15 Proven Cold Calling Scripts With Examples

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15 Cold Calling Scripts with Examples To Get Appointment With Prospects

Cold calling is hard indeed as it involves several variables and takes up a lot of your time and still doesn’t guarantee conversion. 

But is it necessary?

Well, yes. For 69% of buyers, cold calls are a convincing way to explore purchase decisions. So, if you’re not taking cold calling seriously, you’re missing out on several valuable opportunities.

We have compiled 15 COLD CALLING SCRIPTS for you in this article to power up your cold calling game. So, without further ado, let’s get started.

  1. Let’s start with a generic cold calling script
  2. When you need to get to the decision-maker
  3. Your goal is to set up a demo call/ meeting
  4. When your call goes straight to voicemail
  5. How about a value-driven sales call template?
  6. When you’re trying to explain your journey
  7. Position yourself as a networking champ
  8. When you need a quick response ASAP
  9. Do you have a one-liner value proposition statement?
  10. When your goal is to generate user referrals
  11. When you’re trying to build a rapport
  12. When you don’t hear back from the prospect and you need to follow-up
  13. You may also need to follow up via voice mail
  14. What if your prospect expresses objection?
  15. Personalized opening statements can work wonders

1. Let’s start with a generic cold calling script

Here’s one of the basic cold calling scripts that you can start with:

Hi (Prospect’s name),
I want to keep it short as I know you’re a busy person. I have called to inform you that we specialize in (Mention your specialization) and we can help you with (Mention the best features of your product/service).
If you have the time, I would like to ask you some questions. This is to find out if our product can benefit you in any way. Would you be comfortable answering these questions
If the prospect asks you to go ahead, you need to ask a set of interesting questions as follows:

  • Is there any area of your current product/service that you’re unhappy with?
  • What are the three issues associated with your current product/service that you want to resolve right away?
  • Are these issues affecting your business? If yes, how?

cold-calling-scripts

The purpose of this call script is to collect more and more relevant information from your prospects. Don’t expect to achieve conversion with this sales script. Also, please personalize this script based on your organization’s offerings and your target prospects’ requirements. 

2. When you need to get to the decision-maker 

Lucky are those sales reps, who can make their very first sales call to the decision-makers. In most cases, you’ve to spend a lot of time with gatekeepers before you can reach your actual prospect.
No worries. We’re here with a call script that can help you get through the gatekeeper. Here it is: 

Hi (Gatekeeper's name),
I am (your name) and I was wondering if I could ask for a favour from you. I am looking for (Prospect's / decision-makers name) who is in charge of X department.
Can you tell me how I can make that happen?

Note: If you don’t know the gatekeeper’s name yet, make sure you ask that first.  

3. Your goal is to set up a demo call/ meeting 

Selling your product doesn’t happen that easily. It takes time. So, don’t ask your prospect to purchase from you in the very first interaction. Instead, ask them to book a demo call. Remember, you want to win their trust first. 

Here’s a cold calling sales script to help you out: 

Hi (Prospect's name),
This is (your name) from (your company's name). I have recently come across your organization.

I found out that it is one of the fastest-growing enterprises in the (prospect's industry name) sector.
I hope this is a good time to talk? I promise to keep it short. Many of our existing customers belong to (prospect's industry name) and they've successfully achieved growth in (your expertise) with (name of the product/service you want to pitch).

Does that sound interesting to you?
Why don't we schedule a quick demo call next week to explain our product and how it can benefit your organization in terms of time and money? I'm free on Monday and Tuesday next week. Does that work for you

4. When your call goes straight to voicemail 

You can’t expect that all your calls will get received. Sales reps know it pretty well that many of their calls go straight to voicemail.
So, how about a call script for all those voicemails? Here you go:

Hello (Prospect's name),
This is (your name) from (your organization's name).
I am calling to discuss our product (product name) with you, and how it can help you with the current challenge (the challenge they're facing). I wanted to get in a quick call with you to explore this further.
You can reach me at - (your contact number).
Thanks.

This call script is more like a cold outreach that tells your prospect what they should do next to reach you. But again, you can personalize it based on your requirements. 

