makers don’t respond to cold calls anymore. The same study states that 74% of the buyers will choose salespeople that can add value to their businesses.

So, cold calling is not really dead. It has evolved to a new level.

Prospects are not looking for random sales calls and pitches. They are looking forward to speaking with salespeople who can solve their problems.

If you’re in sales and using cold calling, you must be offering solutions by now, not products.

The bottomline; cold calling is still alive and still can be a solid technique to bring new customers on-board.

The practice and the definition of cold calling both have evolved over time.

So, what is cold calling exactly now?

Cold calling is your first verbal communication with the prospect over the phone. But that doesn’t mean your prospects don’t know about your product or you.

They might be knowing about your brand or you might have had a formal conversation on other channels. But the first call, where you understand what the prospect’s business is all about, and try to offer a solution – would be your cold call. 

Important aspects for writing a sales cold calling script

Before we jump into our main segment, there are some essential aspects you should know to create a sales cold calling script.

1. Industry check

Before reaching out to any prospect, make sure you do your research regarding their industry.

Let’s say you’re offering a digital marketing tool that can help a business track their rankings, major keywords, competitors, etc. Just like Semrush. You’re about to pitch to House 99 – A grooming product company by David Beckham. Adrien; eCommerce manager at House 99 is looking for a tool that can help them track all the keywords.

You need to do some homework.

Check what are the main products of House 99 and on what particular search query they are ranking. Also, find out the queries they’re struggling to rank on (that would be helpful for your cold call).

Here’s how your homework would be helpful:

Making a small industry check will help you discover the problems they might be facing. Once you identified the problems, you can address them and offer some solutions.

2. Know who your prospects are

Simple things can help you kickstart a conversation with your prospects.

When a stranger acknowledges you for your action, it feels good. And that’s the foundation of building a relationship.

Check out the social media profiles of your prospects. Know what they have been doing lately. Scroll through their social feeds and try to decode what are they up to.

For example, if I’m trying to pitch Salesmate CRM to Gary Vaynerchuk – founder of VaynerMedia, here’s something that would be useful:

This is how I would carry my first conversation with Gary:

Do you see that? Now the next time I connect with Gary over a call, he will remember me and Salesmate.

3. Get your facts right!

Two weeks back, I purchased a motorbike from a dealer. Two weeks later, every official documentation is done and I’m enjoying my rides.

Yesterday, I received a call from the same dealer verifying my inquiry. The conversation was weird:

Always make sure if your prospect has made an inquiry before.

Why this is important?

Because it simply shows that you don’t manage your customer data carefully.

At this point, I have figured out that my dealer is not keeping track of my status. Second, I’m terribly scared about the after-services.

A simple CRM like Salesmate can really help such small businesses and dealers. You can define different stages of sales, mode of connection, contact details, and everything related to the prospect. When the customer moves to the next stage, you can simply drag and drop the prospect in the CRM.

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15 sales cold calling scripts

Aah! The main attraction of this article! I’m going to provide use-cases of the ways you can approach your prospects. These methods might or might not be applicable to your industry. But I’ll try to keep this generic.

1. Have you got any options for me?

In Salesmate’s recent blog, we understood that having too many options can be dead-confusing for a prospect. Although, we all feel that having more options can help us find a better product. But that’s not the case every time. “Do you feel me when I say I have done endless scrolling on Amazon to buy a pair of jeans.”

Psychologically, the fewer options we have, the better is our decision making. 

For this particular cold calling script, I’m taking an example of a bank representative trying to offer credit cards to the customer.

This is how the conversation might go:

When you provide fewer options, the brain will automatically start comparing them with each other. In this case, the Platinum credit card has a heavy advantage.

2. Can I talk to your boss?

In so many cases, you’ll not be connected with the decision-maker directly. You have to face the manager or the assistant. In such cases, you can bond with that person, and influence him to help close the sale.

For example, you’re trying to offer an HR suite to a business. The HR manager is your first face of the conversation, but he is not the decision-maker. The CEO will make the final call whether to buy your product or not. This is how the conversation can go.

Now when you connect with the decision-maker, he will have a strong reason to engage as his teammate is already involved.

