Most people dread cold calling. It’s stressful, time consuming, and at times it can be utterly crushing if you’re seeing constant rejection by potential clients and customers.
When done right though, cold calling can be a great way to make new contacts and generate leads for your business.
One of the keys to a successful cold calling campaign is the script. A good script should clearly communicate your core message without sounding robotic and help guide the conversation.
With the help of AI, creating and optimizing effective cold calling scripts has never been easier.
In this article, we’ll take a look at why you should consider employing an AI cold calling assistant for your next campaign, and how you should go about it.
Skip to:
- How Can AI Help Write Cold Calling Scripts?
- How to Get Started Using AI for Cold Calling Scripts
- AI Cold Calling Script Example
- Advanced Tools and the Future of AI Cold Calling
How Can AI Help Write Cold Calling Scripts?
AI can help write cold-calling scripts by generating well-structured personalized scripts that can be adapted to target specific details about a given prospect at a moment's notice.
Leveraging AI cold calling scripts is a great idea for businesses looking to automate simple tasks and boost productivity. Let’s take a closer look at exactly how AI can help with your cold calling efforts:
- Personalization: AI can help personalize customer experience by generating scripts using data on past interactions, or information you’ve gathered via social media or websites.
- Optimization: Continuously improve scripts by analyzing results from past calls to identify the best and worst performing phrases.
- Efficiency: Quickly create initial scripts by feeding information to the AI outlining customer details and campaign objectives.
- Engagement: Craft consistent conversational scripts that sound natural rather than robotic.
By leveraging AI when creating your next cold calling script you’ll not only save a bunch of time and brain power, but you’ll likely see improved results too.
How to Get Started Using AI for Cold Calling Scripts
Getting started with AI for cold calling scripts is easier than you might think. The accessibility of powerful conversational AI language tools means you can be up and running usually within a matter of minutes.
Before generating your first scripts, it helps to have some customer data to work with. Small businesses can use popups on their website to prompt visitors to share contact details or leverage relevant business directories.
Once you’ve decided on the AI tool that’s right for you, the workflow for generating your first scripts will be more or less the same across platforms - explain the scenario to the AI and give it as many details as possible.
Following this, you’ll want to evaluate the script to make sure it makes sense and hits your objectives before picking up the phone.
Let’s take a closer look at how to get started using AI to make your first cold calling scripts.
1. Choose the right AI tool
As mentioned, most of the AI tools on the market are more or less the same regarding the quality of the output.
The biggest difference is usually the user interface and how much prompting you’ll need to do to get what you want.
While some AI tools are very ‘raw’ others come with a range of inbuilt templates which can be handy if you’re new to the world of conversational AI.
Here’s the top 3 AI tools I would recommend that are not only easy to get started with, but generate high quality results.
-
ChatGPT-4
GPT-4 is the latest version of the famous ChatGPT which was released for public use in late 2022 by OpenAI.
The AI writing assistant is highly capable of performing nearly any task you request of it. It can generate scripts, write code, brainstorm ideas, and provide critiques of your writing.
It has a bare bones user interface but still offers enough options allowing you to craft the input and train the AI to do exactly as you need.
GPT-4’s main drawback is that it can get repetitive and use language that people wouldn’t really use in day-to-day conversation. Additionally, GPT-4’s training data was last updated in September 2021, which is something to keep in mind if you’re querying the AI on recent events.
With all that being said, GPT-4 is often regarded as the best language tool on the market, and it’s my personal favorite for generating lists and brainstorming ideas.
If you don't have access to GPT-4, then try it's alternative - HIX Chat for Free!
-
Writesonic
Writesonic is a web app with all the bells and whistles including a vast range of templates, social media and branding tools, chatbots, and other generative AI tools like image generators and AI text-to-voice features.
Read more about chatbot login.
It’s perfect for users who are looking to access a range of the latest AI tools in a single place and who might be looking to get some AI assistance in other areas of their business.
The main benefit of Writesonic is the templates. These are perfect for users who might be new to conversational AI and can allow you to get going much faster.
The drawback with Writesonic is when you get pigeonholed into using a template that isn’t perfectly suited to your needs.
Overall, Writesonic is a great AI tool for beginners looking to get started writing cold calling scripts, and who might want to access additional AI features down the road.
-
Claude
Claude is another bare bones conversational AI released in early 2023 by Anthropic.
While Claude isn’t quite as capable as GPT-4 yet, it’s got some unique attributes that make it preferable for some users.
User’s find that Claud's output is often much more conversational than GPT-4 - meaning it sounds more natural. Claude also allows you to upload documents within your prompt, which is really handy when trying to train the AI on your existing scripts.
Claude’s main drawback is that it tends to hallucinate much more than other tools I’ve used.
You’ll have to be very careful to fact check any bold statements from the AI. Claude also offers little functionality to control the AI other than what you specify in your prompt.
Overall, Claude excels at generating lifelike conversations and scripts. It's my go-to choice for creating article frameworks and rephrasing awkward statements.
2. Generate your scripts
Similar to crafting effective cold emails, getting the best results when creating cold calling scripts comes from communicating as much relevant information as possible.
Depending on your exact scenario, consider including the following information when prompting the AI:
- Target Audience: Define the characteristics and potential pain points of the people you're trying to reach.
- Objective: Clearly state what you aim to achieve with the cold call.
- Company Intro: Provide a description of your company and its value proposition.
- Key Features: Highlight the most relevant and compelling features of your product or service.
- Qualifying Questions: List the questions to assess if the prospect fits your target profile.
