Best Cold Calling Scripts to Handle Different Selling Situations [ With Sample Scripts]

How often do you find yourself fumbling in the middle of a cold call? 

*Mind voice: Always* 

We have all been there. And yes, it’s embarrassing – Especially when you play it back to your manager!

While it’s human to get lost in words, letting it slide could seriously affect your outbound prospecting efforts and may end up ruining your career.

It is important to note that the real villain here is not fear per se but the ambiguity that comes with cold calling. 

So to ace a cold call, you should have a cold calling script. A cold calling script kicks ambiguity out of the scene, helps you be mindful of what you say, and pitch your message clearly. 

In this article, we present you with 30 battle-tested cold calling scripts that help you take back control of your calls and ace your game like you always wanted to.

What Is A Cold Call?

Cold calls are calls made to prospects unaware of your company or offerings over the telephone.

Despite the emergence of new outreach channels and the rampant pessimism about the practice in general, cold calling remains one of the fastest ways for sales reps to connect with prospects and get a meeting booked.

Why You Should Use Scripts for Your Cold Calls?

• Be mindful of what you are saying – While your cold call should ideally feel like a spontaneous interaction, getting on the phone impromptu might lead to awkward pauses, filler overuse, and clumsy delivery. But having a sales call script helps you avoid mistakes, stay mindful of what you say, and convey your sales message confidently.
• Be prepared to face objections – You are bound to get objections in sales calls, at least in most cases. These scripts help you handle cold calling objections and be prepared to face them head-on and turn them into opportunities.
• Ensure performance across the board –  With a sales script in place, sales leaders can rest assured all their squads have a uniform sales process and are performing at their best.
• Effectively train new reps – Sales cold call scripts give new SDRs a framework to work in so they won’t get stuck anywhere due to misconceptions or confusion about what to say and what not to say during a phone call. The bottom line, it helps sales managers speed up the training process.

Example of a Cold Calling Script

Hello, {prospect name}. I’m {name} from {company}. We haven't spoken before. Do you 
have a brief moment? (prospect says yes) Great, thank you. Do you face {pain points that your product solves} when you try to do {a specific activity of their work process}

How to Structure Your Cold Calling Scripts?

Here’s a simple 4-step framework to help you create your own cold calling script:

Begin the Cold Call With a Strong Opener:

Your openers should achieve two things: Get your prospect’s attention and intrigue them enough to stay on the call. Here are two types of cold call openers that you can use to grab their attention:

1. Pattern-interrupting openers

Pattern-interrupting openers are like a red dot in a sea of white dots. It catches the prospects off guard and makes them go, ‘Wait, what’? 

Here’s an example of one such opener used by SDRs at Klenty all the time:

Hi Alex, this is Kevin from HYPP. Can I brighten your day with a cold call?

2. Permission-based openers

Permission-based openers seek prospects’ permission to continue before you get to the reason for the call. “People take it more as a sign of respect, that you’re making sure it’s okay to continue your pitch when you call them out of the blue”, says Ashley Dees, SDR Manager at Metadata.

Here’s a permission-based opener she uses during cold calls:

“Hey, Kim! Ashley from Metadata. We haven’t spoken before. Do you have a minute to chat?” 

She modifies her opener to “It sounds like it’s not a great time. Sounds like you’re driving, and I don’t want to bother you. Is it okay if I call you back tomorrow afternoon?” if she senses that the prospect is in a noisy environment.

State the Reason for Your Cold Call

Once you have your prospect’s attention, tell them why you are calling. Ideally, this is the part where you explain the reason for your call and convey the relevance of the message.

The reason for your call is never to pitch your product. In fact, selling is the last step in the process. Instead, find a segue that you can use to start a conversation with your prospect and organically introduce your product. Research your prospect using sales intelligence tools and social media channels to find the perfect segue that is relevant and personalized.

Here’s an example:

So, Aaron, I came to know that Codify’s annual summit is in 2 months. How are you planning to handle check-ins this time? I’m asking because I’ve heard that delayed check-ins are among the most common reasons for low attendee satisfaction.

Figure Out if They’re Ready To Buy

There’s no one-size-fits-all formula to find the buying intent of prospects. The only way to find it is by asking them a series of qualifying questions based on the prospects’ responses. No matter the number or kind of qualifying questions you ask, by the end of this stage of cold calling, you should know 3 things:

1. Are they aware of the problem they are facing?
2. Is solving the problem a priority?
3. Do they have a tool in place to solve the problem?

Pro Tip: You can use sales models like SPIN, MEDDIC, NEAT, and GAP to frame specific qualifying questions to fish out more information out of your prospects.

