Are you looking for ways to turn cold calls warm, and to get inspired by practical cold calling script templates?
Honestly, this is a tough task to do. Salespeople don’t like making cold calls. One of the reasons salespeople don’t want to make cold calls is because they would have to call someone who doesn’t know them and is not expecting a call from them.
The dirty little secret of cold calling is that, even a 1% success is enough. It means that you need to dial 100 well-chosen names before even one of them says yes to your offer. But you can live just fine with a response rate less than 1% if you do it right.
Here you have some of the most effective cold calling script templates; but, before that, we would like to give you a general guideline on the how-to and what things to consider.
6 Steps for Turning Cold Calls Into Hot Sales
Here’s out structure for turning cold call into hot sales:
Make sure all systems are ready
There is nothing worse than calling a prospect just to figure out Skype is down once again or the signal is terrible. So using services that facilitate communication and are of the best quality, can make or break your deal.
Set the stage
At first, you need to set the stage to communicate. You have to take the conversation to the next level. You need to make them talk to you. You will face many such cases where they are not willing to speak.
Learn everything you can
Study thoroughly on your prospect. Once you have studied well, you can use some direct knowledge on them while making the call. This is quite essential to make them feel that you know them at least to some extent.
Talk about money and other resources
Talk about the money involved in a proposal. Nothing encourages people to go for something better than money. This will create a better chance of conversion.
Find out who decides and how they make the decision
Find out who will take the decision based on what factors and if you are talking to the right person.
Close the deal
Once you have reached the end, close the deal. Make sure that the client’s mind is not going to change the next day.
There are many more things to consider, but these are the primary things you need to keep on the checklist. We have listed some cold calling scripts below to help you in this regard. They are a combination of these checklists and situation-based solution.
>>> Cold Calling Scripts for Digital Marketing That Converts
Here are our battle tested cold calling templates that converts like no other.
If you cold call template that you have been using for years doesn’t work anymore – than you must try these scripts.
Template 1
General cold call sample
You: Hi, is this (prospect’s name)?
Prospect: Yes.
You: (Your name) here from (Company name). Do you have a quick minute?
Assuming that the prospect replies in the positive, continue like below
Great! (Prospect’s name), I’m sure you are a busy person, and I want to respect your time, so I’ll be brief. The reason for my call is this. We specialize in (working with small business owners, salespeople, managers, etc.) so that you/they can (state your compelling reason – the end result of the benefit you offer).
With your permission, I was hoping to ask you a few questions and see if there is anything we are doing that you could benefit from. Would you be comfortable spending just a few moments with me?
Next, ask a few intelligent questions to establish the prospect’s pain points. Some of them are below; you can ask similar questions like these
- Which aspect of your current product/service would you like to improve or change?
- If you could magically eliminate three of your most significant problems, what would they be?
- How do these challenges affect you/your business?
Next, you should summarize and confirm
Form my understanding, what you are saying is (recap what the prospect shared with you; their problems, challenges, and objectives.)
Is that accurate/correct?
Then, say something like this
Would it be safe to say that if there were a way for you to (restate their biggest obstacle. For example, “to overcome the challenge/obstacle/problem of..”; reiterate their most important goal or objective they shared with you.) then it would be worth exploring/discussing in more detail?
If the prospect agrees, go to the next step
Then let’s fix a schedule for (state timeline. Ex: twenty minutes) to see if there’s a fit. I will answer your questions, share with you several options as well as demonstrate how our product/service will specifically address your challenges/objectives. Mr./Mrs.________, do you have a calendar handy? What day would be good for you, towards the beginning or the end of the week?
Also, ask questions like – Do mornings or afternoons work better for you?
Once you determine the meeting time, continue with –
Fantastic. I’m looking forward to meeting with you on ____at ____.
Thanks a lot for your time. Have a great day!
Template 2
General cold call sample
Hi, (Prospect’s name), this is (Your name) with (Your company). How’s your (Today’s day) going?
