Marketing Agency Cold Call Script

Opener

Hi [first name], [your name] from [agency]. I'll say what you're thinking: another agency call. I'll be different in one way. I spent 20 minutes on [their site / ads / listings] before dialing and I found one specific thing. Can I tell you what it is, and then you decide if the call's worth continuing?

Naming the stereotype and then backing the claim with evidence of real work is the only opener that survives the first three seconds with someone who has fired an agency.

Reason for the call

Here it is: [specific, verifiable observation: your branded search ads are bidding against your own organic listing; your product pages have no reviews indexed; your two biggest competitors rank for a term you're not even targeting; your Google Business Profile is missing a category]. That's probably costing you [estimate or symptom]. I don't know your numbers, so I may be wrong about the size, but I'm not wrong about the thing.

One verifiable observation is worth more than any capabilities deck. Admitting uncertainty about the size while being certain about the fact is the credibility that this buyer has not heard from an agency.

Value hook

What we do is [one plain sentence about the service]. The reason I'm calling you rather than anyone else is that [reference client], who's in a similar space, had the same issue, and fixing it took [specific result: cost per lead from X to Y, a number of qualified leads a month, a revenue figure]. I'll send you their contact if you want to verify that.

A reference client they can call is the strongest proof an agency can offer, and the offer to share the contact signals that the result is real.

Qualifying question

Can I ask: who's handling marketing today, is it in-house, an agency, or you after hours? And how are you measuring whether it's working: leads, revenue, or something else?

The answer tells you who you are replacing or complementing and whether the buyer measures outcomes. A buyer who measures revenue is a good client; one who measures impressions has been trained by a bad agency.

Handling the first pushback

I'd expect that after what you've been through. I'm not asking for a retainer. What I'd propose is one bounded project, [specific scope], in [timeframe], at a fixed price, with one metric we agree on before we start. If it moves the number, we talk about more. If it doesn't, you've paid for a small test and learned something.

'We've been burned' and 'we can't afford another agency' are the same objection. A fixed-scope first project with one agreed metric removes both the risk and the ambiguity.

Close

Give me 30 minutes next week. I'll bring what I found on [the observation] plus two more things I'd look at, and you can pick the one that matters. No deck, no retainer pitch. Does [day] at [time] work, or is [day] at [time] better?

Promising no deck and no retainer pitch is the opposite of what every other agency does. Offering three findings and letting them choose gives the buyer control of the conversation.

"We have been burned by agencies before."

Then you're the kind of client I want, because you'll hold us to a number. What usually went wrong is a long contract, a vague scope and a monthly report full of metrics that don't pay anyone's salary. I'd propose the opposite: one project, fixed price, one metric, 60 days. If it doesn't move, you walk away.

"We do our marketing in-house."

Good, that means someone in the building knows the numbers. Most of our best clients have an in-house person; we're the extra capacity on [specific area] so they can focus on [what they're better at]. The thing I found on your [site / ads] is exactly the kind of fix an in-house team doesn't get to because they're running everything else. Would it help to show it to them?

"What results can you guarantee?"

None, and anyone who guarantees a result in marketing is either lying or defining the result so loosely it doesn't matter. What I can commit to is a specific scope, a specific metric we both agree on, and a reference client who got a specific result from the same work. I'd rather you call them than take my word for it.

"We do not have budget for marketing right now."

That's fine, and I'm not asking for a budget. The thing I found on your [site / ads] is costing you something right now, whether or not you spend a dollar with me. Can I at least send you what it is so you can fix it yourself or have your team do it? If it turns out to be bigger than a quick fix, you'll know who to call.