How to Open a Cold Call

Say who you are, then why you are calling

Gong looked at a large set of recorded cold calls and found that saying the reason for your call, in plain words, went with more successful calls. A simple line like "The reason for my call is" tells the listener what this is about before they start guessing.

Keep your introduction to your name and your company. The reason for the call should come right after, not after a long warm up. Gong's data shows a link, not a controlled trial, so treat it as a strong hint rather than a law.

Based on: Gong, 2018

Skip the bad time question

Asking "Did I catch you at a bad time?" sounds polite, but it hands the listener an easy way to say yes and hang up. In both of Gong's reviews of cold call openers, that line went with fewer successful calls.

This does not mean you can never ask for a moment. In the newer data, an opener that said why you were calling and then openly asked for a moment did well. The trouble is the bad time wording, which invites a no.

Based on: Gong, 2018Gong, 2024

Lead with context about them

Openers that mentioned something about the listener, or about teams like theirs, did better in Gong's newer data than a question about their day. Context tells them why you picked them, which makes the call feel less random.

Good context is short and true. It might be something you noticed about their company, like a new office or open roles, or the kind of teams you already work with.

Based on: Gong, 2024

Name a problem, not a product

30 Minutes to President's Club (30MPC), citing Gong data, found that describing a specific problem in the listener's own terms beats buzzwords like "all-in-one platform" or "single source of truth." Words people use about their own work, like frustrated or stuck, land better than brochure words.

The same article suggests a shape for the pitch: the problem, one sentence about how you help, and a question about whether it is worth a look. That shape is the author's coaching method, not a separate measured result.

Based on: 30 Minutes to President's Club, 2024

An example opener

This opener is invented to show the pattern. The names and companies are made up.

Invented example, for illustration only

Hi Priya, this is Sam from Acme.

The reason for my call is late shipments.

I work with a few dispatch teams your size, and they were frustrated chasing late ETAs by hand.

Is that something your team runs into?

Make it easy to say

A script that reads well on paper can still trip you up on the phone. These habits make it easier to say and easier to follow. This is a writing practice, not a study result.

• Use short sentences you can say in one breath.
• Pick everyday words over long ones.
• Read it out loud a few times before you dial.
• Write it as notes, not a speech, so you sound like yourself.

Writing practice, not a study result.

Sources

• Gong. Proven cold call opening lines that work (2018). Read the source
• Gong. The best and worst cold call openers (backed by data from 300M calls) (2024). Read the source
• 30 Minutes to President's Club. How To Build The Perfect Cold Call Pitch (2024). Read the source

Advice marked as writing practice is common sense for clear email, not a study result. See where all of our guidance comes from. No statistic on this page is invented.