10 Best Cold Calling Opening Lines (Natural & Easy)

10 Best Cold Calling Opening Lines (Natural & Easy)

You know as well as I: cold callers are notorious for using terrible opening lines. 

“Hey Mike, it’s Jim with ABC Moneytree and did you know I can save you time and money by helping your business become more product—”

*hang up*

We’ve all hung up — instinctively — on calls like this. 

So let’s call them what they are. 

They’re annoying

But what if there’s a way that you can cold call people and not annoy them? 

What if you could build an authentic connection in very little time and get more positive responses (rather than dial tones)? 

That’s what we’re going to show you in this cold calling guide — the fundamentals of cold calling, 10 opening lines that work very well, and 3 that you should never, ever use.

First, a definition.

Oh — and if you want to start making sales without cold calling, then click below to get expert help building your first sales funnel!

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What is Cold Calling? 

Cold calling is the process of contacting someone who you have no prior relationship with and attempting to sell them a product or service. 

It sounds just as annoying and uncomfortable as it is. 

And as cold callers — if we want to be effective — then it’s important to understand that and be honest with ourselves. 

The recipient didn’t ask for you to call them, it’s entirely possible they’re not interested at all in what you’re offering, and the moment you call they’re going to be on guard (because they don’t know you). 

So should you throw in the towel altogether? 

Not necessarily. 

Done right, cold calling can still be an effective method for finding prospects, generating leads, and making sales.

Here are some more optimistic points to consider (Smallbizgenius)…

  • 69% of buyers report that they accepted one or more cold calls in 2019.
  • 82% of buyers say they have accepted meetings with salespeople after a series of contacts beginning with sales cold calls.
  • About 51% of company owners say they would rather hear from sales reps via phone compared to email, faxes, drop-in visits, and other media, according to phone call statistics.

So how do you open a cold call effectively? 

Before we share the 10 best opening lines, let’s look at the five fundamental principles of great cold calls.

The Fundamentals of Opening a Cold Call

We’ve already talked about how many cold calls are… well, terrible. 

So how do you make your cold call opening lines not terrible? 

Here are five fundamentals to keep in mind…

1. Be Real

The best cold callers sound like normal people. 

There’s no script, they’re not reading from a teleprompter, and they don’t sound like they’re trying to sell you something. 

They sound like they could be your next-door neighbor or somebody you met at a party. 

The more that you sound like a real person — rather than a robot reading off its predetermined programming — the more likely you are to capture the person’s attention.

So take a deep breath before every call. Recoup. And be yourself.

2. Talk Slowly

When we get nervous, it’s easy to start speaking very quickly. 

But the more that you can slow down your speech, the more confident you will sound — and the more trust your tone will naturally build with the person on the other end.

It might feel like you’re talking too slowly, but that’s okay. 

It’s better to talk too slow than too fast. People are more likely to stay on the line to let you finish what you’re saying than they are if you speed ahead and try to get everything out at once. 

In fact, research from Gong suggests that longer cold calls are more successful.

The Fundamentals of Opening a Cold Call, talk slowly.

So don’t be in a hurry.

3. Talk More

This next tip is not contrary to the previous tip of talking slowly — you can say a lot without speeding ahead and losing the prospect. 

But… why should you try to talk more? 

Doesn’t most common sales advice indicate that you should talk less, ask more questions, and listen like your life depends on it? 

Yes. 

But not for cold calling. 

Research by Gong found that successful cold calls require more talking and less listening…

The Fundamentals of Opening a Cold Call, talk more.

Why? 

Well, remember that you called them

And so successful cold calling actually requires a bit more monologuing on your part than traditional sales where you’re calling someone who’s already shown interest.

The Fundamentals of Opening a Cold Call, don't be afraid to monologue graphic.

Of course, let the prospect talk when they want to. 

But also don’t be afraid to keep talking so long as you’ve got their attention.

4. Personalize (if Possible)

This won’t be possible with every cold call. 

But when it is possible, you should personalize your opening line. 

