Cold call script for new businesses: POS, insurance, web
Auspector ·
A cold call to a newly opened business should take under two minutes: mention the opening, ask for thirty seconds, ask one question, make one concrete offer and agree one next step. Below are the script, six common objections with answers, three variants (payments, insurance, website) and a follow-up schedule.
Before you dial: what the record tells you
A record for a newly opened business gives you more than a name and a number. Use it to make the first ten seconds about them:
- Category. What they sell tells you what they have just had to buy. A café has probably just chosen a coffee machine and a till; a salon, its booking system.
- District. A local reference for the opener (“the new place just off the high street”) and, for a field team, whether a visit fits today’s route.
- Opening hours, where published. They tell you when not to call. Never in the middle of service.
- A website or booking page on record — or none. For a web agency this is the opening line. For everyone else it is a hint that the owner may still be setting things up. An empty field does not prove there is no site, so ask rather than assume.
- Arrival date. How long the record has been with us; call this week’s first. It is not the opening date.
- The same name on several records. Probably a chain. The decision is likely made at head office.
Building the list itself — category, area, last 30 days, phone on record, a saved search that sends new matches every day — is covered in building a lead list from new businesses.
When to call
Pick the quiet hour of their trade, not yours. Restaurants and cafés: mid-afternoon, between lunch and dinner. Salons: first thing, before the first appointment, ideally midweek. Garages: mid-morning, once the drop-offs are done. Shops: the first hour after opening on a weekday. If the record has opening hours, stay inside them and away from the edges.
The script, step by step
- Open with the opening. “Hi, is that [business name]? It’s [your name] from [company] — we’re based here in [town]. I saw you’ve just opened on [street]; congratulations.” Who you are, where you are, why them. If the record arrived more than a few weeks ago, say “recently opened” instead of “just opened”.
- Ask for permission. “Have you got thirty seconds, or have I caught you at a bad time?” If it is a bad time: “No problem — is later today better, or tomorrow morning?” Then call at exactly that time.
- Give the reason in one sentence. “We help new cafés around [area] with [card payments / business insurance / getting found online], and I wanted to ask you one thing.”
- Ask one diagnostic question. One question whose answer decides the next step — examples in the variants below. Ask it, then stop talking.
- Make one concrete offer. Small, specific, with a time attached. Not “a demo” but “Thursday at three, ten minutes, with a terminal and your own numbers”.
- Agree the next step. Offer two options: “Does Thursday at three work, or is Friday morning better?” Repeat the time back, thank them and end the call. Under two minutes is the target.
Six objections and what to say
| They say | You say |
|---|---|
| “I’m really busy right now.” | “Of course, I won’t keep you. Is later this afternoon better, or tomorrow morning?” Then call exactly then. |
| “We’ve already got one.” | “Good — how’s it working out so far?” Listen. “If anything changes after your first month, can I check back in?” |
| “Just send me an email.” | “Happy to. What would make it worth opening — prices, or a couple of times I could drop by?” Send only what they asked for, to the address they gave. |
| “How did you get my number?” | “We work from a database of newly opened businesses in [city], and this number is listed for your business. If you’d rather not get calls like this, I’ll note it now.” Then do. |
| “I’m not the owner.” | “No problem — who looks after [payments / insurance / the website], and when’s a good time to catch them?” |
| “Not interested.” / “Too expensive.” | “Fair enough. Can I ask — is that because it’s sorted, or because it isn’t a priority yet?” The answer tells you whether to close the record or come back after the opening rush. |
Three variants
Payments: card terminal and POS
Question: “How are you taking cards at the moment — through your bank, or still deciding?” Offer: “I can come by on Thursday at three with a terminal and show you the fees on last week’s takings.” The answer sorts your list into three piles: no terminal yet, a stopgap, a signed contract. Which businesses belong on the list in the first place is in POS leads: reach new businesses before they pick a terminal.
Insurance
Question: “When you opened, was the cover one of the things you had to sort in a hurry, or is it still on the list?” Offer: “Send me what you have and I’ll tell you in ten minutes whether there are gaps — nothing changes unless you want it to.” Which new businesses to start with is in commercial insurance leads.
Website
Question: “I looked you up and couldn’t find a website — have you got one yet, or is it on the to-do list?” If they have one, ask for the address and note it; the empty field was a lead, not proof. Offer: “I’ll put together a one-page draft with your hours, prices and how to book, and show it to you on Friday — you decide after.” More in how to get web design clients.
Follow-up timing
- No answer. Try again at a different time of day, then once more later in the week. After three attempts, stop calling: send a field rep if you have one, or move on.
- “Call me later.” Call at the exact time they gave, and say so: “You said Tuesday at ten.”
- Talked, no decision. Send what you promised the same day; call on day 3; again on day 10; and once more after the first month, when the opening rush is over and stopgap choices come back up.
- “No” or “don’t call again”. Note it in your CRM and keep to it.
Meanwhile the list does not run dry: a saved search sends new matching records by email every day.