3. You and I have a mutual

In many cases, your prospect and you’ll have a common connection. Maybe a friend or a fellow entrepreneur, anyone. This kind of cold calling script has a clear advantage over others because you don’t have to find a reason to make an impression on the prospect. You already have a strong lead.

This is the cold calling script for such cases:

In such cases, make sure the prospect identifies the mutual friend. In corporates, people usually remember other people by their workplace. Make sure to mention the mutual’s workplace, so you don’t fall into the awkwardness of who-is-who.

Such cold calls have a high probability of converting into customers because the prospect has an easy way to trust your product or service.

4. Drop a voicemail

We know this is one of the biggest roadblocks in cold calling – voicemails. And these are the prospects that’ll make you hustle. But you have to take all the chances!

This would be a good cold calling script for such cases:

Hello Mr. Jobs, this is Sam from Salesmate CRM. I recently discovered that client management is one of the biggest problems the manufacturing industry is facing. I know you’re in the manufacturing business, and if you’re facing the same problem, Salesmate can really help you.

Again, this is Sam from Salesmate and you can reach out to me at (your number).

Although voicemail seems really disappointing to us, it has a silver lining. Whether the prospect calls or not, now you can tell him that you tried to reach out already.

This would be your real cold call:

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5. Start with a solid opening

There are some tremendous benefits of using social media channels, especially LinkedIn. These profiles tell a lot about your prospects, like the college they attended, education, past workplaces, awards they received, etc.

Here are some good examples:

1. I can see you also have studied from Xavier. We have one thing in common now!

2. First of all, congratulations on receiving the best leader award this year.

3. Hey Tim, I love your writing. I recently finished your eBook on the Future of Information & Technology.

4. Hey Jay. Loved your last podcast on Mindful Business. Some pretty solid stuff.

This is an instant way to make a connection with your prospect.

6. Can I call you back?

This would the most classic response we receive almost every day. But we have no option – prospects are not evolving.

However, this is the place where you can step up and bring your A-game.

This is how to handle such a response. Check out this cold calling script:

7. Ask the right questions

Asking the right questions has always been important in sales closing. For a cold call, you can use this method when you have a wide range of offerings. You have to make your cold calling script very impactful to reach a stage where you can ask such questions.

Here’s a good example:

8. Make sure they know your name

In many cases, salespeople can mix up channels and use them to their advantage. Let’s say, you’re approaching someone who is already following your blog. You have identified that your product can be a good fit for them.

This would be the best cold calling script for such cases:

This is not the only way. Many sales reps build connections with their prospects over social media channels. They like, share, and comment on the prospect’s content, they DM them and share valuable insights. At the right time, sales reps will ask for their phone number and hit the call.

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9. Look for their activities very closely

This is simply amazing. Just by looking at the company’s recent activities, you can predict their needs.

For example, check out the latest job openings from your prospect’s business on LinkedIn. Let’s suppose you found out they’re looking for a senior HR manager. Pitching them your recruiting services would be a good shot.

Let’s not forget that this guarantees you success, but it is definitely worth trying. This would your cold calling script:

10. Use your every call

Rejection is a big part of sales, and you just cannot ignore this. But there’s always a better way to deal with negative situations. Mistargeted prospects can lead you to potential prospects. That’s why always ask for referrals when the prospect is not interested or not the right fit.

Here’s one of such suitable cold calling scripts:

Simple!

Motivation is your strongest tool in sales, and anxiety is your biggest enemy. Don’t stop at the rejection. Use that rejection to create a new opportunity.

Okay. Enough motivation from my side.

11. Sure shots

People think that there’s no surety in cold calling. That is simply not true. Prospects can give you signs in so many ways that they’re interested in your product. A simple comment on your blog post can also work.

Of course, prospects who are really interested will fill up the contact form on your website, but there are so many other ways to find out.

For such cases, your prime motive is not to convince the prospect to use your product but to identify the problem they’re facing (that’ll eventually do sales closing).

Here’s a good calling script for such cases:

12. No references

I know, I have talked a lot about research (basically stalking of your prospects), but in so many cases you have no lead whatsoever. In such cases, you have to make the cold call and offer what you have in one or two lines.

