Get past the gatekeeper on cold calls
Respectful scripts for reaching decision makers through receptionists and assistants, plus ways to turn them into allies.
The prompt
Help me reach decision makers on cold calls when a receptionist or assistant answers.
Who I'm trying to reach: [ROLE, SENIORITY]
Type of company: [e.g. hospital, law firm, manufacturer, mid-size SaaS]
Why I'm calling: [THE BUSINESS REASON, IN ONE SENTENCE]
Common responses I get: [e.g. "What's this regarding?", "Send an email", "They're not available", "We don't take sales calls"]
Write:
1. A confident opening for when the gatekeeper answers: name, company, who I'm calling for, no tricks.
2. Honest answers to "What is this regarding?" that are short and relevant to the executive's priorities.
3. Responses to each common brush-off I listed, plus 3 others that are typical for this company type.
4. How to ask the assistant for help: the best time to call, the right person, or how the executive prefers to be contacted.
5. A voicemail for the executive's line and a note for the assistant to pass on.
Rules:
- No deception: don't pretend to be a customer, imply an existing relationship, or claim the executive is expecting my call.
- Treat the gatekeeper as a person whose job is protecting time, not an obstacle.
- Respect requests not to call again, and any do-not-call rules that apply.
Highlighted [brackets] are blanks to replace with your own details.
Fill in the blanks and use this promptMore Sales prompts
What to fill in
- ROLE, SENIORITY
- e.g. hospital, law firm, manufacturer, mid-size SaaS
- THE BUSINESS REASON, IN ONE SENTENCE
How this prompt is built
This prompt follows the Few-Shot structure (Few-shot prompting). A few-shot prompt includes one or more worked examples of the input and the output you want, so the model can copy the pattern instead of guessing it.
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