Note that “How’s your Tuesday (or whatever day it is) going?” generally gets a more positive response than the standard ‘How are you?’
Listen, (Prospect’s name); I know you probably get a ton of calls, so I’ll make this quick.
In a nutshell, we help companies to (state the problem or issue you solve, e.g. reduce costs, raise revenues, save time, make it easier, etc.).
We do this by (how you solve the problem), making it (benefits for the customer).
(Prospect’s name), would you be open to the idea of just seeing how this works?
If the prospect is interested, continue as below
Great, quick question [Prospect’s name], who else is involved in the decision making process for something like this?
And what do they usually do in this kind of situation? Does it make sense to you to have them see this as well?
How will you decide if we’re a good fit?
If they reply positively, then close like this
Great, (Prospect’s name). It sounds like it could be a good fit. How does your calendar look for (day) at (time) your time?
Template 3
General cold call sample
Mr. Prospect, have I caught you at an okay time?
If they are ready to talk
You: Great, thank you. I would like to take 2 minutes to tell you why I called. If at the end of 2 minutes you have any questions, I’d love to answer them. If not, you can just let me go. Okay?
Prospect: Yes.
You: Ok, great. The reason I called is that I read through your website and I know you are recruiting sales staff. It can be a challenge to, number one FIND the right people and two to KEEP them on board once you have them. Because of our experience (using our proprietary software) and the skill of the people we hire to do all preliminary screening, we have a slightly better than a 90% success rate – helping our clients hire sales staff who become top-tier producers within the first year. And as you can well guess successful salespeople tend to stay put for a long while.
You: Do you currently have a system in place that gains you the sales you need to meet your company’s demand?
Prospect: Yes, we do.
You: That is great, the only way we’ll ever be able to help you is if we can assist you in doing that better.
-or-
Prospect: No, we do not.
You: Honestly, that’s not unusual; we hear that an awful lot. It seems like we might have a lot to talk about. How would you like to set up a call for next week to see if it makes sense for us to work together?
Prospect: Great, I have most afternoons available to chat. What day is good for you?
You can replace the above part with something relevant to your service.
Template 4
This template is useful in situations where you need to get passed someone to reach the actual prospect
Gatekeeper: XYZ company, how can I help you?
You: Hi, may I speak with (first name), please?
Say this with a bright, warm smile in your voice. Be confident and friendly.
Gatekeeper: And what is your name, please?
You: Please, tell him that (Your first & last name) is calling, please.
Gatekeeper: And may I tell him the company you are calling from?
You: Yes, please! Please tell him (Your first & last name again) with the (Your company name) is holding, please.
Again, smile, be friendly and confident. If you follow this exact script, you’ll get through 60% of the time without any further screening.
If they ask – And what is this call about?
You respond by saying, “Please tell him/her it’s about (whatever your call is about – ‘His/her lead flow’), and I’m happy to hold, please…”
Template 5
If you had talked with the prospect before and had a break because of holidays or any other reason, you may follow this template as a follow-up
You: Good day. I am (your name) from (your company name). A few days ago we talked about (your proposal). May I continue our discussion on that?
If they agree and remember the previous schedule
You: Great! Then because you’re on-board with this, I’ll go ahead and prepare the paperwork, I’ll email it to you.
Give a brief pause here and wait for pushback. If none proceed with
You: I’ll look forward to us moving forward tomorrow…
If everything else is a go, then you have closed the deal.
>>> Cold Calling Scripts for Software Business
Here are the best templates for software businesses.
Template 6
If you are contacting the prospect on the basis of a referral from someone else
Hello, Mark, I am John Costa.
I’m with X (Organization Name)
Sam Anders in your Springfield office suggested I give you a call. (Referral)
For the past 12 years, we’ve focused on (state what you specialize in)
I’m calling because we are having a private, CEO-only dinner and speaker event at the Copley Plaza in downtown Boston where CEOs will have a chance to talk with each other and enjoy our speaker, the dean of Triton University Business School (Pause)
As we’ve never met, I’d look forward to doing so by having you come to the event as my guest.
