Cold Calling Scripts:
Templates & Tips

In the arsenal of cold outreach approaches, cold calling is one that should not be forgotten, no matter what you read.

At the end of the day, selling is all about making connections and building relationships. Cold calling is a great way to do this, as you get to interact with prospects directly.

As long as you've got the right plan, templates, and tips going in, cold calling can be very successful.

In this article, we'll go over the importance of cold calling scripts, and provide you with some templates and tips to keep in mind when making those cold calls.

Cold calling is a sales approach and technique that relies on SDRs to make outbound calls to prospects that, as far as they're aware, have never heard of their company, product, or service before.

By calling, SDRs are able to establish rapport and connect with prospects directly to inform them of their offer, instead of relying on email or social media. It is a great way to move the conversation along or add diversity to a sales cadence.

Prospects are pre-determined and pre-selected based on an Ideal Customer Profile to help SDRs book meetings further down the line. This means that although prospects have never heard of the company, product, or service, the likelihood of what you offer being appealing is quite large.

You just have to have patience, be respectful, and rely on a good cold calling script.

A cold calling script is a plan for SDRs to follow when conducting a cold call.

As its name implies, it is a script for what they should say and how the call should play out to achieve a sale. Not only are these scripts good for practice with a sales mock up call, but they also serve to guide SDRs through how their calls should go.

Creating a good cold call script means creating a good sales opportunity for you, your company, and you as a sales rep.

You need to consider the verticals you are focusing on, the prospects that match those verticals, their needs, and pain points, and then summarize them in a succinct conversation that keeps your prospect at the forefront the entire time.

Just as you would research your prospect to craft the best cold email, so should you prepare yourself for a cold call. It is more of a gamble as you cannot predict how your prospect will react all the time, but having a script provides you with focus and the information you need to keep the conversation going.

Your goal with these calls is always to begin forming a connection.

Cold calls are supposed to be the beginning of a sale, not the end. You want to come across as knowledgeable, personable, and empathetic to your prospect. Further calls and meetings for a sale can come later – your goal as an SDR during a cold call is to open a door to a new opportunity for both parties.

But cold calling can be scary at first, even with a script you've prepared ready to go.

We're happy to give you a hand to start off.

To make things easier for you, here are some cold calling templates you can use to start off that we recommend:

The Choose Your Own Adventure Opener

When you are targeting prospects cold, you may have several verticals that may work for them. A great way to do this and qualify prospects at the same time while giving them the feeling of being in control is to present them with options. You also learn more about their pain points and can begin preparing for the next meeting.

A great sample script for this is:

Hi, this is [your name] from [your company]. How are you?

We're working on some solutions to help you [refer to pain point]. Is that something you'd like to hear more about?

(If 'yes.')

There are two ways companies work with us. We can either [option A], or [option B]. Which one would you want to hear most about?

(they choose one or the other.)

Awesome. Can I ask you a few questions first?

(Ask qualifying questions)

Great, thank you. I can tell you a bit more about how the solution you chose can help. If it makes sense, we'll set up an appointment before we get off our call today to go over it in more detail. Sound good?

Getting Through the Gatekeeper

Gatekeepers keep salespeople from making a direct connection with prospects. Just as salespeople qualify leads, so do gatekeepers qualify products or services to see if they're worth the prospect's time. The goal of these calls is to nudge the conversation along to the prospect.

To do this, SDRs must remain respectful of the prospect's time and find empathy with the gatekeeper.

A great sample script for this is:

Hello, my name is [your name] and I'm [your title] at [your company]. I was wondering if you could help me. I looked on the [prospect's company] LinkedIn page, but I couldn't find your name. Are you usually the person who answers the phone? I'd feel much better if I knew your name before I asked for a favor.

(Repeat the gatekeeper's name and thank them).

I'd like to speak with [prospect's name or title]. What's the best way to make that happen?

The Referral

What's a great way to establish a new relationship? Find the people you both know.

Name-dropping folks or companies you work with that are similar or may be in your prospect's circle is a great way to begin establishing trust and interest in your product or service. How to bring it up organically during a call?

Take a look at this script:

Hi [NAME],

[Contact's name] and I are seeing great results with [other client company]'s marketing automation at the moment and when talking about who else would benefit, your name came up.

Congratulations on [personalization]. What you're doing at [prospect company name] is impressive!

I'd love to show you how we've helped [contact's name] generate [result] and how we may be able to do the same for you. Would you be interested in discussing this further?

The Voicemail

Sometimes the cold call doesn't connect. In those cases, leaving a voicemail is a great use of time and gets your name and company recognized. You can then follow up with additional tasks by email or social media, as well as more calls.

But that first voicemail needs to make a great first impression to ensure your prospect is receptive to future outreach. An example you can follow is:

Hello, [prospect name]. This is [your name] with [company name].

