Fintech Cold Call Script

Opener

[First name], this is [your name] at [company]. I'm calling cold and I know you're probably in the middle of [close / a board deck / a forecast], so I'll be precise. One question about how you're handling [specific process] on [their ERP or processor], then you decide if there's anything to discuss. Thirty seconds?

Finance leaders value precision and resent vagueness. Naming their ERP or processor and the specific process in the opener proves the call is researched, not sequenced.

Reason for the call

Companies at your stage running [ERP / processor / billing system] usually hit [specific friction: a manual reconciliation between two systems, a cash visibility gap across bank accounts, an interchange structure that stopped being optimal above a certain volume, a days-sales-outstanding problem tied to how invoices are delivered]. I've been talking to [company type] in [sector] about it, and I wanted to find out whether it's showing up for you.

A specific friction tied to a specific stack is what a controller or CFO recognises as real. Generic 'finance teams struggle with manual work' is noise to them.

Value hook

What we do is [one plain sentence]. At [reference company], which is about your size and runs [same stack], it meant [specific, measurable result: close shortened by three days, [number] basis points on processing volume, DSO down by [number] days, one FTE of manual reconciliation redeployed]. I'll share how it was measured, because I'd expect you to check.

A measurable result with an offer to show the method is the only kind of claim a finance buyer accepts. Saying 'I'd expect you to check' aligns with how they evaluate everything.

Qualifying question

Can I ask what [process] looks like today: how many people touch it, how long it takes each cycle, and whether it's something you've already budgeted to fix or something you're living with? And who else would be involved, IT, security, your bank?

Headcount and cycle time give you the cost of the problem in the buyer's own terms. Asking who else is involved shows you know a fintech deal goes through security and compliance and you are not pretending otherwise.

Handling the first pushback

Understood, and I wouldn't expect you to change anything touching money on a cold call. I'm not asking for that. I'm asking whether [friction] is costing you [metric] every month, and whether a number on that would be useful at your next planning cycle. If it would, I'll build it with you. If it wouldn't, that's a clear no and I'll respect it.

The pushback is 'we have a process and it works'. Finance buyers respond to a quantified cost they can take to the planning cycle, which is also how they justify change internally.

Close

I'd suggest 30 minutes with you and whoever runs [process] day to day. I'll walk through how [reference] measured the problem and what changed, and send you the security and compliance documentation beforehand so that's not a surprise later. Is [day] at [time] workable, or would early the following week be better, outside your close?

Offering security documentation upfront and scheduling around the close calendar tells the buyer you have sold to finance teams before, which is reassuring in a category full of vendors who have not.

"We just went through a system change and nobody wants another one."

Completely understandable, and I wouldn't propose anything that rips out what you just put in. Most of what we do sits alongside [ERP] rather than replacing it, and the implementation is [realistic timeframe]. If the friction I mentioned is real, it's probably more painful now because of the migration, not less. Would a 30-minute look be worth it just to size it?

"Any new vendor has to pass security and compliance review and that takes months."

It should, and we've been through it with [number] companies your size. We have [SOC 2 Type II, PCI DSS, ISO 27001, completed vendor questionnaires] ready to send today, so the review is quick on our end. The only question is whether [friction] is worth starting the process. Can I show you what it's costing before you decide?

"Our processor already gives us competitive rates."

They may, and I'd want to see the statement before saying otherwise. What's often true above [volume] is that the rate structure stopped being optimal and nobody re-priced it. Send me one month's statement and I'll give you an honest read on whether there's anything there. If there isn't, you've confirmed it and I'll leave you alone.

"Send me a deck and I will review it after close."

I'll send one page, not a deck, and it'll have the reference result and how it was measured. Before I do: is [friction] on your list to fix this year, or would this be a new item? If it's new, I'll send the page and check in after close. If it's on the list, a 30-minute call would get you further than a document.