Let’s be honest: A cold call opening line can make or break a potential opportunity. The best opening lines can hook prospects and new business, but the worst openers? They can cost reps a deal or opportunity.
In our how-to guide, we’ll tell you everything there is to know about these opening lines, including why they matter, the best openers to consider, how to deliver opening lines successfully, and how to practice them for the best chances of sales success.
What’s a Cold Call Opening Line?
A cold call opening line is one of the first things sales reps say to a prospect during a cold call. Cold call opening lines are meant to spark up a conversation and engage with the prospect.
A bad opener can dash your chances of securing a deal and result in lost customers and opportunities.
Why do cold call opening lines matter?
In short, cold call opening lines matter because first impressions matter. Most likely, this is your first interaction with a prospect, and in order to have the highest chances of converting them into a customer, you want your first impression to be positive.
Aside from that, cold call opening lines are also important for getting their attention to move forward in the sales cycle. These openers will set the tone for the conversation, so it’s essential to put time and effort into preparing what you’ll say.
7+ Best Cold Call Opening Lines to Set the Tone
With cold call opening lines, there are many directions sales reps can take. Some reps like to incorporate humor while others prefer to be to-the-point and professional. Whatever your style, having an opener or two will help you be more prepared going forward.
Here are more than seven of the best cold call opening lines to consider when practicing for your next interaction.
1. Start with an introduction.
If you’re new to cold calling or you feel that cold calls aren’t your strong suit, don’t worry. You don’t always need a hilarious opener or a complex opening line. The most basic cold call opening line can simply be you introducing yourself. For example, saying something like “Hi [prospect’s name], this is [your name] from [your company]. I was calling to see if you had time to chat about [your topic of choice].”
This kind of cold call opening line is direct and to the point, but also simple enough to remember for new reps. Another option for folks who don’t want to immediately bring up a topic, like their solution or industry, is something like, “Hi [prospect’s name], this is [your name] from [your company]. I hope you’re having a great day so far” before getting into the meat of the topic.
2. Leverage value proposition.
Another method of cold calling opening lines is to leverage your value proposition. For example, what does your solution have to offer the customer? There are many ways you can phrase this type of cold call opener, such as:
- “Good [morning/afternoon], [prospect’s name]. I’m calling because I think we can help you with [a problem] through our [your good or service].”
- “Hi [prospect’s name]! I was just calling to give you a heads up about a way we could help you [your solution’s value].”
- “Hey [prospect’s name], I’m calling to see if you’re interested in a strategy for [your solution’s benefit].”
3. Name drop your referral if you have one.
Although it’s not always relevant, if someone referred you, you can always use that referral as an opening line for your cold call. Something as simple as, “Hi [prospect’s name], I’m reaching out because [your referral’s name] suggested I give you a call.”
You could even work the value proposition into this cold call opening line by saying, “Good [morning/afternoon], [prospect’s name]! [Your referral’s name] mentioned you might be in the market for [your solution’s value proposition].”
4. Create a sense of intrigue.
Even though this type of cold call opening line isn’t for everyone, creating a sense of intrigue can sometimes hook prospects. There are more ways than one to pique your prospect’s interest.
For example, one of which could include saying something along the lines of, “Good [morning/afternoon], [prospect’s name]. Quick question: What if I told you I could [your solution’s benefit]?” So, if you were selling solar panels and one of the proposed benefits of the panels was a lower power bill, your opener might sound something like: “Good morning, Miss McGuire. Quick question: What if I told you I could cut your power bill in half next month?”
The goal here is to pique their interest in a lower power bill so they’ll engage with the call and hopefully lead to a sale.
5. Ask them a question.
Although it doesn’t work on everyone, sometimes asking a question can engage the prospect long enough to entertain a cold call. One of the most common questions sales reps use for cold call opening lines is: “Hi, [prospect’s name]. I was just calling to see how satisfied you are with your current [solution]?”
However, you could also ask if they’re facing any challenges in a certain area to try to unearth pain points. Asking whether or not they’ve ever considered a solution like yours to address a common pain point is another question-based opener.
6. Congratulate them on a recent accomplishment.
Depending on who the prospect is, you could also leverage a recent win they’ve had as a cold call opening line. For example, if they work at a tech company that just hit a record number of sales, you could mention that. Saying something like, “Hi, [prospect’s name]! I just saw [their company’s] announcement about [an accomplishment] — Congratulations!”
It could also be a personal accomplishment if you happen to know of any. That type of cold call opening line might sound something like, “Good [morning/afternoon], [prospect’s name]! I heard you [their accompaniment] recently. That’s fantastic — congratulations!”
