The most important part of cold calling on the phone is the first fifteen seconds. If you can't get your prospect's focus during that time period, then the prospect will shut down and the odds of your getting an appointment drop dramatically.
A good strong opening statement is critical to cold calling. It piques the listener's interest and gets them thinking about you as someone who can do something for them. Many prospects will automatically say “no thanks” and hang up as soon as they realize you're trying to sell them something, but if you can break through that automatic response with an opening statement that engages the prospect's brain, you can get the call moving in the right direction.
Most successful cold call openers include a question. If you ask the prospect something it tends to jolt his mind into gear and get him thinking about the answer (or at least about the question!). Ideally, the opening question will provide a reason for the prospect to want to hear more. And if you know your prospect's name, work it into the opener. By saying their name you've already customized the call a bit and told the prospect that you at least know who they are.
One approach that often works well is the “surprising benefit” approach. Here's an example from a real estate broker cold calling script:
Them: Hello?
You: Would you like to save an additional $10,000 this year?
Them: Who is this?
You: My name is [You] and I show people how to save an additional $10,000; would you like to learn how to do it?
Them: What's this about?
You: It's about saving an additional $10,000 this year; would you like to learn more about it?
Them: Is this some sort of scam?
You: No, I can show you how to save an additional $10,000 this year, it's what I specialize in. Would you like to learn more?
Them: Who are you with?
You: I'm with [your company] and I specialize in showing clients how to save an additional...
The idea here is to get the prospect to give you permission to tell them more. This approach can be risky because it tends to be confrontational, and prospects can find it annoying if you refuse to answer their questions. But depending on your product and market it can be a very effective opening approach.
A slightly softer opener includes the prospect's name (if you know it), your company name, what you sell, and how your product can benefit the customer. An example might look like this:
“Mr. Customer, my name is [your name], and I am your local [what you sell] representative. I have helped a lot of local businesses here in [your city] bring more customers into their stores. May I ask you a few questions to see how we can do the same for you?”
