Ever wonder why your cold calls die in under 10 seconds?
It’s usually because of these five words:
“Did I catch you at…”
Looks polite. Feels respectful.
But here’s the problem: you’ve just handed your prospect an easy exit button before they even know why you’re calling.
And they’ll press it. Every. Single. Time.
Instead of asking for approval, go simple and direct.
Example:
“Hey (prospect), I’ll keep this super brief - I saw that you’re (trigger for reaching out), and I had a quick idea I thought you’d wanna listen to.”
Now you’re not begging for permission.
You’re giving them a reason to listen and an easy exit if they truly don’t have time.
✅ The Psychology Behind Why Permission Openers Fail:
When you ask, “Did I catch you at a bad time?” or “Is it okay if I explain why I’m calling?”—you think you’re being polite.
But here’s what’s happening inside your prospect’s brain:
➡ Instant Defense Mode Humans are wired to protect time and attention. A permission-based opener triggers the same reflex as a pop-up ad: “Say no, shut it down, move on.”
➡ Loss Aversion Kicks In Prospects fear losing their time more than they value gaining new information. So the moment you frame your call as a possible time-waster, they default to rejecting you.
➡ The Authority Gap By asking permission, you unknowingly lower your status. You position yourself as someone seeking approval, not someone bringing value. Psychologically, people respond more to those who assume authority than those who defer.
➡ Decision Fatigue Shortcut Prospects make thousands of micro-decisions daily. When you give them a yes/no question right at the start, their brain takes the easiest path: No.
Before You Close This Tab...
Permission-based openers don’t fail because they’re “bad scripts.”
They fail because they send the wrong signal at the wrong timeinviting rejection before value ever enters the conversation.
And here’s the real kicker: once a prospect’s brain has said “no” to you, every word after feels like background noise.
But rejection doesn’t always show up in a blunt “not interested.”
Sometimes it wears a polite mask, a phrase you hear so much in sales:
“We already have a solution.”
That’s where most reps end up clueless.
But in our next issue, we’ll pull apart this objection, reveal what it really means, and show you how to turn it into an open door instead of a dead end.
See you next week🥂
— The Sheriff in Town
