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6 Value-Based Cold Calling Approaches: Sample Scripts

#1: Best Practice Approach

[Name] Sharon, this is Lee Adama.

[Organization] I’m with Caprica City Technologies.

[Introduction—direct] We’ve never spoken before,

[What we do] But we focus on working with pharmaceutical companies to help run the most efficient clinical trials . . .

[Aspiration or affliction, couched in best practice (Capture attention)] I’m calling because we’ve just completed a major benchmark research study to identify the key drivers of cost reduction and speed improvement in clinical trials, and at the same time, maintain high-quality standards . . . [PAUSE]

[Offer (Generate interest)] I’ll be in southern New Jersey on June 14 and 15 at a client site. As a way of introducing Caprica, I’d be happy to come by and take a few minutes to share with you the research results. I think you’ll find them pretty eye-opening.

[Call to action] I was looking at the 14th in the afternoon or the 15th in the morning to meet.

#2: Straight Results Approach

[Name] Bill, I’m Helena Cain.

[Organization] I’m with Pegasus Fundraising.

[Introduction—trigger] I read in the Chronicle of Higher Education that you just joined Gemanon College as their new vice president of development.

[What we do] We focus on working with college and university development organizations . . .

[Aspiration or affliction, couched in results achieved (Capture attention)] . . . to help them increase their fundraising results by an average of 15% per campaign. We recently completed successful campaigns with a state university and the College of Astral Queen . . . [PAUSE]

[Offer (Generate interest)] I saw in your alumni magazine that your fundraising goal for this coming year is about $40 million . . . a 15% increase would be $6 million more.

[Call to action] Are you available next Tuesday or Wednesday in the morning to see how we might get those results for you?

Copyright ©RAIN Group 2

#3: New Idea Approach

[Name] Saul, my name is Aaron Doral.

[Organization] I’m with Basestar Innovation.

[Introduction—direct] We’ve never spoken before,

[What we do] But we focus on working with consumer packaged goods companies to help them innovate . . .

[Aspiration or affliction the prospect has stated (Capture attention)] I’m calling because I was just on your website and saw a note in a press release that you were looking for any and all ideas on how you can leverage open innovation . . .

[Offer (Generate interest)] Open innovation is what we do, and, given your strategy to lead in dental products, we have three ideas that we think you might find intriguing . . . [PAUSE]. Perhaps these three ideas could spark some interesting conversation.

[Call to action] Are you available to discuss these ideas next Tuesday morning or Wednesday morning?

#4: New and Different Method Approach

[Name] Karl, I’m Laura Roslin.

[Organization] I’m with Picon Strategies.

[Introduction—referral] Your COO Jim Smith suggested that I give you a call.

[What we do] We work with technology companies to help them get their salespeople up to speed as experts in their fields and selling full tilt very quickly after they are hired.

[Aspiration or affliction, couched in results achieved (Capture attention)] I’m calling because we’ve been working with companies such as Centurion and Viper Systems to help them reduce their ramp-up times for new sales reps by 50%, while at the same time decreasing new rep turnover by 15% in a breakthrough new way . . . [PAUSE]

[Offer (Generate interest)] How we’ve solved the problem is pretty different than, I’m guessing, anything you’ve seen. But we won’t know that until we share it with you.

[Call to action] Right now I am looking to discuss our approach next Tuesday morning or Wednesday morning—which works best for you?

Copyright ©RAIN Group 3

#5: First Step Approach

[Name] Kara, this is Felix Gaeta.

[Organization] I’m with C-Bucks Financial.

[Introduction—referral] Sam Anders in your Springfield office suggested I give you a call.

[What we do] For the past 12 years we’ve focused on helping owners of family businesses in the $10 million to $50 million range transfer ownership of their firms and realize a liquidity event when they want one . . .

[Aspiration or affliction, couched in easy to accept offer (Capture attention)] I’m calling because we are having a private, CEO-only dinner and speaker event at the Copley Plaza in downtown Boston where CEOs will have a chance to talk with each other and enjoy our speaker, the dean of Triton University Business School . . . [PAUSE]

[Offer (Generate interest)] As we’ve never met, I’d look forward to doing so by having you come to the event as my guest.

[Call to action] Can I put you down as a yes for the event?

#6: Can You Help Me Approach

[Name] Callie, this is Tory Foster.

[Organization] I’m with Colonial One.

[Introduction] We’ve never spoken before,

[What we do] But we focus on helping HR leaders hire the best candidates for leadership positions using our proprietary assessment instruments.

[Aspiration or affliction, couched in results achieved (Capture attention)] We have been able to increase new hire retention and success rates at companies in the banking industry by 25%. [PAUSE.]

[Offer (Generate interest)] I’m calling to see if you might be interested in having a discussion about how we achieve these results, but I don’t know who at your company would be the right person to talk to.

[Call to action] Can you point me in the right direction? [PAUSE]

Copyright ©RAIN Group 4

INSTRUCTIONS: Using the examples on the previous pages as a guide, write your call script below in the spaces provided. Revise the script until you’re comfortable with it. And practice the script so you internalize it. You don’t want to read this word-for-word when you’re on the phone.

Approach Used: _____________________________

[Name]

[Organization]

[Introduction]

[What we do]

[Aspiration or affliction, couched in best practice (Capture attention)]

[PAUSE]

[Offer (Generate interest)]

[Call to action]

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