#489 - How to Turn 3 Cold Calls into 1 Meeting Every Time (Steal this script!)

Overview

• The episode teaches a cold call script that gets one meeting per three connects.
• Most advice is the exact opposite of what typical telemarketers do.
• Example company used throughout: Covey, an AI resume-screening bot.

The Opener: "Heard the Name Tossed Around"

• Avoid "How's your day going?" and "Did I catch you at a bad time?" — both invite rejection.
• Goal: make the prospect forget it's a cold call, as if you were referred.
• Lead with context — a common thread like other people in their office, other CFOs in Chicago, or companies sharing the same investor (e.g., Sequoia portfolio).
• Even if they haven't heard of you, their demeanor is more positive because you led with context.
• If they say yes, they've heard of you, you don't pitch — ask "what did you hear?" and they'll bring up the objection or interest.

The Pitch: Problem Proposition

• Most pitches focus on what you do, not what the prospect cares about.
• Lead with a triggering problem with "hairy lollipop" specificity — vivid enough to evoke emotion (e.g., 3000 applications on day one of a job posting).
• Solve it in one sentence in plain human language — no buzzwords like "single source of truth" or "all-in-one platform."
• Call to action: ask for interest or a test drive, not a meeting — meetings feel heavy.

Objections: The Mr. Miyagi Method

• Don't fight the objection — telling someone they're wrong never changes their mind.
• Step 1: Pattern break by agreeing with the objection, which releases pressure.
• Step 2: Incentivize conversation — get them talking like a therapist would; use trap questions about things competitors can't do (e.g., detecting multiple promotions in a short period).
• Step 3: Sell the test drive, not the product — offer to run it on one of their roles so they know what's out there.

After the Call

• The phone is for meeting setting; run the real sales process on a scheduled call where you won't be interrupted.