Take the Next Steps Based on Their Sales-Readiness

Your prospects’ responses to your qualifying questions will give you a clear idea about how sales-ready they are. You can segment your prospects into two based on their sales-readiness (buying intent):

1. Prospects with high buying intent

These are sales-ready prospects who are aware of their pain points and are ready to solve it right now. The next logical step for them is to book a meeting with you. 

2. Prospects with low buying intent

These are prospects who aren’t ready to buy from you yet. They might or might not be aware of the problem, but solving it isn’t a priority for them. So, never ask them for a meeting instead, warm them up by sending relevant resources through email. Get them familiar with your brand and nurture them with value so they’ll choose you when the time comes.

SDR- Verified B2B Cold Calling Scripts to Book More Meetings

Best-Cold Calling Openers To Catch Your Prospect’s Attention

No one is waiting for a sales call to get sold on some grand idea. The cold truth is your prospects might be preoccupied with a million other things when you make the out-of-the-blue call. So if you don’t grab their attention and interest them enough at the opening of your call, they sure are going to hang up and go on with their life. Here are 5 openers to arrest your prospect’s attention.

1. When You Use a Trigger Event

Hi James, it's Mike with Sky Securities.

I believe you took part in a webinar on Data Loss Prevention last Wednesday. Is that right?

"Yes"

One of the things that struck me was how most of the recent cyber-attacks happened via HYPP. As a company which uses HYPP as the major communication channel, what     
measures have you taken to prevent this from happening?

(Start asking qualifying questions based on their responses)

2. Referral From the Prospect’s Colleague

Hi Emilio, it's Maria with Prolific. 

I just got off a call with Tyler from the Product team. He says you are actively looking for a solution to streamline and speed up the process of your dev team. Is this the right time to talk?

"Yes"

Great. I'll first ask you a few key questions to understand your situation and see where we can fix your dev team's process. Sounds good?

"Yes"

Great. Now tell me Emilio…

(Start asking qualifying questions)

3. When You Get Referred by Your Mutual Connection

Hi Leon, it's Mia with ThriveSpace. 

I was speaking with Lucas at Kikazz Softwares the other day, and he said you are actively 
looking for a new office space to accommodate your growing team.
 
We've been helping startups like yours rent affordable office spaces in the Buffalo city area. Most recently, XSoft rented a 100-square-foot office with us, cutting their overhead cost by almost 15%.

I thought I'd reach out to you to see how I can help you with your situation. I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time.

"No, go ahead"

Awesome, could you help me answer a few questions so I can get a clear idea of your 
situation? 

"Yes"

Perfect! Now tell me Leon…

(Start asking qualifying questions)

4. Hyper-Personalized Cold Calling Scripts

Hi Luke, it's Sara with Xenex. Congrats on your promotion! Going from an SDR to an SDR manager in just 8 months is no easy job!

As someone with similar career goals, I couldn't help but call you right away! I hope it is a good time because I'm really excited to know more about your journey and how you    
made it.

If "Yes"

(Be genuinely interested in your prospect’s journey. Build the rapport and slowly steer the conversation to introduce your offering in a subtle manner)

5. When You Follow Up After a Call-Back Request

Hi Aaron, it's Anita from Hybevent. You had asked me to call you back today. Hope it is a  good time to talk.

"Yes"

So, Aaron, I came to know that Codify's annual summit is in 2 months. How are you 
planning to handle check-ins this time? I'm asking because I've heard that delayed 
check-ins are among the most common reasons for low attendee satisfaction. 

(Ask more qualifying questions based on their response)

6. Following Up After Sending a Cold Email

Hi Robert, it's Amelia with iCandy. Does that name ring a bell?

(The prospect responds with a yes or no, depending on whether they've noticed your 
email.)

Yeah, I had sent you an email this Wednesday about how optimizing Skypark's website 
could increase your traffic by 20% in under 3 months. 

I thought I'd reach out to you and see if you are interested in hearing more about that. Do you have a minute?

If "Yes"

Before I tell you more about our solutions, shall I ask you a few questions to better understand your situation?

If "yes"

(Start asking qualifying questions)

7. Cold Call Script to Re-Engage With a Lost Lead

Hi Sophia, it's Lucas from Supernova.

Three months ago, you showed interest in making a TV spot for Coco Drink because there was a slump in sales in the last quarter. But since the allocated budget had to be 
redirected into some other campaign, you decided not to move forward with the idea.

What does the situation look like for you now? 

Prospect Responds

Oh, that's nice.

