Do you ever have a prospect stop you at the beginning of a cold call by saying “sorry who are you and where are you calling from”
This is a natural response. When anyone answers a phone call they’re brain is working overtime to try and figure out who the person is and why they’ve called them. They’re looking to fill in the information gap. Everyone does this. They can’t focus on anything else until they have this context.
So when your prospects respond with “sorry who are you and where are you calling from” that’s a sign that your tonality and pace is slightly off.
Generally it’s off because you’re either speaking too quickly, or you're speaking with a tone that insinuates familiarity.
If you’re speaking quickly you don’t give the prospect the chance to process what you’re saying. If you speak in a way that suggests you’re familiar with the prospect or that you’ve spoken before, they’ll be trying to connect the dots. This results in the question “sorry who are you and where are you calling from.”
You don’t want this.
This question puts the prospect in charge of the call. And makes it more difficult for you to lead the conversation in the direction you want it to head.
So slow down significantly in your openers and use a tone that conveys you’re a stranger to this person. That will allow them to focus on what you’re actually saying as opposed to being distracted by trying to piece it all together.
Here’s an example of both a bad and a good opening line.
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