Cold Call Script Template

A good B2B cold call script has five parts: a short greeting, the reason for your call, two or three questions, one sentence on what you do tied to the answer, and a specific meeting time. Below are six scripts for the situations SDRs meet every day (a trigger-based opener, a permission-based opener, a referral, the gatekeeper, voicemail and the follow-up call after an email), an objection table and a Word file with all of it. Each script has a fill-in version, a filled example and a copy button.

Download the Word template (.docx)

What does the data say about cold call openers?

Gong analyzed 90,380 cold calls, all first conversations, and compared how often each opening line led to a successful call against a 1.5% baseline:

Source: Gong, "Proven cold call opening lines that work", first published 2018 and updated March 2026, checked November 3, 2026.

Two lessons for the scripts below. A short, human greeting helps, and saying why you are calling helps. Asking whether it is a bad time hands the prospect an easy no. Our permission-based opener asks for 30 seconds instead, which is a smaller, clearer ask.

The structure every script follows

The examples are illustrative. The caller works for Brightquay, a fictional payroll software company, and every prospect, company and phone number named is fictional.

Hi {{first_name}}, it's {{your_name}} from {{company}}. How have you been?

[Let them answer. They will usually say "Fine, who is this?"]

The reason for my call: I saw {{trigger}}. When {{peer_type}} {{trigger_short}}, {{problem}} usually lands on the {{title}}'s desk.

Is that on your plate right now, or is it handled?

[If yes] What are you doing about it today?
[Two or three questions, then] We help {{peer_type}} {{result_in_plain_words}}. Worth 20 minutes on {{day}} to see if it applies to you?

Hi {{first_name}}, {{your_name}} from {{company}}. This is a cold call. Can I take 30 seconds to tell you why I called, and then you decide if we keep talking?

[If yes] Thanks. We work with {{peer_type}}. The ones I talk to usually tell me one of two things: {{problem_1}}, or {{problem_2}}. Does either sound like {{their_company}}?

[If yes] Tell me more about that. [Discovery questions]
[If no] Fair enough. What is the bigger headache for you this quarter?

Hi {{first_name}}, it's {{your_name}} from {{company}}. {{referrer_name}} suggested I call you.

I was talking with {{referrer_first}} about {{topic}}, and they said you own {{area}} at {{their_company}}. Do you have a minute?

[If yes] {{referrer_first}} mentioned {{problem}}. How is that showing up for you?

[Discovery, then] Would it make sense to set up 20 minutes, with {{referrer_first}} too if useful?

Hi, it's {{your_name}} from {{company}}. I'm trying to reach {{first_name}} {{last_name}}. Could you help me?

[If asked what it's about] It's about {{topic_in_plain_words}}. I wanted to ask {{first_name}} whether it's a priority this quarter.

[If they can't put you through] Thanks. Who would be the best person to talk to about {{topic}}? And when is the best time to reach {{first_name}}?

[Always] Could I have your name, so I can say I spoke with you?

Hi {{first_name}}, it's {{your_name}} from {{company}}, {{phone}}.

I'm calling about {{trigger_short}}. {{peer_type}} in that spot usually run into {{problem}}, and I have an idea on it.

I'll send you a short email today with the subject "{{subject}}". If it's useful, call me back at {{phone}}, or reply to the email.

Hi {{first_name}}, it's {{your_name}} from {{company}}. I emailed you on {{day}} about {{trigger_short}}. Did it reach you?

[If no or not sure] No problem. Short version: {{one_sentence_reason}}. Is that on your radar?
[If yes, no reply] Thanks for reading it. Was it a "not now" or a "not relevant"?

Discovery questions to use after the opener

Pick two or three. Open questions about the problem keep the prospect talking and give you the words for your one-sentence pitch.

• How are you handling {{problem}} today?
• What happens if it stays the way it is for another six months?
• Who else is involved when you change how you do {{area}}?
• Have you tried to fix it before? What happened?
• If you could change one thing about {{area}} this quarter, what would it be?

How do you handle cold call objections?

Most objections in the first minute are reflexes, not decisions. Acknowledge it, ask one question, and accept a real no.

Is B2B cold calling legal?

In the US, mostly yes. The FTC's guide to the Telemarketing Sales Rule says most calls between a telemarketer and a business are exempt from the rule, and that the National Do Not Call Registry does not apply to business-to-business calls (checked November 3, 2026). Two exceptions: calls to sell nondurable office or cleaning supplies, and calls to an employee to sell them something for personal use. State laws and other countries set their own rules for calling businesses, and recording a call can need consent depending on where each person is. Check with counsel before calling into a new country, and always honor a request not to be called again.

Cold call checklist

• Before the call: one true reason to call this person now, written in a single sentence. Their role, and who else is involved in the decision.
• In the first 30 seconds: name, company, greeting, the reason for the call. Then a question.
• During: ask more than you tell. Write down the words they use for the problem.
• The close: a specific day and length. Send the calendar invite while you are still on the phone if you can.
• After: log the outcome, the objection and the next step in the CRM the same day, and send the email you promised.

How cold calls fit into an outbound sequence

A call works best as one step in a sequence. In a RAIN Group study of 488 B2B buyers, 54% said their most recent accepted meeting began with a phone call and 58% said it began with email. Pair each call with the email it refers to: our cold email templates use the same trigger-based structure as the scripts above, and the ABM sequence template lays out 14-, 28- and 45-day cadences by account tier, with phone steps for Tier 1 accounts. For how outbound works as a whole, read what outbound sales is, and for the role that makes these calls, see what an SDR does.

Our ABM and outbound service researches your target accounts, finds the reason to call each contact and writes the call and email steps, so your sellers spend their time on conversations.