Cold Call Opener Strategies

Cold calling lesson: Don’t pitch. Poke. Let’s say I’m selling software that filters out fake AI-generated job applications. I could open the call like this: “Hey, we help talent teams eliminate AI-generated applications before they hit your ATS. We use advanced detection to save hours of recruiter time. The purpose of my call is to schedule time to show you how it works.” That’s a pitch. And when people feel pitched, they brace themselves. They get quiet. Guarded. Distrustful. Now let’s try poking the bear instead: “Not sure if you’re seeing this, but a bunch of companies are getting flooded with AI-generated job apps that look totally legit. How are you spotting those before they hit your ATS?” That’s not a pitch. That’s an illumination question. It surfaces a blind spot. It creates a little tension. It invites someone to think, not defend. Here’s the psychology: When you pitch, you’re telling them what their problem is. When you poke the bear, you’re letting them recognize it for themselves. That moment of recognition is where curiosity begins. And curiosity opens the door to conversation. So next time you’re on a cold call, ditch the pitch. Poke the bear. Buyers have the answers. Sellers have the questions.

You’re either talking AT your prospects or WITH them And trust me the difference is everything Heres a quick reality check One of the SDRs I worked with this week was using an opener like this on their cold calls “On a scale of 1-5 hows your experience with XYZ?” Its well intentioned but thats a dead end question that usually leads to a quick number and then silence right? Now you’re stuck trying to dig deeper without much context Instead we refined it like this “Saw you’re using XYZ for customer support. I was talking with Sara and Mike last week who said it’s about a 3.5 on a good day. Just curious hows the experience been for you?” This approach 👉 gives the prospect something real to work off of 👉 shows credibility by referencing peers in their space 👉 and opens the door for a genuine conversation If they say “It’s a 5! We love it!”- perfect! Now ask whats really moving the needle for them If they say “Yeah it’s about a 3 for us too” Awesome! Thats your chance to dig deeper “What’s holding it back from being a 4 or 5?” Now you’re not just grilling them with basic questions you’re guiding a conversation driven by real curiosity and insights As sales reps remember we get the chance to talk to a ton of folks in our ICP every week Use those conversations to refine your approach and bring real value into the next call It’s all about talking WITH them—not AT them But hey if you’d rather keep talking at your prospects… Well maybe cold calling is dying and you’ll end up like these guys ☠️📞

This feels counterintuitive, but I don't introduce myself upfront on cold calls. Instead, I've found far more success "pattern interrupting" by making the first words I saw something I saw about THEM: "Alex, I just saw the job post for the Director of Marketing you're hiring" "Alex, I just finished reading your LinkedIn post about your new product launch" "Alex, I just saw the announcement about the new CTO you hired" Leading with something about them PROVES you're not just another crappy telemarketer blindly dialing thru the phone book. From there, you can get permission to pitch. Here's the complete script: "𝘈𝘭𝘦𝘹, 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘥𝘐𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩" 𝘐’𝘮 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭-𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘨𝘦𝘵 30 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘥𝘐𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘧 𝘐'𝘮 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬?" This doesn't work if the upfront thing about them you cite has absolutely nothing to do with your product. You can't say "I read your LinkedIn post" and then randomly transition to a pitch about health benefits software if you're unable to make a clear connection. When doing your cold call prep, look for conditions/attributes about the prospect that might indicate they have the problem your product solves. Ex: Product announcements Podcast/Media appearances  Job listings (there is often gold in these) Earnings reports Blog posts 

90% of salespeople who want to crush cold calls think they need a perfect script. They're wrong. What they REALLY need is the right approach… 10 questions to transform your cold call success rate: 1️⃣Why start with "Did you get my email?" Nobody remembers your email among thousands they receive daily. This question immediately puts you on defense. Instead, lead with a problem statement that resonates with their role. 2️⃣How long is your value proposition? Keep it under 30 seconds. The longer you talk, the more confidence you lose and the more the prospect tunes out. Be concise, clear, and focused on specific problems you solve. 3️⃣Are you asking "How's your day going?" This generic opener signals "typical sales call" and puts prospects on guard. Replace it with: "Executives in your position typically struggle with [specific problem] - how are you handling this?" 4️⃣What's your response to "Just send me an email"? Weak reps just agree. Strong reps say: "That's exactly why I called - these details get lost in inboxes. Let's schedule 15 minutes next Thursday at 2pm to discuss this properly." 5️⃣Do you accept vague follow-up timelines? When they say "call me in a month," respond with: "Great, let's put something specific on the calendar right now. How's November 15th at 2pm?" Control what you can control. 6️⃣How do you handle "we're busy with projects"? Dig deeper: "That makes sense. What specific projects are taking priority right now?" Their answer reveals if it's legitimate or just an easy brush-off. 7️⃣Does your energy stay consistent throughout the call? Faltering or apologetic tones signal weakness. Keep your energy steady even when facing objections. It makes a massive difference in how prospects perceive you. 8️⃣Is your language simple and clear? Industry jargon and technical terms confuse prospects and create distance. Use clear, simple language that resonates immediately with their day-to-day challenges. 9️⃣Do you confirm next steps while still on the call? Don't leave follow-up to chance. Send calendar invites immediately and confirm they've received and accepted them before hanging up. 🔟Are you asking questions that reveal true pain? Replace "How are you handling this currently?" with "What's been the most frustrating part about your current approach to [specific problem]?" Every great cold caller knows these aren't just tactics. They're the difference between booking meetings and burning lists.

Problems sell deals—but leading with problems can backfire with outbound. Why? Because outbound is a game of first impressions. And you know what may not make a great first impression? Telling someone—who never asked you to reach out to them—about all the problems they have. Let me give you an example: ⛔️ Lead with problem Prospect: "Hello?" Rep: "Hi Samantha—it's Jason. I'm curious, how are you removing all the redundant work from your support team's workload to reduce support costs?" That's going right for the jugular. It takes a special kind of rep to be aggressive and pull off the tone to get the prospect leaning in. It's too assumptive for having met someone 10 seconds ago. ✅ Lead with priority, followed by problem This sounds more like this... Prospect: "Hello?" Rep: "Hi Samantha, it's Jason. I'm calling because we met with a support leader at a large retailer yesterday. They needed to scale more personalized customer interactions, but their team was bogged down with repetitive work that was driving up the cost to serve. Is that by chance top of mind for you as well?" ~~~ It doesn't seem like much, but you'll get prospects to open up way more when you— 1) Don't assume they have the problem 2) Lead with a goal or aspiration Try this in your cold calls this week and you'll get prospects to open up more.