Lesson 4 of 9 · 16 min
Cold calling
Open calm. Name the gap. Sell 15 minutes, not the system.
Before you dial
- Read the business name, trade, and town on the screen.
- Know the beats of the call below. Do not read them like a robot.
- Know the one rule: interest in a demo means this call becomes the only call.
- Call during UK working hours. Owners answer between jobs, often late morning and mid-afternoon.
The shape of the call
Step 1
Open slow
Calm, a little unsure, not excited. Your name and J.V. Automations.
Step 2
Ask who handles it
Ask who looks after getting back to new jobs. Do not claim they have a problem.
Step 3
Find the gap with a question
Who rings new jobs back, and how fast? Let them describe the problem.
Step 4
Let them do the maths
How many missed, how many would have been a job, what one is worth. Their numbers, not yours.
Step 5
Offer 15 minutes
Give them an easy way to say no. Then offer two real times.
Step 6
If they say yes
Stop dialling. Confirm the time, their name, email, and best number.
Step 7
If they say no
One honest question if it was a reflex. If they say no again, leave politely.
The first eight seconds
A normal sales opener gets an automatic "not interested". That is not a real no. The owner is putting you in the pile with every other sales call they got today. Most of the opener is how you sound, not what you say.
Instead, speak a little slower than normal and sound slightly unsure. Do not sound excited.
Hey… is this [Name]? …Yeah, it's just [Your name] from J.V. Automations. I was wondering if you could help me out for a moment.
Honestly, I'm not even sure I'm talking to the right person. I'm calling to find out who looks at how quickly you get back to new jobs — the ones that come in while you're on a van. Who would that normally be?
Curiosity works better than pressure. You have not said they have a problem. You asked who would know.
Don't sound like you need the sale
The same words in a calmer voice get you further. Sounding bright and eager tells the owner you need the commission.
Often one statement pulls more out of them than a pile of questions:
A lot of the plumbers I call say the job comes in, they see it two hours later, and the homeowner's already booked someone else.
Then stop talking. If they agree or correct you, follow what they said. If they stay quiet:
I'm not saying that's you. Just what I keep hearing.
Never push a problem they have already said they do not have. If they ask the price, give it straight. Do not hide behind a story.
Offer, don't force
People do not like being sold to. They like to choose. If you push, they defend themselves. If you make a clear offer and say no is fine, they stay in control. And an owner who chooses to say yes is much easier to close later.
Have you got 30 seconds? I'm not here to pitch you. I just want to see if this is even relevant.
Sounds like it's costing you jobs. Want me to show you how we fix that, or is now a bad time?
No pressure. If it's not for you, I'll leave you alone. Want the short version?
Do not repeat the offer if they already asked for a demo or a price. Never use it after they said stop. If they asked a real question, answer it first, then offer the next step.
Find the gap — don't assume it
When a new job comes in — website, missed call, message — who actually rings them back, and how fast does that usually happen?
When it doesn't get called back in the same hour, do you have any way of knowing how many of those you lose, or is it kind of invisible?
Is that costing you anything you can feel — slower weeks, jobs that went to someone else?
Now they have described the problem in their own words. If there is no problem, there is no reason to stay on the phone. If they answer every call within minutes and you have no reason to doubt it, move on.
The cost of doing nothing — their maths, not yours
Owners think leaving things as they are costs nothing. Do not tell them the number. Ask the questions, then stop talking.
How many calls do you miss in a week? How many of those would have been a job? What's an average job worth? So that's about [their number] a week. What's that over a year?
They trust their own maths. Now the $7,500 is compared with a number they just said, not with zero.
Asking for the meeting
The cold call sells the meeting. Keep the pressure low and make it easy for them to say no.
Would you be opposed to 15 minutes this week? I'll show you what we set up for a [plumber / roofer] in a similar spot. If it doesn't fit, I'll say so. Worst case, you see how it works.
Mornings or afternoons better? I've got [day] at [time] or [day] at [time].
If they ask for the price on the cold call, give it: $7,500 setup, $997 a month. If they are still interested, book the look anyway. If they already said yes to a time, confirm it. Do not ask again.
Objections on the cold call
Most early "not interested" is a reaction to being called, not a verdict on the offer. Ask one honest question. If the no is real, leave.
Yeah, fair. You might not need it. Before I let you go — every new job is getting a call back within a few minutes right now, including evenings, right? If not, that's the only thing I do, and it's about 10 minutes. Would that be worth it, or shall I leave you?
Good. I'd hope so. Just curious — when a job comes in at 7 on a Saturday, is someone calling it back in five minutes, or does it wait till Monday?
Makes sense. You've put money into that. The question isn't what you've already spent. It's what it costs from here — the jobs that still sit till Monday.
Never say "that was a waste". If their setup really does answer within minutes, evenings included, leave.
I can. It won't mean much until I've seen how the jobs come in. Ten minutes. If it doesn't apply, I'll say so on the call. Would Thursday work, or is that a no?
$7,500 to set it up, then $997 a month. Whether it's worth it depends on how many jobs you're losing now — that's what the 15 minutes is for.
Voicemail and gatekeepers
Hi, it's [Your name] at J.V. Automations, calling for the owner of [Business]. We help trade firms answer new jobs while the team is on site, so fewer enquiries die on voicemail. If that's useful, you can reach me on [your number]. Thanks.
One voicemail. Tick "Left a voicemail" and take the next number. A called number is not given out again, so do not promise to call back.
No problem. Honestly I'm not sure I've got the right person — who usually handles new customer calls when the engineers are out? I'm not selling parts. It's about missed jobs. Is the owner the right person, and when are they usually back?
Check you have it
3 questions. 2 right marks this lesson complete.
1. An owner says "not interested" in the first few seconds. What do you do?
2. Who says the yearly cost of missed jobs out loud?
3. They agree to a walkthrough tomorrow at 10. What next?
Pass the check above to mark this lesson complete.