Can I put you down as a yes for the event?
Template 7
If you are reaching out the prospect after sending an email previously
Hi Brett,
Nick with (Company name) here – reaching out about the email I sent on Tuesday. Did you get a chance to take a look? (Introduction)
(Personalize to the context of prospect’s answer)
Brett, I noticed under your LinkedIn summary that you oversee sales at Lefty, and it looks like from your Careers page that you’re scaling your team. Is that correct?
(Inject your possible value proposition and value proposition)
Could we block of 30 minutes later this week to walk you through these features and reports would look like for you? (Ask)
Template 8
A follow-up call to ensure the prospect has registered to join an event that was emailed before
Hi, my name is X, and I am calling on behalf of (Company name). I believe I’m speaking with (target Contact), the (Job Title).
Great! As I was saying, I’m calling on behalf of (Company name) recently we have sent you an invitation to our next IT Fundamentals Review event.
(If YES, the prospect has already received the invitation)
Have you already registered?
(If YES, Thank you-you will have registered at ————-
If NO, proceed to verify contact details: Company name, Contact Name, Job Title, Phone Number)
If you have already registered, you will receive an email notification from ———–confirming your registration. To confirm we have registered, may I take your email address?
Thank you for the registration. The ———— team will give you a reminder call a few days before the seminar. See you at the event! Have a nice day.
Discuss the event if prospect didn’t receive any email
(If NO, the prospect has not received the invitation; so proceed to discuss event details. Verify his/her email address and ask for the best time to call back)
We would like to invite you for a Free Educational Seminar showcasing _______ on Friday, the 15th of October from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Currently, both sessions are available, and we would recommend attending both of the topics are interrelated and can provide a full picture for your review.
Can we go ahead and register you on your behalf?
We can send you the copy of the invitation via email again. Can you please confirm your email address?
I will not forward you the event details. Can I call you again later/tomorrow to confirm if you have received the invitation and check if you would be interested in joining the seminar?
Thank you for your time. Have a nice day!
Template 9
In case you are sending a voice message to the prospect
Hey Lane!
Alexa from (Company name) here.
First off, looks like you work with person X – small world! I went to high school with person X. He’s a cool guy.
Anyways, looks like your team loves to focus on honest, superior customer service, and at (Company name), we are all about that too.
We’re backed by awesome customers like Z and Y who typically see 25%+ new business growth within one month of implementing with us.
Alex, I’d love to connect with your specific needs. I also have a suggestion for how to get your team working faster in less than 5 minutes (with or without us).
Call me back at 855-937-9273 if it’s convenient for you or feel free to reply to the email that I will send as a follow-up.
Thanks!
Template 10
Asking a current subscriber to refer others
Hello Darby,
I am glad you’re doing well!
The fact that you are using our daily accountability + support + a system to monitor and track your progress speaks highly of you and your persistence!! And we’re just getting started!
Since you are succeeding, I feel comfortable asking you for an introduction to another serious-minded person who needs and would benefit from our system.
To make the choice easy for the person you recommend, I would like to offer a free week of service. (maybe this too – optional – You can always say you have pull. “You know a guy…. “)
I’d love to help your friend/family member or co-worker as we continue to build a supportive – AND PRODUCTIVE group/family!
Thanks for the support,
Adam
P.S. Feel free to email this to the person if you feel more comfortable having them contact me directly.
In conclusion
Cold calling is, without doubt, a difficult task. But, these are working cold calling script templates that will give you better results. You may not get the chance to use the scripts exactly as mentioned above. But, they are good examples of how successful cold calls proceed.
If phone calls are not really your thing, then perhaps it’s time you tried SMS. After all, there are some SMS marketing seems be a promising prospect. Oh and we’ve got more cool articles like these on our blog. Be sure to take a look.
About Author: Liakat Hossain is a content marketing professional at WebAlive, an Australian web design and SEO agency. He has been helping businesses grow by developing search and content marketing strategies since 2011.
