8 Outbound Sales Call Script Examples With Proven Results

Outbound sales call scripts help sales reps have productive conversations with customers. Writing and practicing sales call scripts involves understanding your product or services and knowing how to engage a prospect, uncover their pain points, and effectively close deals. We’ve included eight free outbound sales call script examples for a broad range of situations.

Once you start using outbound sales scripts, keep track of conversations with prospects using customer relationship management (CRM) software such as Freshsales. It offers call recording that can be turned on for calls made and received in Freshsales, so you can analyze how well your call scripts are performing and share recordings with your team for training purposes. Sign up today for a 21-day free trial.

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Outbound Sales Call Script Examples

1. Cold Call Appointment Script

This is an outbound sales call script example you can use when you don’t have a prior connection to the person you are calling. They likely won’t have any idea who you are, so keep it brief with the goal to schedule an in-person, video, or future phone call at a mutually convenient time.

Pro tip: If you can, do some homework and research the person you’re calling so you have a natural way to start the conversation. Take a look at their LinkedIn profile and see if you have any mutual connections or went to the same school. This can help to warm up the conversation, building rapport and trust.

Cold Call Appointment Script Example

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2. Voicemail Script

If you aren’t able to talk with your lead directly, there’s still a great opportunity to connect with your lead here and get them to call you back. Keep your message brief—no one wants to listen to a voicemail over 30 seconds. Introduce yourself, create some intrigue, and clearly state the phone number and email address where they can reach back out to you. Finally, don’t forget to mention you’ll follow up again at a certain date if you haven’t heard back.

When I was a sales rep at a growing software company, I learned to be confident and precise when leaving voicemails. At the beginning, I used to think they’d never get returned, but they did. Plus, getting a callback demonstrates they have some level of interest and helped develop rapport right off the bat.

Voicemail Script Example

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3. Follow-up Script

Let’s say you finally had that first appointment with a prospect and it went great. You’ve shared lots of valuable information about how you can help their business thrive, but they haven’t made a buying decision yet and you need to move the process forward. Now it’s time to call the prospect and help navigate what needs to happen for you to earn their business.

Use this template to guide the conversation:

Follow-up Script Example

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4. Gatekeeper Script

It’s common for sales reps to be afraid they won’t be able to get past gatekeepers to talk with decision-makers. After all, it’s part of the person’s job at the front desk to screen calls that take up the valuable time of C-level executives. The good news is it doesn’t have to be scary—you can turn gatekeepers into advocates.

Stop looking as the gatekeeper as the enemy. Create a sense of rapport and get them working with you to help provide solutions to their business needs. Start by enlisting their help by asking who the best person to talk with is if you haven’t connected before. Often, they will tell you who the right person to speak with is and if you ask for their email, they will probably give it to you, turning the gatekeeper into a referral source when you mention them in your follow-up email.

Gatekeeper Script Example

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5. Referral Script

Referrals are a great way to create a sense of connection when you’re making outbound sales calls. The prospect might not know who you are or be expecting your call, but bringing up a mutual connection fosters rapport and helps you ease your way into the conversation, especially if the person referring you is a current or past customer.

You can also modify this script when you’ve talked with the gatekeeper before by saying, “I spoke with Gloria at the front desk last week and she told me you were the right person to talk with.” It helps disarm the person you are speaking with if they know you’ve already started a conversation with someone at their company beforehand.

Referral Script Example

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6. Promotional Sales Script

The promotional sales script is for when you want to create a sense of urgency to move the prospect toward a buying decision, and should be used as part of a marketing campaign. Tailor your script so the promotion is relevant to the customer and aim to address any of their objections toward moving forward.

For example, if you are selling software that would involve a big change in process for a small business and they would typically need to pay for training or onboarding, you might offer it for free or at a reduced rate. Just be sure there’s a deadline on the promotion to expedite their decision.