The reason for my call is I have an idea on how to possibly help you improve [prospect's paint point]. I wanted to see if it would make sense for us to have a quick conversation to find out more about it.

I can be reached at [your company phone number].

Again, my name is [your name] with [company name] at [your company phone number].

Thank you and have a great day [prospect name]!

The Follow-Up

Cold calls sometimes need to be followed up with, whether it's a voicemail, an actual call, or as part of a sales cadence that started with an email. These can be a little awkward at first, so take a look at this script to start off your follow-ups:

Hi [prospect's name], I'm [your name] from [your company]. I [left a voice message/sent an email or DM] last week, and thought I'd see if now was a good time to reach out. To remind you, we can help you fix [pain point]. I'd love to show you how you can generate [result].

When would you like to schedule a call to learn more?

Even when you use templates or scripts, it's easy for things to take you by surprise.

Here are some key tips to keep in mind whenever you're cold calling that will make things easier for you:

Respect your prospect's time

Cold calls take up your prospect's time as soon as they press accept.

It's not an email, DM, or social media post that they can come back to later, but a conversation happening at that specific moment. The first thing you want to always make sure of is that they are ready, available, and willing to listen to you at that point in time.

If they are busy or otherwise engaged, it is best to: be respectful of this and call back later, follow up with an immediate email to let them know you were the person who called, or try to organize for a later date.

The simple act of acknowledging that this is the time you are infringing upon is sure to make a good first impression on your prospects. It will make you memorable and help you stand out from other cold calling SDRs that go right into their sales pitch.

Introduce yourself clearly and don't pretend

Don't pretend it's not a cold call, your prospects know better.

It's best to be transparent about your purpose from the get-go and to introduce yourself and your company clearly.

Subterfuge or attempts to trick your prospect into staying on the phone longer will not make you any friends and instead result in lost opportunities.

We are all working adults, and your prospects know to expect cold calls.

Block a time during the day to devote to cold calling

Dividing out your cold calling during the day is not a good idea, as you're likely to fall behind. Instead, find a time of day in which you are the most focused and can devote a block of a few hours to simply cold calling.

You will improve a lot faster by doing it continuously in a short amount of time, and find yourself becoming more confident as well.

You also benefit from this by ensuring that you are completing the required dials in this window of time.

Listen to your prospect, don't just pitch

A cold call is about making a connection with your prospect. It is not about diving straight into your sales pitch.

Listen to your prospect when you're on the phone to determine: if it's a good time, if they've experienced your product or service before, if they've even been called before.

And always make sure to note these things in your company CRM.

The last thing you want to do is continue calling a prospect that is continuously getting pitched your product or service, but none of the SDRs is actively listening to it.

Ask questions to more fully understand their pain points

SDRs are unique in that they are front-facing members of a business that receive feedback from customers and prospects the fastest.

By asking your prospects questions during cold calls, you can more fully understand their pain points and guide them toward how your product or service can help them.

And you can provide feedback to your managers and higher-ups by discussing what you learn from your prospects that they need and that your company can help them with.

Having prospects do most of the talking is the best way to make them feel comfortable and heard, creating a positive impression of your company and yourself as a salesperson.

Practice and visualize before calling

Practice, practice, practice.

This is the name of the game in cold calling. The more you practice and do it, the better you will be.

Keep a positive attitude and visualize how the conversation will go according to the script you are using. Use this to remain on task and focused, but remember to ask questions and involved your prospect.

You aim to have a conversation and understand them better, not just pitch at them.

Don't take it personally

Sometimes prospects are truly not interested in your product or service.

Sometimes you catch them at a bad moment.

As salespeople, we always have to remember not to take a refusal personally. We can push up to a certain point, but we need to remember that sometimes it is best to try again later. Later can be the prospect in that role changes, or when the prospect is in a better mood.

Sales relies on correct targeting and messaging, but that can sometimes not be enough.

And that's okay. We just have to keep going.

Add it to a larger sales cadence

Combining cold calling with other parts of a sales cadence such as email or social media outreach is the best way to ensure you make contact and secure further meetings.

Telling prospects via email that you'll call them at a particular date and time, or emailing them with further information after leaving a voicemail, are all techniques and combinations that will help you stand out from the crowd.

And that is exactly what you want as a salesperson during initial outreach: to stand out enough that you form a favorable impression on prospects that may come calling further down the line.

Cold calling still accounts for 30% of leads for companies.

It is not going away any time soon.

As an SDR, you want to be as ready and armed as possible when it's time to start those cold calls.

Whether you're just starting, need some new ideas or guidance, or are looking for inspiration, we're happy to provide it.

Join our SDR Community here at SalesPipe to improve your cold calling skills even further!