- Objection Handling: Identify common objections and craft responses to overcome them.
- Call-to-Action: Specify the next steps you want the prospect to take.
- Script Length: Provide a guideline for how long the script should be to maintain interest but still be comprehensive.
- Brand Voice: Define the tone that aligns with your brand.
- Follow-up: Outline the follow-up process if the prospect shows interest or asks for more information.
It’s often the case with AI that the more information the better! So don't hesitate to brain dump as much relevant information as you can.
3. Evaluation and tweaking
The funny thing with AI is that due to the high quality of the output users tend to become a bit complacent. It’s important to continuously evaluate the output and tweak it as necessary.
Set aside time to closely review the text, even reading it aloud. This not only helps you learn the script but ensures it flows logically.
If certain passages seem unclear, you can rewrite them yourself or adjust the prompting for the AI. Depending on the specifics, either approach may be suitable but be warned, fine-tuning prompts can become a rabbit hole.
The key to leveraging AI’s capabilities is staying actively engaged with the content rather than passively accepting it.
AI Cold Calling Script Example
After identifying your AI tool of choice, it’s time to put them to work.
Imagine you own a small eCommerce store specializing in handmade soaps. You're interested in introducing your products to boutique stores that align with your brand.
To prompt GPT-4, you could run through the list for generating scripts from above and include information relevant to your situation. Here’s an example prompt for GPT-4:
Prompt: I own a small eCommerce store specializing in handmade soaps. I would like to generate a cold calling script allowing me to introduce my product to various boutique stores. Here’s some additional information to guide the conversation:
- I would like to send out samples of my soaps to the various stores
- My soaps are handmade using only organic ingredients
- I speak in a relaxed and friendly conversational tone
- Aiming for a relatively quick conversation 1-2 minutes
- Include a call-to-action where I can get details and a contact to send my products
Can you please generate a scenario script?
GPT-4 Hi, this is [Your Name] from [Your Company Name], makers of handcrafted, organic soaps. How are you today?
(Response.)
That's great to hear! I'd love to take a minute to tell you about our line of natural soaps that your boutique customers may absolutely love. Would you like to know more?
(If 'yes.')
Fantastic. Our soaps are made with 100% organic ingredients and come in a variety of unique scents and textures. We have an exclusive offer where we can send you some free samples to try. Which scents or types of soaps do you think your customers would be most interested in?
(They express interest in specific types or scents.)
That sounds perfect! Can I ask you a few more questions to better understand your boutique?
(Proceed with questions like "How many locations do you have?" or "What types of personal care products do you currently offer?")
Thanks for sharing that. Based on your needs, I believe our products would be an excellent fit. How about we send you those samples, and then, if it all looks good, we can discuss placing an order?
(If they agree.)
Great! May I have the best address to send the samples to, along with a point of contact for follow-up?
(Collect the details.)
Excellent! You can expect your samples soon. Let's touch base after you've had a chance to try them. How does that sound?
(If they agree.)
Wonderful! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Have a great day!
This is a very basic example but it took me about 2 minutes to generate the entire script so you can see how powerful using AI can be!
Advanced Tools and the Future of AI Cold Calling
Getting help from AI for a cold calling campaign extends far beyond generating scripts.
While some of the things listed here might sound like science fiction or some far-fetched concept, many of them are already available or in testing.
These tools either incorporate AI during live calls or analyze audio data from past campaigns to identify actionable patterns.
- Self-Optimizing Scripts: Scripts that evolve on their own by learning from both successful and unsuccessful calls, continuously refining language and strategy.
- Sentiment Analysis: Sentiment analysis allows us to make better assessments in real time or in retrospect by using AI to determine if the feeling was positive, negative, or neutral.
- Voice Analysis: While sentiment analysis gauges someone’s feelings toward a product, vocal cues gauge a prospect's emotional state, allowing callers to adjust their approach dynamically.
- Performance Benchmarking: AI could continuously evaluate cold calling strategies using KPIs like engagement and conversion rates, while leveraging customer feedback and data analysis to automatically suggest improvements.
- Integration with CRM: Future AI tools will likely offer seamless integration with CRM software, updating customer records and action items in real-time based on call outcomes.
Tools like Google Duplex are working to make the automation of entire phone calls a reality. It can already book appointments and make basic calls without the recipient even knowing they’re talking to an AI.
Here’s how this technology might be used in cold calling campaigns:
- Virtual Cold Calling Assistants: AI-powered bots could handle preliminary calls to gauge interest, collect basic information, and qualify leads before passing them onto human operators.
- Predictive Dialing: AI can predict the optimal times to call specific targets based on location, historical data, and user behavior.
- Automated Follow-ups: By automating the cold calling campaign with AI it can easily send follow-up emails or messages based on the outcomes of the initial call.
- Multilingual: AI tools are continuously improving at real-time language translation, eventually allowing businesses to easily adapt their scripts for international audiences.
Wrapping Up
Today we learned how using AI to write and optimize cold calling scripts can save business owners a ton of time and improve cold calling results.
Whether you're just getting started with a basic script generated by AI or leveraging more advanced tools like sentiment analysis, it's clear that AI will continue playing a part in cold calling campaigns.
By leveraging an AI assistant in your cold calling efforts, businesses can scale their cold calling efforts much faster, gather additional insights, and personalize messaging much more effectively.
The result is a measurable increase in both meaningful conversations and eCommerce conversion rates.
Author Bio
Matt Duffin is the Founder of rareconnections.io. Combining his background in Mechanical Engineering with a passion for tech, Matt utilizes his expertise to help others leverage AI technology.
