How To Close A Cold Call

On a cold call, closing is about achieving your target outcome for that call. That could be booking a meeting, scheduling a demo, or even getting the green light to send over more details.

Many sales professionals I train assume that “closing” means landing a sale. That’s not the case.

After all, cold calling is more effective earlier in the sales cycle. The idea is to generate leads and build connections with prospects that you (or your sales team) can follow up with later.

It’s very rare for someone to buy, subscribe, or make any kind of purchase over the phone now. Those days of cold calling are gone. Your goal is to turn a cold lead into a warm opportunity. Your “close” should be focused on that – not selling.

Okay, I hear you, that’s all well and good, but how do you actually close a cold call?

In this article, I’ll explain a six-step process you can follow for successfully closing more calls. But first, let’s start with getting ready to close before you even pick up the phone.

Prepare to close

As a cold caller, preparation is everything. It’s something I’ve discussed many, many times before.

In many ways, closing is a natural by-product of a well-prepared, well-executed cold call. In short, if you’ve done everything right before and during the call, then closing should be a simple next step.

Here are some key tips, along with guides I’ve written previously to help:

What I’ve not discussed before is the importance of setting a clear goal as part of your preparation. What are you trying to achieve on this call?

Is your aim to schedule a follow-up meeting? Maybe you’re hoping to send over a case study?

Think of your goal as a guidepost. It helps you steer the call and recognise when it’s time to transition to the close. For instance, if your goal is to book a demo, listen for signals that they’re open to learning more, such as asking detailed questions or showing curiosity about your product. Once you hit that point, it’s your cue to make the ask.

How to close a cold call: 6 steps to follow

Step 1: Deliver the call

Before you can close, you need to guide your prospect up to the point of closing. You can’t just dive in with “Hey, can I book you in for a demo of our HR software?”.

You have to deliver your call following all the standard principles of cold calling:

  • Deliver an opening that gets their attention and buys you time. This is where pre-call research comes in handy. Compliments work well, as does humour if you can pull it off.
  • Follow your script. Not word-for-word, you’re not a robot, but as a reference point.
  • Build rapport. Match their energy, personalise your pitch, and actively listen to their thoughts. In fact, if you can get them talking, don’t interject but make sure to ask questions once they’re done.

Step 2: Recap & confirm

Once the conversation is flowing, you need to show the prospect you’ve been listening.

Active listening is a key sales skill, especially over the phone where it’s pretty much all you have for gauging interest. There’s no body language or facial expressions to help.

It’s something I teach in my courses, but you can read an introduction to active listening here.

The key, though, is not only to listen but also to recap what they’ve shared with you to show understanding and ensure you’re both on the same page. This not only builds rapport (see above!) but also gives the prospect a chance to correct or clarify.

For instance, you could say things like:

  • “You mentioned earlier that [doing X] is a top priority for your team, did I get that right?”
  • “So you mentioned [problem Y], is that something that eats up a lot of your time?”

The recap and confirm technique works well because most people just want to be heard. And that makes them more open to discussing solutions.

Step 3: Transition to the close

When it’s time to guide the conversation toward your goal, the transition should feel natural, not forced.

I mentioned earlier about listening for key markers that indicate a prospect is open to learning more. You should be making mental notes of these markers throughout the call, but when you want to make the transition, try using reflective or emotional questions to ease in.

For example:

  • “How does this all sound so far?”
  • “Do you feel like this is something worth solving?”

Questions like these engage the prospect and encourage them to take ownership of the next step. If they respond positively, it’s your opportunity to move to the close.

If they respond negatively, you might have to jump ahead to objection handling (step 5) or prepare an alternative close. For example, if your goal is to set a meeting, then an alternative could be to send over a personalised video.

Side note: Videos work great if you can show them how your product works or run them through a case study.

Step 4: Use Persuasive Closing Language

Closing a cold call doesn’t have to be pushy. The best closers are often the softest. The ones who can make a prospect not realise they’re a sales target.

The trick is using low-pressure, collaborative language to make it easy for the prospect to say yes without feeling cornered.

Here are some examples:

  • “Would it be a terrible idea to set up a call next week to discuss this in a bit more detail?”
  • “If I’ve completely misunderstood your needs, we can leave it here, but would it make sense for me to show you how our product could fix that?”

These approaches acknowledge the prospect’s autonomy while steering them toward the next step.

Let me be clear though, you should ask for what you want. A gentle close does not mean skirting around the point.

Step 5: Address Objections

At this point, objections are inevitable.

Many of the sales professionals I’ve worked with love an objection as there’s something quite satisfying about being able to turn a “no” into a “yes”. However, they can be tricky to handle for newer recruits. Or if you don’t understand enough about what you’re pitching and the prospect’s needs. I’ve written an entire guide on the subject previously.

Remember, objections are not deal-breakers. Instead, they’re an opportunity to demonstrate your value and take the conversation further.

Most people just don’t want to have to make a decision right then and there. That’s fine. Common objections like “I need to think about it” or “Now’s not a good time” can be countered with empathy and thoughtful responses. Don’t bother with pushy sales tactics, you’ll only force the prospect further away.

Stay calm, respectful, flexible, and – most importantly – keep the door open for future engagement!

Step 6: Secure The Commitment

Once the prospect agrees to your next step, whether it’s a meeting, demo, or follow-up call, it’s time to lock it in.

A bit of light humour never goes amiss, for example: “On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely are you to attend the meeting?”.

To make it even easier, suggest sending a calendar invite or confirmation email right away. Something like, “Great, I’ll send over a calendar invite. Does tomorrow at 10:30 work for you?”.

You want to leave the prospect with a positive impression and a clear plan for what happens next.

Summary

Hopefully you now feel a bit more confident about closing a cold call.

But if you want extra help, then why not book a place on one of my cold calling training courses? There are sessions available at our training centre in London, or I can come to your company for a bespoke session.

Sales professionals of all levels of experience find the course useful, so get in touch today to discuss further if you think you or your team could benefit.