Maybe you have a mutual connection with the prospect. Or maybe you’re familiar with the area where they’re located. Or maybe you’re both into cars.

Doing a bit of research on the prospect before calling can go a long way. 

Because it allows you to personalize the call and immediately build a higher level of rapport. 

That doesn’t mean they’re going to want to work with you. 

But if you establish some sort of common ground, it’s very unlikely that they’re going to hang up on you.

5. Follow Up

There’s a common misconception that cold calling is all about making sales… but that’s not really true. 

Or at least, it’s an oversimplification of the truth. 

You’re virtually never going to sell to someone who you just spend five minutes talking to on the phone. 

And that isn’t the goal of the cold call. 

The goal is to build a bit of rapport and schedule a future meeting to discuss the possibility of working together. 

Remember, 82% of buyers say they have accepted meetings with salespeople after a series of contacts beginning with sales cold calls.

Additionally, 80% of sales are made between the 5th and 12 contacts — only 2% are made on the first contact.

The Fundamentals of Opening a Cold Call, follow up.

So follow up, follow up, follow up. 

Cold calling is only the top of the funnel and the tip of the iceberg — the magic happens when you keep contacting the same people.

10 Best Cold Calling Opening Lines

Without further ado, here are the 10 best cold-calling opening lines that we’ve ever heard. 

Try them out for yourself!

1. “Hi. Am I speaking to [name]?”

This is one of the best cold-calling opening lines because it’s so direct. 

You’re immediately putting the focus on the prospect and getting them to answer. Most importantly, it stops them in their tracks and buys time. 

At the very least, they’re going to answer by saying “yes” and that gives you an opportunity to explain the reason for your call. 

2. “How are you?”

You might think this is a bit too personal for a cold call. 

But it’s not. 

In fact, it’s just a normal social question to ask someone — whether you know them or not. And research indicates that starting a cold call with this question increases your chances of success by 340%. 

Not bad, eh? 

10 Best Cold Calling Opening Lines, How are you statistics.

3. “How have you been?”

This one is similar to its predecessor, but not identical. 

As you’ve probably discovered in sales, every word counts

And it’s the slight difference in wording that makes this opening line shine. 

When you call, a prospect is already getting ready to hang up the phone (because they don’t know who’s calling and they expect it to be spam).  

This question is a pattern interrupt that stops them in their tracks — they don’t see it coming. 

And remember, at least part of your goal on a cold call is just to buy time. They’ll answer this question and listen to what you have to say… at least for the next few moments. 

In fact, this question increases success rates by 660%!

10 Best Cold Calling Opening Lines, how have you been statistics.

4. “I’m calling because…”

This might not be the first thing you say when you cold call someone, but it should be somewhere within the first few seconds. 

If people don’t know why you’re calling — and if you don’t tell them why you’re calling within the first few sentences — they’re going to hang up. 

Using this phrase early increases your success rate by 210%.

10 Best Cold Calling Opening Lines, I'm calling because graphic.

5. “I was hoping you could help me with something.”

Typical cold calls are all about telling the prospect about what you’re trying to sell them… and hoping that they’re interested.

But this opening line flips the script. 

It indicates that you actually need help from the person that you’re calling. 

And people love to help others — it’s a human thing. 

But… what do you need help with?

It could be something as simple as trying to get in contact with the right person to discuss an opportunity (even if the person you contacted is the right person). 

Here’s what Spiro writes about this opening line…

“This was one of the good ones! People were much more willing to engage with me if they felt like they were helping and contributing to something.
I’d highly recommend this, and even maybe add ‘I’m so glad I reached you.’

Here’s what this might sound like…

“Hey, I’m so glad I reached you. My name is [Name] with [Company] and I was hoping you could help me with something.”

6. “We’ve never spoken before.”

Opening with this line accomplishes two things — first, it breaks the ice by indicating that you don’t know each other. 

Second, it immediately tells the prospect that this is a cold call. 

You might think that would turn people off, but in reality, it does just the opposite. 

People appreciate honesty and openness (surprise, surprise) and are more willing to listen to what you have to say because of it. 