Promotional Script Example

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7. Overcoming Objections Script

This script is for when the prospect has a clear objection or reason why they think they can’t purchase your product—or they don’t have a good reason to make a purchase. For example, if you’re selling human resources management software and they already have a current provider, they may be hesitant to make a switch.

Make sure you’re clear about the value you can add over your competition. Do your research about their current provider and make a case for switching to your business.

Overcoming Objections Script Example

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8. Hail Mary Voicemail Script

Sometimes you have a great conversation or two with a prospect, and then they suddenly seem to disappear and you just can’t get them on the phone. Rather than hound them and make the customer feel bad about it, leave them a genuine voicemail that makes them want to call you back and explain.

Remember, your prospects are busy, so try not to take it personally if you are being ignored. Invite them to share the reason for the delay or simply tell you it’s not a good fit so you can move on.

Hail Mary Voicemail Script Example

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Pro tip: Use a CRM like Freshsales to keep track of how long it’s been since you’ve talked with each prospect. You can set reminders that let you know when you should reach back out to potential customers, so no leads fall through the cracks. Sign up today for a 21-day free trial.

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How to Write Outbound Sales Call Scripts

There are key components that should go into every outbound sales call. First, make sure you have a clear reason for calling and ask if they have time to talk before launching into a conversation. Next, never speak poorly about competitors of your business and be clear about the value of your product. Finally, you need to guide the conversation by asking questions and seeking to understand rather than preaching about your business.

To create effective outbound sales call scripts, be sure to do the following:

1. Have a Clear Reason for Calling

Before you start writing any sales script, think about your reason for calling. Everyone is busy, and no one wants to get a phone call while they are at work just to check in and chat. For example, you may be calling to set up an in-person meeting, talk about any objections or hesitations the prospect has, or inform them about special offers.

2. Ask for Their Time

Once you call and introduce yourself, resist the temptation to launch into a sales pitch. Keep in mind that you have no idea what they are in the middle of at that moment, especially if you’re making a cold call. After you introduce yourself and the business you represent, be respectful and ask for a few minutes of their time. If they say they are busy, ask to arrange a better time for you to call back.

3. Respect Your Competitors

When you call a prospect or customer, it’s not usually that they will be considering an alternative or already working with a competitor. Never badmouth a competitor. Instead, ask questions about how it’s working for them and what they would change if they could.

4. Seek to Understand Your Customer’s Pain

Many novice sales reps launch into an outbound sales call with one purpose: to bombard a prospect with information about the wonders of their product or service. However, in order to know if your business is a good match for the customer, you need to ask questions. Ask how things are done now and how they could be better to discover their pain points. For example, if you sell mobile apps for restaurants, ask if they have one and if their customers actually use it.

5. Provide Compelling Value

Give every prospect a good reason to listen to what your business has to offer by providing specific examples of how you’ve helped similar companies. For example, if you offer social media strategy solutions, say, “We helped [X company] increase their inbound leads by 100% by developing engaging Facebook and Instagram campaigns, and I’m confident we can do the same for you.”

6. End With a Clear Next Step

Never hang up the phone without clarifying what should happen next. Both parties should know what the next step is. For example, it could be having an in-person meeting, getting additional information for the prospect, or scheduling a follow-up meeting with more stakeholders in the company before a buying decision can be made.

Want more tips about outbound sales calls? Read these tips from the pros.

Bottom Line

Outbound sales call scripts take the guesswork and anxiety out of calling prospects and customers because you have a clear purpose for the conversation. Be prepared with customizable scripts that guide each sales call and set the stage for closing new business deals and retaining customers. Plan out what you want to say in advance or download these templates to have handy while you make sales calls.

As you make outbound sales calls, it’s critical to keep track of each action you take with every lead and customer. Use a CRM like Freshsales for a 360-degree view of each opportunity so you always know where each deal stands. Plus, you can integrate Freshcaller for in-app dialing and record each call so you can review past conversations. Sign up for a free trial today.

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