(Start asking qualifying questions)

11 Common Sales Objections and Ways To Handle Them  

Despite how awful and discouraging they might sound, objections present an excellent opportunity to explore your prospect’s hidden challenges and requirements and help you keep qualifying them better. 

Ashley Dees, SDR manager at Metadata, considers every objection as an opportunity to put a smile on her prospects. In a series we ran called the ‘SDR X Factor,’ she told us, “When I’m reaching out to people, I like to have fun. I really enjoy making people laugh personally. So anytime I’m able to do that, I will”.

Here is a list of simple yet powerful responses to tackle cold-calling objections like a pro.

Pro Tip:

54.3% of high-performing reps use questions to deal with objections. Through questions, you’ll be able to dig out the real reason behind objections and handle them better.

1. I’m Not Interested

Option 1:

"{prospect name}, it's absolutely reasonable to not be interested in my first call to you. I'd like to give us an opportunity to schedule a more formal time. In the meantime, I'll email  you a few wonderful success cases that might gain your interest. 

If it does, and I think it will, I'd love for us to keep our appointment, if not then you 
shouldn't be interested." 

Why it works: With this response, you are achieving three things – Making the prospect feel understood, making them curious about your offering, and, most importantly, exploring the possibility of getting a formal meeting with them.

Option 2:

"Do you think I can touch base with you sometime later? Do you think your priorities 
would change?"

Why it works:  Bugging prospects about why they are not interested in your product can only push them further away. Instead, when you shift your prospect’s focus from their disinterest in your product to chances of future collaboration, they tend to give more positive responses. Nanditha Menon, BDR at G2, claims asking this might help you secure another meeting with prospects as they tend to give an alternative date and time.

2. Mail Me the Information

Option 1:

"I'd be glad to do that. Can you tell specifically what kind of information will help you?

{Prospect responds}

That's interesting, why is that important?"

Why it works: This one from Jim Dunn’s ‘Common Sense Selling’ subtly moves the prospect from hanging up the phone to continuing to answer your qualifying questions.

Option 2:

"Sorry to say this, but most people who ask me to mail the information never reply. If you have 2 minutes, I'll tell you why I called."

Why it works: Prospect might sympathize with you and would agree to listen to you. Also, by going for a small ask- 2 minutes of their time, you encourage them to let their guard down.

3. We Have Everything We Need

Oh that's great! But as you know, there's always room for improvement. I did a bit of research on {prospect's company} before calling you and I found that {prospect pain point}. I 
figured out we could help you {tangible result}. 

I can mail you the information if you want, and you can get back to me if you're 
interested. Sounds good?

Why it works: The response lets your prospect know that you have actually done your research. And since you are providing value in the form of research, the prospect is more likely to share the email address with you.

4. Too Busy Right Now, Call Back Later

Option 1:

"Oh, that's fine. How about I call you later this evening/tomorrow morning at {specify 
time}?

Why it works: First, you are being respectful of their time. Second, you are committing them to a specific time, so there’s no confusion as to why you should make the callback.

Option 2:

"When would be a good time to call you back?

{When the prospect gives a time}

Can I take 30 seconds to tell you why I called?"

Why it works: According to Joel Thomas, top-performing SDR at Almabase, asking prospects if you can tell them why you called, in 30 seconds, gives you an idea about why they used this objection. “Some people are genuinely busy – they’re probably in a meeting or something, and then you don’t want to interrupt that, but some people just want to brush you off.”, says Joel.

5. Call Back Next Month or Quarter

"Sure. I'd be glad to. Out of curiosity, is {prospect company} investing in {big commitment - like product, acquisition} in the meantime? 

Why it works: When a prospect asks you to call back after a certain period, typically a quarter or 6 months, there’s a high chance that their company is engaged in some important project or going through a transition. This response will help you know what that is and further qualify your theme.

Note: If you are going to give a prospect a follow-up call after a few weeks or months, keep your prospects in the loop by regularly sending them emails with information that interests them in the meantime. That way, you won’t come off as a cold caller the next time.

6. This Isn’t a Priority Right Now

"Ok, that's fine. Would you be open to discussing this if I call you back in a month or two?"

Prospect responds

Great! Meanwhile, we have some interesting resources on {subject matter that interests 
your prospect}. I can send it to you by email. Would you like to receive it?

Why it works:

Even though you’re delaying the discussion by a few weeks, you are securing their email address which you use to warm up the prospect on a regular basis.

7. I Need To Think About It

{Prospect name}, I understand that thinking about it might make sense right now, but can you help me understand what's exactly holding you back? 

