Cold Calling? Avoid This Lame First Line – And Try This Instead.

Do you have a minute?

It’s a seemingly innocuous question. And, when you are cold calling someone, it seems like a good way to start.

Well, it isn’t. In fact, it’s one of the worst ways to start a cold call, said Skaled Consulting CEO Jake Dunlap.

Here’s why.

What NOT to do when opening up cold outreach.

In a recent post on LinkedIn, Jake said there is one line of sales questioning that needs to be retired, and it’s that introductory request for permission: “Do you have a minute?” or “Is this a good time?”

In today’s world, just about everyone has caller ID on their phone, so their permission is implicit when they answer the call. “People don’t answer the phone if they don’t have 2-3 minutes,” Jake said.

The same thinking could be applied to an InMail on LinkedIn. If the person saw who you were and opened up the message, they already committed to reading it. 

“So skip the 2005 pre-smartphone world line and just get to the point,” he said.

Let’s take a quick look at how you can modernize your cold calling game.

Get to value: A direct and straightforward cold calling philosophy.

As an alternative to the outdated “asking permission” approach, Jake recommends getting straight to business. Establish the relevance, explain who you are, and find your way to the value prop:

“Hey John - this is Jake Dunlap from Blah I’ve talked to 2-3 people at ABC and they gave me insight that you handle xyz and ABC Corp is that right?”

In this very brief introduction, Jake has communicated three critical things:

1. Who he is and what he does.
2. What prompted him to reach out.
3. Why he believes “John” is the right person for him to contact.

This creates immediate momentum to move a conversation forward. Alternatively, it might lead to the rapid realization that your solution or services aren’t a match for the prospect, which also has value because you didn’t waste either person’s time to find out.

We can't overstate how important it is to put your best foot forward in this preliminary interaction with a potential new prospect. 

“In sales, you want to make sure you put forth the right impression as quickly as possible because doing so will enhance your authority and make it much easier to move to the next step in the sales process,” said expert sales trainer Brian Ahearn in the LinkedIn Learning course Persuasive Selling. “Why are first impressions often lasting and so quick? Because humans have the ability to make assessments of other people with surprising accuracy with very little to go on.”

Think about it: if your first words are “Do you have a minute?” you’re not projecting confidence or authority. Instead, you come off as timid and uncertain. Avoid that perception by getting directly to the reason behind your call or message.

Which brings up another fundamental requisite for making this approach work: actually having a reason to reach out.

“You need to get it in your head that you're calling for a reason,” said prospecting coach Miles Croft in the course Cold Calling Mastery. “You're bringing some sort of value. You're telling them about a thing that they will care about. And also you have an end goal in mind, be it a meeting, a sale, or just a conversation. Whatever it may be, you've got it in your mind.”

If you can’t firmly crystallize that reason, and state it in the kind of clear and straightforward terms that Jake suggests, then don’t reach out. 

This small and simple change in your cold outreach routine will greatly improve your chances of a warm reception, and a next step.

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