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Cold calling role-play scenarios

Two cold calling scenarios you can run in your next session. Each has a situation, a private brief for the prospect and a short scoring guide. Judge the answers by your own method.

A salesperson standing by a window making a phone call

What is a cold calling role-play?

A cold calling role-play is a practice sales call to someone who does not expect it. One person plays a prospect with a hidden brief. The seller has a few seconds to earn a hearing, and the goal is a short meeting, not a sale.

Where it fits in a programme

Run these after you have taught your opening and your way of asking for a meeting. Cold calls are short, and one bad opening ends them. Learners need many quick reps to get it right.

What good looks like

  • Says why they chose this person in the first sentence.
  • Treats the first brush-off as information, not as a no.
  • Ends with a clear next step the prospect agreed to.

Scenario 1

The brush-off in the first seconds

  • 5 minutes
  • Starter

The situation

The learner sells scheduling software to mid-sized service firms. They call an operations manager they have never met. She picks up between two meetings.

The learner’s goal

Get her to agree to a 20-minute meeting next week.

Private brief for the prospect

Karen, Operations Manager at a 120-person service firm.

  • You are rushed and a little tired. This is your fourth sales call today, and every one of them pitched before asking you anything.
  • You are not against the idea. You would take a call about how your team plans its week if someone gave you a reason.
  • If the caller says in one sentence why they chose you and asks if you have a moment, listen and answer. If they pitch, or start with small talk, say you are busy and end the call.

The prospect’s opening line

"Karen speaking. Look, I’m between meetings. Can you just send me an email?"

What to look for

  1. 1 Gives a reason for the call in one sentence.
  2. 2 Asks if she has a moment before saying more.
  3. 3 Holds back the product pitch until she shows interest.

Debrief questions

  • What did Karen say in the first ten seconds that told you how to go on?
  • At what point did you want to start pitching, and what did you do instead?

Make it harder

Have Karen say she tried a tool like this two years ago and it did not last. The learner has to earn the meeting with less goodwill to start with.

Scenario 2

Happy with the current supplier

  • 5 minutes
  • Intermediate

The situation

The learner sells payroll services to mid-sized firms. They call a finance director who has used the same provider for years.

The learner’s goal

Book a 30-minute meeting before his next contract renewal.

Private brief for the prospect

James, Finance Director at a 300-person manufacturer.

  • You are polite, calm and in no hurry. You have no wish to change anything, and you say so early.
  • The contract renews in four months. The supplier put its price up at the last renewal, and you have not looked at anyone else.
  • If the caller respects your current supplier and asks for a short meeting tied to the renewal, agree to think about it. If they criticise the supplier, or push for a meeting this week, close the conversation politely.

The prospect’s opening line

"Thanks for calling. We’re happy with who we’ve got."

What to look for

  1. 1 Speaks well of the current supplier.
  2. 2 Finds out when the contract ends.
  3. 3 Ties the ask for a meeting to the renewal date.

Debrief questions

  • What did you learn about James’s situation, and how did you learn it?
  • How did you decide how hard to push for the meeting?

Make it harder

Have James mention that the current supplier’s account manager is a friend of his. The learner has to stay respectful and still win the meeting.

Common questions

How do you run a cold calling role-play?
Sit the two people back to back, or put them on a real phone call, so the seller has only a voice to work with. Give the prospect the private brief and let them end the call when the brief says to. Then run it again straight away.
How long should a cold call role-play last?
Three to five minutes is enough, because real cold calls are short. Short rounds let each learner make three or four calls in one session, which is where the gains come from.
What should you score in a cold calling role-play?
Score the first sentence and the ask for a meeting, and tell the learner before they start. Note how long the prospect stayed on the line, and whether they agreed to a next step.

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