Why it works: “I need to think about it” always means the prospect isn’t convinced or clear about something. That’s why it’s important to know what is bothering them before you ask other questions. This script from Mike Brook’s ‘Power Phone Script’ does exactly that. 

8. I’ll Need To Discuss This With Person X

"I understand, {prospect name}. If it's alright with you, I'll be happy to reach out to 
{person X/decision maker} directly and answer any questions they might have. Would that be   okay?"

If "yes," ask for their number and go ahead.
 
If "no," say, "That's okay. Quick question, though, "Do you think {person X} would like to   hear about this?"

Why it works: Also, from Mike Brook’s ‘Power Phone Script‘, this clever response will either get you to speak directly with the decision maker or know more about them.

9. We Already Have Competitor X Product/Service

Option 1:

"Oh, that's okay. Just a quick question, how would you rate 'competitor' on a scale of 
1-10?

Why it works: Just because the prospect is already using a competitor’s product or service, it doesn’t mean the doors are shut forever. The above response helps you explore future goals and aspirations of prospects and other interesting information.

Option 2:

"Our goal isn't to make your transition. Nor is that my job, actually. My job is to reach out to you, and talk about your business and see if we can maybe provide a solution for you, make your life a little easier. Our goal is, we want to show you the platform and show you why people are using our platform, and then the transition is up to you."

Why it works: Sam Holeman, SDR at Momence, shared this strategy when we interviewed him for our SDR X Factor series. He calls this the “reframing the conversation” strategy. When you take a solution-focused approach, where you are more interested in how your prospect can benefit from the product, you coax them to trust and open up to you.

10. I Heard That {Something Bad About Your Product/Service}

"Sorry to hear about that/Thanks for bringing this up, {prospect name}. Could you be 
more specific on what you heard about {product/service}?"

Why it works: Just like a customer service representative, you are trying to empathize with the prospect and are trying to dig deeper into what exactly they are concerned about. Make sure you sound genuinely concerned about their feelings and determined to clear up the doubts.

11. What’s the Price?

"That's a great question. In order to get you the best price, I'll need to understand a bit 
more about your specific needs and requirements. Does that sound good to you?"

Why it works: You want to know your potential customer’s specificity to determine where they fit. That’s what we are doing with this script.

Cold Calling Scripts To Get Past the Gatekeepers

If there’s one person that salespeople want to avoid at all costs, it would be the gatekeepers. Gatekeepers are experts at snapping your calls short and making you feel stupid. But consider this, they know a great deal about your prospects, and that information could save you tons of time and the overall success rate of your cold call.

However, you can’t get anything out of them if they sound harsh or dominating. When speaking with gatekeepers make sure you sound polite and professional. “We shouldn’t be disingenuous, you shouldn’t tell them lies because they can see through that. It’s their entire job to keep salespeople out,” says Joel, in our ‘SDR X Factor’ series.

Here are two scripts to help you work with the gatekeeper:

Working With Assistants, Secretaries and Other Screeners

Hi {gatekeeper name}, it's {your name} with {your company}. I'd like to speak with 
{prospect name} to discuss {specify prospect's pain point and your possible solution for   
it}. But just to make sure I don't waste his/her time, you could perhaps help me answer a 
few questions. Is that okay with you?

"Sure. Go ahead"

"Great!"

Now, proceed to ask qualifying questions like…
1. When is the best time to reach {prospect name}?
2. Which is the preferred medium of communication for {prospect name}?
3. Who usually makes the decision regarding X?

Thanks a lot {gatekeeper name}, I'm glad I reached you. Now if the {prospect name} is 
available, could you please connect me with him/her?

Why it works: By explicitly stating that you don’t want to waste the prospect’s time and asking them to help with that, you are making the gatekeeper’s job easier – which is to save the prospect’s valuable time – and hence would be happy to divulge information you could have never found on the internet.

Working With Receptionist

Hi, it's {your name} with {your company }. Put me through to 
{prospect name} in the {prospect department}, please.

"Sure, hold on a second"

If the receptionist asks: "What is this about?"

"Please tell her/him it's {your name} with {your company} and calling about {specify a 
prospect's pain point and your possible solution for it}.

Why it works: By instantly asking them to connect you with the prospect department, you can save time explaining the reason. The key here is to sound important, polite, and familiar at the same time.

Common Gatekeeper Objections and Responses

Objection #1: Were they expecting your call?

I had mailed {prospect name} earlier, informing him/her that I'd be calling today.

Objection #2: They are in a meeting. Call later.

Alright. May I know when would be the right time to call {prospect name}?