Here’s what Spiro says about this opening line…

It was like this opening line was sent to me straight from the sales gods themselves. About 90% of the people I called that actually picked up were more than willing to have a conversation with me following this line. Several even told me the line was genius, and a complete breath of fresh air.

7. “I only have a couple minutes, but…”

A common (and terrible) cold call opening line goes something like this: “Do you have 30 seconds to hear about how we can save you time and money?”

This opening line reverses that and tells the prospect that you are the one who’s short on time.

Why is that powerful? 

Because it signals that you have something important to say. 

You see, most people are afraid of missing out (FOMO is real, people)… and so they’re not going to hang up until they at least get an idea of why you’re calling. 

It’s your job to woo them with your next few sentences.

8. “We’ve recently helped [competitor] — we thought you could use our help, too.”

One of the best (and most effective) ways to open a cold call is by referencing a competitor that you have helped in the past. 

It immediately gives you credibility and proves that you can get results for companies in their industry. 

Plus, marketers and business owners are competitive by nature. 

If you tell them that you helped their competitors… they’ll at least want to know how because they don’t want to be left behind.

This buys you time and gives you an opportunity to explain what you do and how you do it.

9. “I’m calling because [referral] mentioned that you might be interested in hearing a bit about our services…”

As you know, referrals are powerful. 

And using a referral’s name in your cold call opening line can be just as powerful — whenever you are able to do so.

It immediately gives you credibility and builds rapport with the prospect. 

After all, if someone they trust referred you… you must be worth talking to, right? 

10. “I must have caught you in the middle of something…”

This is a great cold call opening line because it’s disarming.

People are rarely going to hang up on you when you start with this level of bluntness. More likely they’re going to say “Yeah you did.”

(Because everyone is always doing something)

But after they say that you did, that gives you an opportunity to schedule a follow-up call. 

You can continue with something like this: “Understood. I wonder if we could set up a future time to call? I’m [Name] with [Company] and I was hoping to discuss [Opportunity] with you.”

If they’re interested in the opportunity your propose, they’ll likely be willing to set up a call with you in the future.

3 Opening Lines to NEVER Use When Cold Calling

We just finished sharing the top 10 best opening lines for cold calling

But what about the worst?

Here are 3 that you should never, ever use.

1. “Is this a bad time?”

You’re cold calling. 

It’s always a bad time for the person on the other end. 

And so you will only ever get one response from the person on the other end when you ask this question: “Yes. It is.”

Where does that leave you? 

With nowhere to go. 

In fact, this question decreases success by 40%.

Opening Lines to NEVER Use When Cold Calling, is this a bad time statistics.

If you keep talking, then you’re being rude — the only proper response would be, “Okay. Bye.” And that defeats the entire purpose of your call. 

So don’t say this. 

2. “Do you have 30 seconds to hear how we can save your business time and money?”

Again, where does this question leave you? 

If the prospect says “Yes”, then you’ve only got 30 seconds to explain yourself — a tall order for any salesperson. And if you go beyond that 30 seconds, then you’ll come off as dishonest and annoying. 

If the prospect says “No”, then you’ve got to say, “Okay. Sorry. Bye.”

This is a lose-lose question. Don’t ask it. 

3. “I know you’re busy but…”

Of course, the person is busy. 

You cold-called them. 

Pointing that out and then continuing on with your pitch isn’t just impersonal, it’s rude and virtually guarantees that the other person is going to hang up.

Final Thoughts on Cold Call Opening Lines

When it comes to cold calling, there is an art to the opening line. 

You want something that is natural, easy, and disarming — something that will immediately put the person at ease and make them want to continue talking to you. 

The worst thing you can do is open with a question that puts the person on the defensive or a statement that is so obviously a sales pitch. 

With that in mind, we hope you’ll use some of the opening lines we’ve shared in this post the next time you make a cold call. 

If you want to start making sales without cold calling, then click below to get expert help building your first sales funnel!

Join The One Funnel Away Challenge Now!

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