Quick answer
How do you open a cold call?
To open a cold call, greet them by name, give your name and company, then deliver one sentence with one major benefit. Jenny Cartwright's four step formula builds that line from five customer benefits. Then move straight into a question, so the prospect is talking within the first 15 seconds instead of hearing about your company.
Why do so many cold calls get hung up on?
Jenny has taken plenty of sales calls herself, and most make the same few mistakes in the first ten seconds. Each one tells the prospect two things: this is a sales call, and the caller is not really listening.
| Opener to avoid | Why it fails | What to do instead |
|---|---|---|
| “Is that Mrs Cartwright?” after she has already said her name | Shows you were not listening and sounds automatic | Know the name before you dial: “Good morning Jenny, my name is ... from ...” |
| “How are you today?” | Signals a sales call and sounds insincere from a stranger | Go straight to your reason for calling or your benefit |
| “Do you have time to talk now?” | Invites a quick no from a busy person | Skip it and give the benefit; they will tell you if it is a bad time |
| “I'm just calling about...” | The word “just” sounds apologetic | Drop “just” and speak with confidence |
| “Can I speak to the business owner?” | Tells reception you do not know who you want | Ask for the owner's name first, then ask for them by name |
Fix those five and you already sound more professional than most of the calls your prospect receives this week. If reception is the first hurdle, see how to get past the gatekeeper. Everything else in a strong opening comes down to one sentence.
What makes a good cold call opening line?
A good opening line is one sentence that makes the customer want to hear more. Jenny calls it the interest-grabbing statement. It contains one unique or distinguishing benefit to the prospect and leaves a lasting impression. It does not describe your company, your history or your range.
Compare these two ways of starting the same call:
YouThis is Sally Smith from XYZ Computer Services. I would like to tell you what our company does.
YouGood morning Tom, it's Sally Smith from XYZ Computer Services. We offer a service that means your computers are never out of action for more than 24 hours if something goes wrong.
Jenny once trained a team of debt collectors whose old opening described their firm. Their new line was six words long: “We help you turn your debts into cash.” It works because it answers the only question on the prospect's mind: what is in this for me?
Jenny's four step formula for an interest-grabbing statement
Ask your customers
Interview a handful of clients and ask why they buy from you. Their words are often better than yours.
List five benefits
Write down five benefits of your product or service, framed as what the customer gains.
Pick the broadest one
Choose the one benefit that applies to most of the people on your call list.
Put it in a sentence
Begin with “We help you”, “We show you” or “We have an idea, product or service that will”, then add the benefit.
Then make it specific. “We can help you save time and money” has been said so often that prospects no longer hear it. Name the actual cost or task instead: “We can help you lower your [specific] costs and reduce the time you spend on [task].” The more precisely the line describes their world, the more likely they are to stay on the line.
Test a new line on at least 20 calls before you judge it. Count how many prospects answer your first question rather than ending the call, then change one word or one benefit at a time. Your customers' own phrases often beat polished marketing wording, because they sound like something a real person would say.
Five cold call opening lines to adapt
Each example below is an illustrative template. Fill in the brackets for your own industry and test the versions that suit your market.
- The bold benefit. “We offer a service that means [painful problem] never lasts more than [time].”
- The industry line. “We help [industry] businesses lower their [cost] and cut the time they spend on [task].”
- The role line. “We specialise in recruiting tradespeople, which means HR managers like yourself spend less time taking calls from applicants who are not suitable.”
- The proof line. Pair a result you can genuinely show with softening words such as might, maybe, perhaps, possibly or depending on: “Depending on your volumes, we might be able to reduce your [cost] in a similar way to other [client type].”
- The formula line. “We specialise in working with [type of client] in helping them to [goal] so that they can [result].”
I have worked in the mortgage industry for seven years and of all the material I have encountered, and the training I have undertaken in cold calling, nothing has been as good as this book. It is a real nuts and bolts practical guide to the art of cold calling. The formulas for constructing an opening, or interest-grabbing statement, are the best I have ever come across, as is the material on call reluctance.
How do you open a cold call with research?
A cold call opens better when it is not completely cold. Spend a few minutes searching the company name in quotation marks and check the News tab for anything recent. Then open with what you found:
YouGood morning Alex, it's [your name] from [company]. I was reading about your new distribution centre in [suburb]. That's quite an expansion. I'm curious, how has it affected your team?
ProspectIt's been full on. We've doubled the warehouse staff.
YouWith that many new people, how are you getting them trained up?
After the call, send a thank-you note with an article or report they will find useful. Jenny's search trick for this is the topic in inverted commas, plus a subtopic, the year and filetype:pdf, for example “sports sponsorship” trends 2026 filetype:pdf. It keeps you remembered for the right reasons, and it gives your next call a natural reason to happen. Her guide to building rapport on the phone has more ways to make that connection.
What should you say after your opening line?
Go straight into a question. Jenny's rule is that rapport is built through questions, not through a flood of product information. A good first question is easy to answer and about the prospect's world: how they handle something now, what has changed recently, or what they would improve.
Then listen, and repeat back what you heard before saying anything about your offer. Jenny's list of questions to use on a telephone sales call gives you plenty to choose from. If the prospect pushes back early, her replies to common sales objections keep the call alive, and her telesales script template shows how the opening fits the rest of the call.
How you say the line matters as much as the words. Stand up, smile before you dial and slow down slightly on the benefit. Let your voice drop at the end of a statement so you sound certain rather than unsure. If nerves make you rush, Jenny's guide to overcoming call reluctance will help.
Finally, keep every promise your opening makes. If you say you will send something or call back on Thursday, do it. A strong opening wins attention once; reliability is what wins the sale.
Want Jenny to rewrite your opening lines and listen to how they land on real calls?
Book a coaching sessionFrequently asked questions
What should you avoid saying at the start of a cold call?
Avoid confirming the person's name after they have already given it, asking “How are you today?”, asking whether it is a good time to talk, and using the word “just”, as in “I'm just calling about”. On B2B calls, avoid asking reception for “the business owner” or “the marketing manager”. Each of these signals a routine sales call and makes it easy to say no.
How long should a cold call opening be?
Keep it to two or three sentences: your greeting and name, an optional research hook, and one interest-grabbing benefit. The prospect should be answering a question within about 15 seconds. Longer openings turn into a monologue about your company, which is exactly what makes people look for a way to end the call.
Is it rude to skip asking whether it is a good time to talk?
No. Asking “Is this a good time?” hands the prospect an easy reason to say no before they know why you called. Give your reason and benefit first. If it really is a bad time, the prospect will tell you, and you can offer a specific time to call back, which still shows respect for their day.
Should you use the prospect's first name on a cold call?
On most Australian business calls, yes. Use the first name if you know it, or a title and surname if the person introduced themselves that way. What matters most is knowing the name before you dial, so you never have to confirm who you are speaking to after they have answered the phone.
Can you mention a client's results in your opening line?
Yes, if the result is genuine and you have permission to mention the client. Add softening words such as might or depending on, because results vary from business to business. A specific, provable result is far stronger than a vague promise to save time and money, but exaggerated claims damage trust and can breach Australian Consumer Law rules on misleading conduct.