Cold-call template · Start conversations
My cold call scriptSwap in your own product and pains, and keep a copy.
By Joe Stone
With thanks to Sunny Raval of 27 Second Solutions, who taught me how to cold call.
The script I use on the phone, word for word: the open, the commercial, the questions, the close, the objections I hear most and the voicemail.
- Updated October 2026
- Six parts, nine objections
- Saves in your browser
Fill in your bits
Skip to the scriptThe script updates as you type. Leave any blank to keep my words.
Finishes “I spend my time with…”
Finishes “The frustration I keep hearing is that…”
Finishes “Others tell me…”
Finishes “And a few say…”
Finishes “…put half an hour in and go through…”
Saves in this browser as you type. We don’t keep any of it.
Cold-call script
Your name, your company
- I sell
- Not filled in yet
- I call
- Not filled in yet
- Goal
- Qualify out fast. Not book meetings. Never name the offer. Never say a price. Never answer a question, reverse it.
The open
[Their first name]?
Wait for them to answer.
Hi [their first name], it’s Joe Stone from JumpLead. We’ve not spoken before.
I’ll be straight with you, this is a sales call. You can hang up now, or give me thirty seconds and then decide. Your call.
Stop talking. Say nothing until they do.
If they say go on, or laugh, or sigh
Go to 2.
If they say not interested
Go to the objections.
Underlined: your bits, once you fill them in.
The commercial
So, reason for the call. I spend my time with founders running B2B software businesses, ten to fifty people, product’s landed, customers are happy.
The frustration I keep hearing is that sales still runs through them. They’re the best salesperson in the business, so every deal that matters ends up back on their desk, and the pipeline goes quiet the week they’re heads down on anything else.
Others tell me they’ve hired into it, a salesperson or two, but there was no system to hand over, so the new person’s out there improvising and it’s taking a lot longer to come good than anyone budgeted for.
And a few say they’ve had a go at outbound, or paid someone else to, and it either fizzled out after a month or went out so generic it did more harm than good.
But you might tell me none of that lands and everything’s running perfectly, in which case I’ll leave you alone.
Stop talking. Let them pick one.
If they pick one
Go to 3.
If they say none of that
Fair enough. Out of interest, what is the thing that’s actually in the way at the minute?
If they give you something real, go to 3. If they’ve got nothing, thank them and get off. That’s a win.
Underlined: your bits, once you fill them in.
The grinder
Ask all seven. In order. Do not rush. Do not fill silences.
Which of those is closest to the mark for you?
What does that actually look like week to week? When did it last bite you?
How long has it been like that?
Roughly what’s that worth? The deals that slipped this year, what would they have been?
I’m guessing you’ve had a go at fixing it. What have you tried?
And if it’s still like this in twelve months, what does that mean for the business?
So let me make sure I’ve got this. [X] has been going on for [Y]. It’s costing you somewhere around [Z]. You tried [A] and it didn’t hold. How does that sit with you?
Then the gate
Last one. Have you given up trying to fix it?
If yes, and they mean it
Honestly, that’s fair. Sounds like it’s not the fight worth having right now. I’ll leave you to it.
Do not book them.
If they push back or go vague on the numbers
Are you any good at what you do?
Tell me about your sales process. Of every five you get in front of, how many close?
Right. So what happens to the other four?
Why do they fall by the wayside? Should they not have had the same problem as the one who became a client?
What were they even doing in your pipeline?
Go hard here. It’s uncomfortable. Do it anyway.
The close
Right. On what you’ve just told me, does it make sense for us to put half an hour in and go through where your pipeline’s actually leaking? It’s not a pitch. You’d get the read whether you end up using us or not.
Wait for the yes. Then, and only then:
Good. I’ve got Thursday morning or Tuesday afternoon. Which is easier?
Confirm: day, time, thirty minutes.
What’s the best email? Let me read that back to you.
Invite’s coming over in the next five minutes. If it doesn’t land, ring me straight back on this number.
Send it while you’re still on the phone.
If they ask for a demo or a meeting too early
Happy to. Though I don’t book these in willy nilly when I’m not even sure we’re right for you. Can I ask you a couple of quick questions first, and if we’re not a fit we’ll just leave it there?
Back to 3.
Underlined: your bits, once you fill them in.
The objections
Rule: Never answer the question. Reverse it.
That’s a good question. You might have to help me out a bit before I answer it.
“Send me an email”
Say
I might be misreading this, but usually when someone asks me to send something over it’s a polite way of saying no, which is completely fine. Is that what’s happening here?
Or
So I don’t waste your time sending something irrelevant, can I ask you two quick questions first?
“Not interested”
Say
That’s fine. Before we hang up, is it because you’re happy with how things are, my timing’s off, or this just isn’t relevant to you?
Then: Take the answer at face value, then follow that thread.
“What do you do?” / “What’s this about?”
Say
Happy to get into it. Can I ask you one thing first so I’m not describing something that’s got nothing to do with you?
“We already have someone” / “We do this already”
Say
Makes sense. Are they doing the building of it, or the running of it day to day?
Or
Out of curiosity, how are they handling the follow up when someone doesn’t reply?
“We’ve tried people like you before”
Say
Yeah, I hear that a lot. What went wrong last time?
Then: Shut up and listen properly. Their answer is the whole conversation.
“No budget”
Say
Understood. Is it that there’s genuinely nothing, or that this just isn’t top of the list right now?
“I’m busy” / “Bad time”
Say
No worries, I’ll be quick. Thirty seconds now, or is later today better?
The rule: Never offer to “call back another time”. Get a named time or nothing.
“I don’t take sales calls”
Say
Completely fair. I did tell you it was one, so at least I’m consistent. Give me the thirty seconds and if it’s nothing, you’ll never hear from me again.
“What’s it going to cost?”
Say
Happy to come to that. Can I ask what’s made price the first thing you want to know?
Then: Back to their problem. I don’t give a number on a cold call.
The voicemail
Max two ever, under 25 seconds.
[Their first name], it’s Joe Stone at JumpLead, [your number]. I work with founders running B2B software businesses where sales still runs through them. That’s the reason for the call. I’ll follow up by email so you’ve got it in writing. [Number] again if that’s easier.
Then email within minutes. Then look at their LinkedIn. No pitch in either.
Rules on the wall
- Silence after the open. Silence after the commercial. Both times.
- Talk slightly more than you listen. Hold the floor in one stretch, don’t ping pong.
- You are a founder ringing a founder. That’s the only card you need.
- Say the uncomfortable thing. The harder you go, the more it elevates you.
- Write down the exact words of any objection you don’t have an answer for.
- Book nothing you wouldn’t be glad to sit through.
- Best days: Thursday, then Tuesday.
- Best times: 10 to 11am, or 2 to 3pm. Never after 4pm.
Write down the exact words of any objection you don’t have an answer for.
Script by Joe Stone, with thanks to Sunny Ravaljumplead.io/resources/cold-call-script
Keep a copy
Your script as it reads above, with your bits and your own lines.
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