5. How about a value-driven sales call template? 

We know that traditionally cold calls are not exactly meant for conversion.
They are more about relationship building and getting to know the prospects better.
But what would you do if you had only one chance at converting a prospect? 

In that case, you’ll need to create one of the value-packed cold calling scripts that can impress the prospect at the very first attempt. Also, make sure that you are completely aware of the prospect’s problems. Since you’ve only one shot at conversion, you cannot risk losing it.
Here’s a call script to help you out: 

Hi (Prospect's name), do you have a minute?

If the prospect says “Yes”, 

That's great! I am sure you're a busy professional and I completely respect the value of your time. However, I came to know that your organization (Mention organization's name) is passing through a critical challenge (mention the challenge). If my research is correct, your clients are also unhappy due to this.
Am I correct?

The prospect says, “Yes, partly correct, but..”

Now you need to listen to the prospect and ask contextual, relevant questions to better understand the challenge. Once you do, reply:

I understand. (Your organization's name) can help you with (mention your services that can solve the prospect's challenge. Don't describe anything generic here. Stay specific).
We have also helped (mention some competitor brads and how you helped them) with this same problem.
Now they've successfully overcome this challenge and have achieved (mention some results).

This discussion can go further. If everything goes well, you can convert a new lead right in the call. 

6. When you’re trying to explain your journey

Are you trying to establish a trusted authority through your journey?
Here’s how you can tell your story to hook the prospect: 

Hi (prospect’s name), I’m (your name) from (your company’s name). It is my mission to help one organization every day in its digital transformation process. I believe I can help you find a solution to (the problem a prospect is facing). Do you want to explore this further? 

This type of call script can help you gain your prospect’s trust and also grow their interest in your journey. 

7. Position yourself as a networking champ 

Positioning yourself as a salesperson may not always work with the prospects. Want to make a difference? Start placing yourself as a networking champ.
Here’s a call script for that: 

Hi (prospect’s name), I’m (your name) from (your company’s name).
I have been working in the (industry name) for over five years now. Some of our clients in this industry believe in our services include (name some of your clients who are also the competitors of the prospect).
We have helped them with (some of the critical challenges for the stated industry). I was wondering if I could set up an introductory call to know your business better and discuss how we can help you. 

Does that sound right? 

This call script may not help you convert many leads at first but it can surely help you with the networking.  

8. When you need a quick response ASAP 

Here is a brief sales call script that can generate an immediate response from your prospects: 

 Hi, this is (your name) from (your organization’s name).
Are you currently looking for a solution to (some challenge the prospect is facing)? Our company can help you out with that.
Would you like to discuss this further?

You’re very likely to get a quick response against this sales call script. However, the response can be either “Yes” or “No”. So be prepared accordingly. 

9. Do you have a one-liner value proposition statement? 

In the case of SaaS prospecting, a personalized one-liner value statement goes a long way.
In fact, if you start conveying only relevant, brief information to your SaaS prospects instead of overwhelming them with tons of features, your chances of conversion can increase. 

Here’s who what we’re referring to: 

Hi (Prospect’s name), this is (your name) from (company name).
I was wondering if you would like to know about a sales intelligence tool that can help you detect your prospects’ intent and coach your sales reps with the most compelling lead conversion hacks. 
Is this something that interests you? 

Here we have discussed the value proposition of our product. Of course, you can personalize this based on your product’s specifications. 

10. When your goal is to generate user referrals 

Cold calling is not always about acquiring new customers or generating leads. Sometimes, you may need a call script to generate referrals from your customers.
We have a call script that can help you with that: 

Hi (Prospect’s name),
I noticed that (mention some of their recent activity that proves their loyalty to your brand. This could be a purchase or regularly sharing your content on social media). I was wondering if you could do me a favour.
Do you know anyone in the (industry name) seeking to achieve great results through our solution? We’ll offer your friend an extended trial period of 3 months.
Also, as a token of appreciation, we’ll offer you an X% discount on your monthly subscription amount for each friend you refer. 
Can you think of anyone who can make great use of our solutions?

You can add more personalized offers to this cold calling script to seek the attention of your customers. 

