Despite what you may have heard, cold calling still works. More than 71% of buyers agree they want salespeople to reach out to them and over 50% of decision-makers want to be contacted via phone.
But, similar to cold email, to be effective, cold calling requires a bit of strategy and the right cold call script. Sounds easy enough, right? Not necessarily. Sit down and try to write a winning cold calling script from scratch, and chances are you’ll feel like banging your head against the wall.
Call scripts might sound stodgy, and you may doubt their ability to keep prospects on the line—especially if they’re impersonal and inflexible. If you want to increase the results of your sales calls, it starts by rethinking your existing call scripts.
So, how do you create a cold call sales script that won’t make prospects immediately hang up the phone? We’re sharing tips for creating an effective B2B cold call script and showing you some cold call script examples to help inspire your next cold call script template.
But First, What Is Cold Calling?
Before we get into the nitty-gritty of crafting scripts for sales calls, let’s make sure we’re on the same page about what we mean by cold calling. What is a cold call? Cold calling is the act of calling a cold lead, aka someone who hasn’t expressed any interest in your product (yet).
In other words, cold calling is when your company reaches out to prospects who fit your target demographic and could use your products or services—even though they don’t know it yet. That’s what makes writing a cold calling script so difficult. You’re essentially trying to make a connection, educate, and secure a follow-up meeting with someone who knows nothing about your product or service.
It’s not easy, but with the right sales cold call script, it’s possible to warm those prospects up quickly and efficiently.
3 Quick Tips for Developing a Cold Calling Script
Before we show you a cold call script sample, here are three quick tips for developing a cold calling script:
1. Do Your Research
Even though you’re doing cold calls, you shouldn’t go into any calls blind. Take some time to learn about your prospects before cold calling. Look them up on LinkedIn, learn a little about the company, or do some quick research about their industry. You want to go into the call with as much information as possible.
2. Start with the Basic Cold Call Template
Whether you’re writing a software cold call script or a digital marketing cold call script, it’s important to build your template around a tried-and-true formula. In short, every cold calling script follows the same basic formula:
- The Opener
- Your Reason for Calling
- Your Value Proposition
- Some Qualifying Questions
- Closer (aka what comes next)
When building your cold calling script, start with this basic cold call template.
3. Have a Plan for Objections
Even the best cold call script in the world faces some objections. Write down any anticipated objections and prepare responses so you know how to handle them when they arise. Some common objections include, “I don’t have time for this,” or “Send me an email.” Make a list of your most common objections and include answers for them in your cold call script.
3 Cold Call Script Examples
Your goal with a cold call script isn’t to close the sale. Instead, you first want to warm them up and hopefully set up a meeting or product demonstration. In other words, you’re trying to craft a cold call script to get a meeting, not a deal. Here are a few telemarketing scripts to get you started:
1. Choose Your Own Adventure
Instead of assuming you know what your prospect wants, give them some options. This gives you more insight and does a terrific job of keeping prospects on the phone. Here’s an example of a cold call script that uses this method:
Hey [First Name]. This is [Your Name] calling from ABC Marketing Company. How are you?
(wait for response)
I’m calling because it’s almost the end of the year and I’m checking in with mid-size companies like [Prospect Company] to see what their plans are for digital marketing in the new year. Are you interested in seeing how you could increase revenue with our assistance?
(if yes)
Awesome. So, there are two ways we can do this. We can start with what your top 3 goals are and work toward the cost. Or we could start with what you’d like to pay and build some potential plans around that cost. Which do you prefer?
As you can see in this cold call digital marketing script, giving the prospect a choice makes them want to invest in what you have to offer.
2. Mention the “Mutual”
The quickest way to warm up a cold call is by mentioning the “mutual.” Take a look at this software cold call script to see how to do it:
Hey [First Name]. This is [Your Name] from XYZ Tech Co. Listen, I’m calling because your friend [Mutual Contact’s Name] just closed out her third month using our software, and she’s had amazing results.
I’d love to offer you the same experience I did to them. Are you interested in hearing about how you can accelerate growth with our solution, too?
By bringing up a mutual contact, you’ll be able to break down the walls much quicker. If you don’t have a mutual connection, find other commonalities to pull from, like their alumni, location, or shared online groups. Finding a commonality will help entice your prospects to stay on the call with you a bit longer.
3. A Cold Call Voicemail Script
Just like objections, you need to have a plan for voicemails, too. These days most people won’t take a call from a number they don’t recognize. Here’s a recruiter cold call script for voicemails, so you can get an idea of how to write your own:
Hey [First Name]. This is [Your Name] from Sam’s Staffing.
I’m calling because I saw that you’re actively recruiting new candidates on LinkedIn, and our software makes it easy to sift through resumes and find qualified candidates fast. If this is something you’re interested in, give me a call back at [Your phone number]
Again, this is [Your Name] from Sam’s Staffing.
With a cold call voicemail script, your primary objective is to get a callback and, at the very least, start the prospecting process.
Warm Up Your Cold Calling Efforts with More Information
Writing the perfect cold calling script might take a bit of trial and error. But by using a cold call script example as a baseline, you should be able to craft the best cold call script for your company.
If you want to level up your cold calling, information is critical. That’s where we come in. LeadLander is the website tracking and visitor identification platform with the most longevity in the industry. We specialize in helping companies get insight into their website visitors to strengthen their cold outreach. Try LeadLander free for 14 days and see how we can help add context to your B2B cold call script.