Sales glossary

Cold call: what it means and what a good one sounds like

Cold call: An outbound call to a person who has had no previous contact with you or your company. Local rules on consent and contact lists apply.

A cold call is an outbound sales call to someone who has had no previous contact with you or your company. They did not ask to hear from you, which is why the first seconds matter so much and why tricks wear thin fast.

Cold calling is regulated differently from country to country, especially when you call consumers. Check your company's policy and the local rules on consent and do-not-call registers before you start dialling.

Cold, warm and inbound

A warm call goes to someone who already knows you, through a referral, a form or an earlier conversation. An inbound call is one the customer starts. Cold calls are the hardest of the three, because you have to earn the right to a second minute.

The shape of a good cold call

Who you are, in one sentence.
Why you are calling this person, based on something specific about them.
A permission check that hands control back: "Can I take thirty seconds, and you decide if it's worth continuing?"
A short conversation about their situation, not your product.
A clear ask: a meeting, a callback, or an honest "this isn't for us".

Rejection is part of the job

Most cold calls end in a polite no, and that is normal. What you control is how quickly you reach a real answer and whether the person would take your call again. A clean "not for us" is better than a vague "send me something" that wastes weeks for both of you.

Lines you can say on the phone

Hi Anna, this is Tom from Brightline. We haven't spoken before. Can I take thirty seconds to tell you why I'm calling, and you decide if it's worth continuing?
I'm calling because you've just opened a second location. Teams in that spot often struggle to keep up with booking calls. Is that true for you?
Fair enough. Is it not relevant at all, or just not right now?
Would a short call next week be worth it, or should I leave you alone?

Common mistakes

Opening with "How are you today?" to a stranger who already knows it is a sales call.
Reading the script word for word. People hang up on a voice that sounds read.
Trying to close a deal on a call that only had to earn a meeting.

Related terms

Practise these terms in a real conversation

Knowing the words is the first step. Talk to an AI customer in DIRI AI and see how they sound when you use them. The Free plan lets you start.

Start on the Free plan