7. Thank them for picking up.
An underrated cold call opening line to start with revolves around thanking the prospect for picking up your call. People love to feel appreciated, and starting with a “thank you” of sorts can encourage prospects to keep listening. If you’d like to go this route, saying something along the lines of, “Hey, [prospect’s name]! Thanks for picking up my call — I’m so glad we can connect,” should get the job done.
But it’s not just what you say on cold calls that matters; it’s also how you say it.
Tips and Best Practices for Delivering Cold Call Opening Lines
As a sales rep, you could have the best cold call opening line in the book, but there’s always the risk of a lost deal if you don’t deliver it right. Here are some tips and best practices for delivering cold call opening lines to make sure you nail it.
1. Be an active listener.
One of the biggest pitfalls of sales reps during cold calls is not actively listening. If you happen to be more of a passive listener, chances are, you’ll have a much more difficult time scoring deals with cold calls. Aim to be an engaged participant adept at active listening.
Active listening is hugely important, especially with phone calls where the participants aren’t able to see the other person for nonverbal cues. Use affirmations like “right,” “mmhmm,” or “yeah, I see what you mean” to show that you’re listening. You can also ask follow-up questions to show interest. This makes your prospect more likely to feel heard and valued.
2. Be ready to pivot.
Not everything is going to go to plan during a cold call, and as such, you have to be ready to pivot at any moment. Work on your adaptability skills so you’re prepared (and willing) to adjust your framework based on the prospect and the conversation. Even if the conversation takes a turn you weren’t expecting, keep a positive attitude.
It’s also a good idea to be ready for objections. It’s only natural for prospects to have questions or concerns, and having good objection handling skills can only help you anticipate and mitigate these.
3. Practice your cold call opening lines.
Most importantly, you need to practice cold calling and a few cold call opening lines. Although some folks might be naturally skilled at cold calling, there’s no reason not to practice. It can only help you. You’ll feel much more comfortable during the conversation if you’ve practiced beforehand.
Using a tool like Yoodli can make the difference between a converted prospect and a lost client.
Practice Your Cold Calling Abilities With Yoodli
Yoodli is a top-of-the-line sales coach uses AI technology to create in-depth sales roleplays for reps to improve their abilities. Something like cold call opening lines can be difficult to practice, especially as most reps don’t want to experiment or try new things live during a cold call. But Yoodli offers reps a platform where they can build and engage in sales roleplay without risking a lost deal or client.
Brands like Dale Carnegie, Google, and Korn Ferry have already used Yoodli to increase their sales success.
Here’s how it works. Reps can choose from an existing sales roleplay, like a cold call or customer discovery call, or build their own custom roleplay from scratch if they have a specific scenario in mind. From there, they’ll practice their skills by engaging with an AI-generated prospect. There’s even a wide range of personalities to choose from, so reps get experience with all types of people.
Plus, because Yoodli is a sales coach, reps receive an instant report on how they did during the roleplay with specific insights on listening, delivery, and speech patterns. That way, sales reps can identify and improve on their weakest areas.
Company admin can see an overview of how their team is doing and can even adapt Yoodli based on their own company methodology. Yoodli also has enterprise-grade privacy, including SOC 2 Type 2, GDPR, and more.
Find out more about how you can get started with Yoodli for free to practice a few cold call opening lines at https://yoodli.ai/.
Common Cold Call Opening Line Mistakes to Avoid
It’s no secret: cold calling isn’t easy. In fact, it can be one of the most challenging ways for reps to bring in new business for a multitude of reasons. Regardless of whether you’re a seasoned sales rep or you’re new to the industry, here are just a few of the most common cold call opening line mistakes to steer clear of.
Rambling or droning on and on
Similarly, you don’t want to ramble or drone on and on during a cold call opening line. These lines should be concise and clear, so that you don’t lose the prospect before the call even begins. Steer clear of long-winded introductions, vague statements or promises, and passive language.
The goal is to capture the prospect’s attention, not bore them to death. Using more active language can make it easier.
Using inappropriate or negative language
Although it should be obvious, don’t use inappropriate or negative language, especially on a cold call. Some reps make this mistake thinking it brings humor into the situation, but it’s a risky choice that’s not worth it.
Avoid the negative language and emphasize solutions-based language. How can you and your solution help the prospect? If you have trouble in this area, focusing on the value proposition can help.
The Bottom Line
A good cold call opening line can lead to new business and boost your client base. The key to cold call openers boils down to respecting the prospect while positioning your solution in an attractive way. Cold calling can be difficult, but using a tool like Yoodli can help you take your skills and abilities to the next level.