Why should we prepare a CEO cold calling script before calling any key decision-maker? 📞
In the competitive world of sales and marketing, it’s hard to find the correct phone numbers of CEOs and managers and reach out to them through cold calls and it’s even more challenging to engage them in cold calls and leave a lasting impression! 🙁
That’s why I have crafted a CEO cold calling script in this article, helping marketers and salespersons make the most of their cold calls to CEOs, managers, founders, owners, directors, CTOs, CFOs, and any other person with the power of decision-making.
Let’s explore more, and at the end, you will know how to prepare a well-crafted CEO cold calling script, what to do, and what to avoid! 🙂
I’ll help turn the daunting and stressful task of calling C-level executives into something effortless and enjoyable—trust me! 👌🏼
Why Do You Need a Cold Calling Script for CEOs?
When you target CEOs and decision-makers through cold calls, having a well-structured and purposeful CEO cold calling script becomes more critical than ever, which ensures you make the most of the limited opportunity when you get them on the phone.
A CEO cold calling script offers several invaluable advantages ⤵
🔍 Clarity: A script provides a clear roadmap for the conversation.
😎 More Self-Confidence: This clear roadmap increases your self-confidence.
🎯 Efficiency: It helps you make the most of your time and that of the CEO.
🚫 Handling Objections: It equips you to handle objections effectively.
📈 Improved Results: It can significantly enhance your chances of closing deals.
How to Create an Effective CEO Cold Calling Script?
Before showing the template for a CEO cold calling script, let’s talk about the key points you should consider.
All the steps you need to follow to craft a quality CEO cold calling script are listed below ⤵
1. Research Your Target CEOs Before Calling
After finding and verifying the list of CEOs’ phone numbers, discover insights about them through manual searches in social media and search engines or ask for help from various automatic data enrichment tools like CUFinder.
The more information you gather about them beforehand, the greater your chances of success during a cold call.
You need to know their company name, industry, company size, number of employees, location, concerns, challenges, recent achievements, responsibilities, priorities, skills, education, and more.
I recommend using CUFinder to discover all these details about any decision-maker anywhere in the world. Then, engage with them confidently and fully prepared!
Try CUFinder’s free trial to enrich the profiles of decision-makers with a click!
2. Define Your Cold Calling Goal
Why do you want to cold call a CEO or manager? Do you call them to advertise your products, set a meeting, ask them to participate in your seminar, or simply gather information?
Remember that your goal should be SMART ⤵
- Specific: Clearly define what you want to achieve.
- Measurable: Ensure you can track progress.
- Achievable: Set a realistic goal that can be achieved within a certain period of time.
- Relevant: Align the goal with your broader objectives.
- Time-Bound: Establish a clear deadline
3. Craft a Strong Cold Call Opening
Your CEO cold calling script should have an attention-grabbing and efficient opening. How❓
- Starting with a polite and professional introduction: “Hi [CEO’s Name], this is [Your Name] from [Your Company].”
- State your reason for calling concisely: “I’m reaching out because I …].”
- Acknowledge their time: “Do you have a quick moment to discuss this?
4. Personalize Your Message
Personalization isn’t just related to using CEO’s names in your conversion. It’s wider than it!
For professional personalization, you should show managers that you understand their business by using sentences like “I noticed that [specific insight about their company].”
Moreover, you need to highlight your solution to meet their needs.
5. Discuss the Value You Offer
One important point is to focus on the values you provide for CEOs. What solutions does your product/service offer? How can you help them?
The below sentence is a part of the conversation of a marketer with a manager, in which the marketer focuses on the provided value:
“We’ve helped companies like [example company] achieve [specific result], and I believe we could do something similar for your business too.”
6. Ask Engaging Questions
Ask relevant questions to attract their attention and draw them into the conversation, like “How are you currently addressing [specific challenge]?”
It’s recommended to tailor the questions to their role, needs, and priorities.
7. Active Listening
Pay close attention to the CEO’s responses and adapt your script accordingly. Listen for cues that indicate their level of interest.
8. Prepare for Objections
Before the call, list the objections you guess that you will face during the call and prepare a polite answer for them.
For instance, if the manager says “I’m busy”. You can politely and confidently say: “I completely understand you’re busy. If now isn’t a good time, when would be better for a quick follow-up?”
9. Stay Positive and Enthusiastic
A positive attitude can be contagious. Speak with enthusiasm about your product or service to engage the CEO. Remember to always be polite even if you face a difficult situation.
10. End with a Call to Action
You should suggest the next step at the end of the call and make it easy to understand and commit.
For example: “Would it make sense to schedule a brief 15-minute meeting next week?”