This approach has no solid guarantee. But hey, sales is all about taking chances! This would be among good cold calling scripts in general:

If the prospect is interested, you can move ahead with the qualifying steps.

13. Let’s get over with this quickly

In so many industries, salespeople have to deal with hundreds of prospects – for example, life insurance. You cannot waste your time after a prospect who is genuinely not interested in your services. Simply because you would rather invest time after someone who really needs it.

For such industries, you can use the script below:

Such one-liners will give you a quick idea of whether to invest your time after a prospect or not.

14. Special offer for you

Offers and discounts can do wonders if put mindfully. The right discount at the right time can make your cold call a closing call.

Here’s the best cold call sales script for such cases:

Offers and discounts are like triggers that can help you close deals quickly. Many prospects can find your services suitable, but money is their prime concern. Discounts can help you close in such cases.

However, that doesn’t mean people don’t like to spend money. Buyers will have no objection to spending money when they see value in a product.

15. Use numbers

Numbers are convincing. They can help you prove a point. If you can use numbers and emphasize your script, there are higher chances of prospects signing up for your product/service.

Here’s a little something for that segment:

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Expert views on cold calling scripts

We asked some industry experts for their views on cold calling. Here’s what they have to say:

1. Sticking to the basics

Mike Kawula, Head of Growth from FlipSimpli says how they’re proudly old school in cold calling;

“In 1995, I started my first job working at a small investment house on Wall Street with 200 other sales guys. We all had a binder that had our scripts, rebuttals and other information.

As technology has advanced over the last 20+ years, to this day, whenever I have a new salesperson, I still create a binder that can be carried around and easily used during phone calls.

In the back of the binder, always include blank pieces of paper for your sales team to write down new objections. Each morning sales meeting (or weekly) address those objections and add the best-crafted responses in your objections tab.”

Your Sales team will thank you! 

2. Three best advice on sales cold calling scripts

Carmine Mastropierro from Matro Commerce says;

“My first tip for cold calling is to research the decision-maker. You need to speak with the person in charge of what you’re offering like marketing or tech services. Secondly, create a script that you can customize for each lead which speaks about the benefits of working with you and what problem will be solved. Lastly, ensure that you end every script with a call to action for a demo, another call, meeting, etc.” 

3. Your goal should be to help the prospect

CEO and Founder of Charlene Ignites shares that your prime goal to connect with prospects should be to help them;

“A salesperson’s mindset before they pick up the phone will determine their effectiveness (or lack thereof), regardless of what words they use. Before picking up the phone, you must deeply internalize the value from your clients’ perspective. Create a very clear picture of why they want to work with you. What will it do for them if they experience the transformation you are able to create? What will happen if they don’t? They are not doing you a favor by talking to you. They need you. No matter what script you use, lead with the sincere desire to help, and make sure the prospect feels that commitment from you.”

4. The golden rule of cold calling

Christian Banach, VP & Business Development Director of Genuine Interactive states the golden rule of cold calling;

“The Golden Rule of Cold Calling is to move from an interruption to a scheduled interaction. No matter how great your company, product or service, if you’re calling cold, it is an interruption. The prospect is not in the right frame of mind to make an informed decision immediately after being interrupted. The cold call is not the place to sell your product or service; it is to sell a scheduled meeting.”

5. Break the ice

Saurabh, Founder of Talk Travel on breaking the ice between you and the prospect:

“Cold calling does not start the moment the customer answers your call.  It is important to quickly develop a repertoire with the customer, gauge his voice and mood, and accordingly shoot something to break the ice. The first few seconds are very precious and can be the difference if your call will continue or not. Hence, focus on the prospect and think on the spot.” 

Bottomline

Cold calling has evolved a lot and will continue to do so. There’s no such thing as the best cold calling script. You have to continuously analyze what works for your industry, or to be specific, for your business.

As I have already mentioned, CRM must be in your list of tools, so you can actually analyze your customers. Salesmate is one of the most refined CRM available in the market for small businesses. We have carefully crafted Salesmate, so you can customize it according to your needs.

Take our 15-days of free trial and explore every feature.