Cold call practice
A cold call is decided in the first few sentences. Practise them out loud here, before you say them to someone who has known you for less than a minute.
This page describes training: practising a call with an AI client. DIRI AI does not evaluate employees, and the outcome of a call is not a basis for decisions about people.
The situation: calling someone who is not expecting a call
The other person is in the middle of work, does not know you and has no reason to give you their time. You have a few sentences to explain why you are calling, and right after them comes the first brush-off.
- A receptionist, an assistant or a colleague picks up and will not put you through.
- “Not interested” or “just send an e-mail” comes before you have finished your opening.
- The person asks where you got their number and on what basis you are calling.
Typical mistakes
Most failed cold calls come down to the same few habits.
- An opening about your company instead of the reason you are calling this particular person.
- A read-out script with no reaction to what the other person just said.
- Answering “not interested” with pressure or a defence instead of one short question, or carrying on after a clear no.
- No concrete next step, just a vague “I will get back to you at some point”.
- Dodging or inventing an answer when asked where you got the contact and on what basis you are calling.
How you practise it in DIRI AI
The call is spoken, and the AI client reacts to what you actually say. Nothing is ever sent to a real person.
- Pick a ready-made cold call scenario, or write your own: who you are calling, what you offer and who usually picks up the phone.
- Set the difficulty and the client type, for example impatient or distrustful.
- Make the call, say your opening, react to the first objection and also practise answering “where did you get my number?”. Accept a clear refusal and end the call politely.
- In the report after the call you will see quoted moments from your transcript, an explanation of their effect and one suggestion for what to change.
- Repeat the situation and compare your attempts in your account history.
A sample from practice
A short excerpt from an opening. The goal is not a perfect phrasing but seeing where the call breaks.
- You
- Good morning, this is Peter Novak. I am calling because we provide servicing for office printers, and I understand you have two branches in Leeds. Do you have a minute?
- AI client
- I have a minute. But I will tell you straight away that a colleague handles the printers and we are not looking at servicing right now.
- You
- Understood, I do not want to take up your time. One question: who handles the printers at your company, so I do not ask the wrong person?
- AI client
- That is Mr Dvorak in operations. But he will tell you the same thing.
- You
- That is fine. May I write him two sentences and arrange a short call for next week?
- AI client
- Go ahead and write to him. You will find his e-mail on the website.
This example is fictional. It is not a transcript of a real call and not a sample of an evaluation output.
Frequently asked questions
Is cold call practice with AI really worth it when the client is artificial?
An AI client does not replace real conversations, but it lets you repeat the opening and the first objection out loud and without consequences. A sentence you have actually spoken is different from one that merely sits in a script.
Can I enter my own offer and my own type of prospect?
Yes. You can write your own scenario and set both the difficulty and the client type. Do not put personal data of real people into a scenario.
Does this page cover the legal side of cold calling?
Only in outline, and it is not legal advice. A marketing call needs a legal basis, usually the consent of the person called (in the EU, national rules implementing the ePrivacy Directive, plus GDPR; check the rules in your client's country). If you do not have one, do not call. If you cannot name one during the call, end it and stop using the number. A separate guide has more detail, and your company's compliance contact has the final word. The training is about how you handle the call.
In which languages can I practise a cold call?
In Czech, Slovak, Polish, German and English. Scores for calls outside Czech are marked as preliminary.
How much does it cost to try a first call?
The Free plan allows one voice call a day of up to five minutes. You only need to confirm your e-mail.
Practise your first call today
Pick a cold call scenario, call the AI client and read which sentence to change. Free plan: one call a day, up to 5 minutes.