Note: You should only call your best customers for this offer. Here’s how you can find them out: 

  • People who share your social media posts regularly
  • Customers who have generated significant results using your software 
  • Customers who are associated with you for over six months 

Identify these customers and try to convert them into loyal customers with suitable offers and discounts. 

11. When you’re trying to build a rapport 

Suppose your goal from the cold call is to build a rapport with the prospect.
Below are some tips that you must include within your sales calling script: 

sales-calling-script
  • Start by gaining your prospect's attention.
    You can easily do that by calling them by their first name. Example: Hi (prospect’s name), how are you doing?  
sales-calling-script
  • Next, go on to introduce yourself.
    Mention your name and where you’re calling.
    This is essential to building trust. Example: I am (your name) calling from (your organization’s name).  
Cold-calling-info3 (1)
  • Now mention why you’re calling. Straightforwardness always pays off.
    Example: I’m calling to set up an introductory call with you. I was wondering whether you would like to know about our product (mention product’s name) and discuss how it can benefit you. 

These are the imperative elements of a cold calling script for software sales or SaaS prospecting. Based on the prospect’s response and interest, you can discuss further. 

12. When you don’t hear back from the prospect and you need to follow-up 

Prospects don’t always reply. Mostly because they’re genuinely busy and they forget to respond back to your cold calls.
Here’s a call script that is perfect for following up: 

Hi (prospect’s name), I’m calling back as discussed. I hope this is a good time. Did you get a chance to check my email yet? 

If the prospect says, “Yes”,

Great! As mentioned in my email, our (mention your products/services again)can help you generate (potential results).

This is a quick call to see if we can help you in any way. Do you mind if I ask you some questions to get clarity over your needs? 

This call script is partly a discovery call and partly a follow-up. Your motive should be to adapt to your prospect’s schedule so that you can begin or resume the sales call. 

13. You may also need to follow up via voice mail 

If you didn’t get a call-back from the prospect, this sales call script could be apt to follow up the prospect via voice mail: 

Hi (prospect’s name), I had left you a voice message last week regarding our product (product’s name) and was expecting to find a good time to discuss this further.
I just wanted to remind you that we (a one-liner value proposition). I was wondering if I could show you how we generate ( potential results).
Are you interested in scheduling a call to discuss this further? 

14. What if your prospect expresses objection?  

What if you get a straight objection from your prospect?
Here’s a cold call sales script to help you in this situation: 

“I get it that this is not on your priority list right now.
But we would still list to request you to have a brief discussion with us.
This can help you learn more about our product and you can assess your requirements effectively. I would request you to give me five minutes of your time to discuss this further.”

But remember, if the prospect’s answer is still “No”, don’t push them further. 

15. Personalized opening statements can work wonders 

Ever considered using a personalized opening statement for your cold calls?
Here’s an example of such an opening statement: 

A friend of mine is an alumnus of (prospect’s university name). I have visited the campus a few times and loved it. In which year did you graduate from there?

Now, the prospect may or may not open up in response to this. But if they do, don’t hesitate to keep the conversation going. 

Make your cold calls count with Salesken

Are you looking for a perfect sales enablement tool that can coach your sales reps, help them with dos and don’ts and come up with personalized cold calling strategies for your reps? 

cold-calling-using-salesken

Salesken’s Good Call Engine leverages the power of artificial intelligence to build a winning call profile unique to your organization. And SalesKen’s Voice of Customer Analysis gives you a first-hand view of your customer’s top concerns and pain points, and you can proactively address them in your customer communication. 

Salesken helps you:

  1. Identify the conversation snippets that influence your prospects the most.
  2. Know how your top-performing sales reps handle customer objections. You can then replicate these winning strategies across your team.
  3. Determine, with Salesken’s state-of-the-art emotion detection engine, if the customer is responding positively to your pitch, and tailor your talking points accordingly.
  4. Provide Real-Time Assistance in the form of cues to navigate conversations towards success.

Book a demo now! See for yourself how Salesken can help you close 74% more deals! If you feel that cold calling is hard, we’re with you. A cold calling script is dynamic in the sense that it varies according to the industry, buyer persona, market geography, seasonality of the sale, and other factors. 

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