Objection #3: They are out of town/‘ve gone for vacation.

Oh, alright. May I know when {prospect name} will be back in office?

Objection #4: Email the information.

Sure. I'd be glad to do that. But first, just to make sure the information is relevant and useful to {prospect name}, I'll need to ask them a few important questions.

Cold Calling Voicemail Scripts To Get a Call Back

Most salespeople are convinced that voicemails are a waste of time. They can’t be more wrong. While it’s true that the average response rate of voicemails is a mere 4.8%, consistently leaving effective voicemails could dramatically increase your chance of getting a callback. That said, here’s 5 scripts to nail your voicemails:

1. Voicemail Script When You Want a Call Back

Hey Peter, it's Boris with SmartOffice. I'm reaching out because I came across your post   on LinkedIn about how the back office work in your store is eating up a lot of your 
workday.

We've helped many small business owners like you in the Michigan city area to run a 
leaner back office and spend 50% time managing their store. And I'm sure I can help you as  well.

Let's hop on a quick chat to discuss more. Here's my number 1234-5678. Again, it's Boris with SmartOffice calling from 1234-5678.

Note:

Always repeat your name, your company name, and your contact number at the end of your voicemails so the prospect doesn’t have to replay the message to get all the details.

2. Voicemail Script When You Want To Direct Them to Your Email

Hey Voss, it's Bob with GRX. I know you are super busy. You don't have to call me back. 
I've sent you an email with the subject line 'Your Email Marketing Spend', and if you find it interesting, please reply to the same email. Again, you don't have to call me back.

Though this voicemail script negates the whole purpose of leaving voicemails, this is super-effective, according to our SDRs at Klenty. Doing this gives you an effective opener for your next call – your mail.

Cold Calling Tips To Elevate Your Success Rate

Know Your Prospect Before You Pick up the Phone

Researching your prospects lets you weed out bad leads, find conversation starters and prepare for possible objections. Also, with good research, gaining prospect’s trust is easy, as you’ll always know the right things to say.

Here are some ways to research your prospect and make them go, ‘oh, you really did notice that about me(or us)?’.

1. Leverage LinkedIn Sales Navigator

Check out the leads or accounts page of your prospect to find shared interests, their past experiences, and the mutual connections you have in the order of seniority.

2. Scour through their LinkedIn and Twitter Profile

If your prospect has an active LinkedIn or Twitter profile, you needn’t turn anywhere else to get unique details to personalize your calls. Most often, you’ll find their personal views

on industry highlights, insider details about the company in general, and, if you are lucky enough, a rant about a business problem or two.

3. Use sales intelligence tools

Sales intelligence tools are like fire alarms, except in this case, they alert you for a good reason – when your prospect is sales-ready. These tools help you monitor your prospects’ companies for trigger events like new leadership, funding, etc. 

Perfect your tone to get the responses you desire

Your prospects can’t see you, but they sure can hear you. And the way you sound decides whether they’ll stay on the call or hang up. And one of the best ways to make them hooked to your call is to talk with a downward inflection. According to Josh Braun, sales expert and host of Inside Selling Podcast, talking with a downward inflection makes you sound cheery and confident.

Another thing to note is the way you come across as to your prospect. Do they think of you as a trusted expert whom they can rely on or as a sleazy pitchman? Either way, you are fully responsible. 

“You can only tell people ‘This is how it is’ in the best way possible, and let them make a decision,” says Joel Thomas, quota-crushing SDR from Almabase. So, to ensure you appear as an authority to your prospect, get rid of unnecessary chitchats, ask them the right questions, and never push them for a sale.

Analyze Your Cold Calls To Get Better

Nobody was born a cold caller. Even the best cold-calling experts learned it the hard way. If you are starting out, don’t be afraid to make mistakes but learn from them. Listen to the recordings and understand why it was successful or unsuccessful.

Note down the cold calling mistakes you frequently commit and be wary of them next time. Once the number of cold calls you make per day goes up, it will be impossible to analyze each call manually. Invest in cold calling software with conversation intelligence, then.

A conversation intelligence tool analyzes the cold calls you make using parameters like the talk-listen ratio and topic duration and offers suggestions for improvement. Some advanced tools also offer real-time suggestions during a call to help you get the desired outcome.

On to You

At the end of the day, it’s your call, and they are your prospects. So use these scripts as a starting point to build your own. Once your own cold call script is ready, practice it a dozen times to see where it sounds a bit off and tweak it accordingly. Finally, keep testing out your script in the real world and keep refining it for best results.

Happy prospecting!

FAQs