11. Record and Analyze
Keep records of your calls and outcomes. Analyze what works and what doesn’t, and adjust your script accordingly.
12. Practice, Practice, and Practice!
Familiarize yourself with your script and practice it until you can deliver it confidently and naturally.
13. Follow Up
What happens during the cold call is important, but the more significant point is after it! You should send a follow up message or email reinforcing your points if the call doesn’t lead to immediate action.
The CEO Cold Calling Script Sample
In this section, a CEO cold calling script is given, helping you learn what procedure to follow when you want to call decision-makers and CEOs. This script is tailored to advertise a new service to a CEO.
Cold Calling Script to Advertise a New Service to a CEO
No. | Section | Time | What to Say? | Points |
1️⃣ | Introduction-Opening | 10-15 seconds | ❝Hello, [CEO’s Name], my name is [Your Name], and I’m calling from [Your Company]. I hope I’m not catching you at a bad time.❞ | ✔️ Introduce yourself. ✔️ Use the CEO’s name for personalization. ✔️ Be polite by asking about time. |
2️⃣ | Hook-Highlight the New Service | 30-45 seconds | ❝The reason for my call today, [CEO’s Name], is that we’ve just introduced [new service name], which is designed to [solve a specific pain point].❞ | ✔️ Mention the reason for the call. ✔️ Offer the value your service provides. |
3️⃣ | Unique Selling Point-Value Offer | 15-20 seconds | ❝What makes this service unique is [specific differentiator.]❞ | ✔️ Explicitly explain why your service differs. |
4️⃣ | Ask Question | 10 seconds | ❝Is there any point you are curious to know about this service?❞ | ✔️ Appreciate the CEO to think and ask questions. |
5️⃣ | Call to Action | 10 seconds | ❝I’d love to send you more details to show you how it works. Can I have your email address?❞ | ✔️ Explain the next step. |
6️⃣ | Closing | 10 seconds | ❝Thank you for your time, [Name]. I’ll follow up with an email so you have everything in writing. Have a great day!❞ | ✔️ Thanks to them for their time. ✔️ Remind them of the email you are going to send. |
🎁 Bonus: Realtors can also benefit from our comprehensive article about real estate cold calling scripts. Click the link below to access this practical blog:
“10 Real Estate Cold Calling Scripts [Practical & Tested]”
The Best Time and Length of Cold Calls to CEOs
Timing and length are critical in cold calling, especially when targeting CEOs with hectic schedules. While there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to the best time and length of cold calls to CEOs, some general guidelines can help.
First, make sure to check the CEO’s time zone when calling. And then pay attention to the days, exact time, and length as mentioned below ⤵
✔️ Best Days 🗓️
Tuesday to Thursday are the best days for calling decision-makers. Avoid calling on Mondays. Mondays are often reserved for catching up after the weekend, and Fridays are generally less productive as they are the last days of the week.
✔️ Best Times ⏱️
- Late Morning (10:00 AM – 11:30 AM): Just after the initial rush of the day, CEOs may have time to talk.
- Early Afternoon (1:30 PM – 3:00 PM): After lunch, many CEOs return to their desks and usually have time to take calls.
- Avoid Lunchtime (12:00 PM – 1:30 PM): They are less likely to be available for calls during lunch hours.
✔️ Best Length ⏳
CEOs are busy and have limited time. Therefore, you should keep the conversation concise and to the point. Your initial cold call should be under 5 minutes unless the CEOs themselves expand the conversation!
Last Offer
Now that you’ve learned how to write a CEO cold calling script, when to call them, and what tips to avoid, it’s time to find the valid cell phone numbers of CEOs and decision-makers.
The easiest way is CUFinder’s Enrichment Engine, which discovers the cell phone numbers of individuals in bulk with over 98% data integrity.
Why Find Individuals’ Cell Phones with CUFinder❓
- Over 98% data accuracy 🚀
- Over 419M individuals’ profiles 👥
- Over 269M companies’ profiles 🏢
- Comprehensive global coverage 🌍
- Intuitive website with no learning curve 🎨
- CRM integrations and Excel file support 🔗
Let’s try your free credits now; tomorrow is too late! 😉
FAQs
1. Should you cold call CEOs?
Cold calling CEOs can be effective if done respectfully and with a well-researched, compelling pitch.
2. Is cold calling illegal?
Cold calling is not inherently illegal, but it must comply with regulations such as the Do Not Call list in certain regions.
3. Is cold calling unprofessional?
Cold calling can be seen as unprofessional if it’s intrusive, poorly executed, or doesn’t respect the recipient’s preferences, but when done respectfully, it can be a legitimate business practice.