Ultimate Cold Calling Script for Sales Development

Introduction

Presenter: Ben Martin, Sales Development Representative
Focus: Discussing the ultimate cold calling script used by new sales representatives at Cognitum
The script is key to outbound strategy, divided into 5 segments:
- Opening
- Pitch
- Questions
- Conversation
- Closing
Encouragement for individual approach rather than strict adherence to the script

Initial interaction when calling senior-level prospects
Gatekeepers: PA or secretary might pick up the phone
First-time Calls: Use creative replies related to business, like:
- New business
- Client acquisition process
- Finding new clients
Follow-up Calls: Mention email follow-ups confidently
- Example: "Hi, I’m Lucas meeting Sarah to follow up on email correspondence."

Requesting Permission: Example opening with rapport-building
- "Hi, it’s Ben from Cognitum. How are you?"
Three Key Points for the Pitch:
- Must be clear and understandable
- Relevant to the prospect's industry
- Concise and memorable
Examples of concise pitches
- Access to a lead generation tool with 400 million B2B profiles
- Direct contact details for decision-makers

Importance of Open-ended Questions: Prospect talks 70%, salesperson 30%
Goal: Show you are a good listener and gain vital insights
Examples of open-ended questions:
- How do you currently find new clients?
- What frustrations do you have with your outbound process?

Tonality: Be excited and enthusiastic
Pauses: Emphasize key points with strategic pauses
Mirroring: Imitate the prospect’s speech patterns to build rapport
Repetition: Repeat prospect's words to show you are listening and to encourage them to reveal more details
- Example: "Since your team uses a manual process, we could add value by automating lead finding."

Early Close: If key pain points are addressed, go for the close early
- Example: "It would be great to show the tool live. Do you have 15 minutes free this week?"
Handling Objections: Respond to common objections like "send me more information"
- Example: "I can send information, but a demo would be quicker and more useful. How does Monday at 11 a.m. sound?"
Further Qualification: Ask tailored questions to personalize the demo
- Example: "In order to tailor the demo, may I ask two quick questions?"
Confirmation: Restate agreed time for the demo and ask if anyone else should be included
- Example: "Thanks for your time, Sarah. Is there anything else you’d like to discuss or someone else to include on the call?"