You pick up the phone. You dial. You half-wish they don’t answer.
When they do? You freeze. Or worse... you ramble into the void and hang up with sweaty palms and zero meetings.
You're not alone.
Here’s your Cold Calling Masterclass. Just 10 hard-earned lessons from the trenches.
1. Stop Calling Everyone Who Breathes
Your pipeline problem isn’t about effort. It’s about aim. A sharp Ideal Customer Profile tells you:
➡ Who to call (role, industry, pain points)
➡ Why they’ll care (trigger events, urgency)
➡ When to strike (funding, hiring, tech changes)
No sniper hits the mark without a scope.
2. Use a Loose Script, Not a Crutch
Scripts are guardrails — not shackles. When you read like a robot, you get treated like one. Structure your flow:
➡ Confidence-building opener
➡ 2 quick discovery questions
➡ 1-line value prop
➡ Common objection responses
➡ A clear close
Practice until it sounds like you, not a training tape.
3. Master Your Opener... Or Lose in 5 Seconds
❌“Did I catch you at a bad time?”
You did. You always do.
Instead, say:
✔ “I know you weren't expecting my call so I’ll keep it super brief.”
You’ll sound more human, more confident, and far less ignorable.
4. Make Curiosity Your Default Tone
If you sound like you're selling, they’ll shut down.
If you sound like you're genuinely curious? They lean in.
Curiosity builds trust.
Desperation repels it.
5. Shift the Spotlight to Them
This call isn’t about your quota.
It’s about their chaos, their bottlenecks, their blind spots.
Ask good questions.
Listen like a partner.
They’ll feel the difference and stay on the line longer.
6. Objections Are Invitations, Not Endings
Use the F.F.F. formula:
Feel — “Totally get why you'd say that.”
Felt — “Others in your position felt the same.”
Found — “What they found was... [mini-win].”
Push past the first 3 “no’s.”
That’s where the real conversation begins.
7. Rejection Isn’t Failure. It’s Data
You’re not being rejected.
Your approach is being tested.
Track what worked.
Reroute what flopped.
And remember: the ‘yes’ is usually 9 calls away.
8. Close Like a Peer, Not a Pleader
You’re not asking for a favor. You’re inviting a decision.
Try this:
“Seems like there could be a fit. Open to 20 minutes next week to see if there's a fit?”
Peers get meetings. Pleaders get ghosted.
9. No Hack Beats Volume
Confidence comes from calls, not courses.
Target 50+ dials a day.
More calls = sharper instincts = faster wins.
10. Follow Up Relentlessly, But Respectfully
80% of meetings happen after the 4th touch.
Your cadence:
✔ Call → Voicemail → Email → LinkedIn
✔ Repeat
✔ Stay polite, persistent, and patient
Follow-up isn’t annoying, it’s professional.
You don’t need magic lines. You need better timing, tighter targeting, and total confidence in your tone.
Before You Close This Tab...
You can master tone, volume, and objection handling... and still fall flat if you don’t control the one thing that matters most: your state.
Because the truth is, people don’t just buy your product. They buy your certainty.
Next edition, we’re breaking down The Jordan Belfort Method. It's a masterclass on how to dial with conviction so sharp, they feel it through the phone.
Until then, ask yourself: What would it sound like if you believed every word you said?
Cheers.
— The Sheriff In Town
