Despite the rise of digital outreach methods, the power of cold calling remains a vital component of a successful outbound sales strategy. At VA Partners, cold calling is a cornerstone of our ability to book discovery calls and connect with prospects. We often find that many organizations over-rely on automated emails, which can lead to missed opportunities. While cold emails do play a role in your sales cadence, combining them with effective cold calling yields much stronger results.

Main Components of an Effective Cold Call

Just as you would craft templated cold emails, it’s crucial to develop a well-structured cold call script. 

Here are the key elements we believe make a good cold call:

• Be Concise: Respect the prospect’s time; get to the point quickly.  Catch their attention.
• Personalization: Use the recipient’s name, company name, and relevant details to make the call feel tailored.  Tweak the call scripts based on the target client.
• Reference Previous Outreach: Mention the email you sent to create continuity and context.
• Engage Early: Allow space for the prospect to respond, ask questions, and keep the conversation flowing.
• Ask Questions: Use open-ended questions to uncover needs and build rapport.
• Define the Next Step: Typically, this is a discovery call. Aim to book this while you’re on the call, if possible.
• Don’t be afraid to speak to the Executive Assistant: this person is the gatekeeper of your target and does have influence and calendar control.  Treat them as the end client with respect and share your message with them and most importantly ask for a meeting.

There are a number of components to ensuring the cold call itself goes well and the sales person is prepared.  These include:

Handling Objections

Prepare for common objections by creating a list of your top responses. Document these responses to ensure consistency across your team. Objections can be challenging, but having predetermined responses allows you to handle them confidently and professionally. Keep updating this list as new objections arise during your calls.

Role Playing

Sales is a live interaction, making comfort with your script and objection handling essential. Practice through role-playing exercises: one team member acts as the prospect, the other as the salesperson. Incorporate different objections and gradually increase difficulty to build confidence and improve your approach.

Developing Your Sales Cadence

At VA Partners, we recommend designing a tailored sales cadence for each client. This typically combines emails, calls, and sometimes LinkedIn outreach. Usually, we start with an email, then reference it at the start of the call. If the prospect engages with your email (clicks, opens), consider shifting your focus to those contacts for more targeted follow-up.

Logging Calls in Your CRM

Always document your calls, whether you connect or receive no answer. Detailed notes help you stay aligned with your sales cadence and inform future follow-up. Don’t forget to create tasks for scheduled future calls or follow-ups to keep your pipeline moving smoothly.

Are You Ready to Boost Your Cold Calling Effectiveness?

Implementing a structured approach to cold calling can dramatically increase your success rate and help build meaningful connections with prospects. Review your current process, refine your scripts, and incorporate regular practice through role-playing. 

Need help developing a proven cold calling strategy or custom scripts tailored to your business? Reach out to us today—we’re here to support you in turning those cold calls into warm opportunities!

Contact VA Partners today and start making every call count!