The Steady Craft Cold Call Playbook

• 0:00 - 0:15
  Open
  One question. Are you booked, or could you take more?
• 0:15 - 1:00
  C - Clarify
  Where do customers come from? What happens after hours?
• 1:00 - 1:15
  L - Label
  Mirror their words back. Get a "fair?"
• 1:15 - 2:00
  O - Overview
  Ever paid anyone for any of that? If yes, how'd it go? If no, normalize and move on.
• 2:00 - 3:15
  S - Sell the Vacation
  Outcomes, not features. Use their language.
• 3:15 - 3:45
  Demo reveal
  "Ideas and changes I'd make if it were mine." Text it.
• 3:45 - 4:45
  While they look
  "Anything stand out?" Shut up and let them react.
• 4:45 - 5:30
  E - Explain Away Concerns
  One objection, one response, move on.
• 5:30 - 5:45
  R - Reinforce
  Remove pressure. Invite a small next step.

CLOSER (One line each)

• C - Clarify the situation by asking questions about their current state.
• L - Label the problem out loud using their own words.
• O - Overview what they've already tried and how it went.
• S - Sell the vacation, not the airplane. Outcomes, not features.
• E - Explain away concerns with one acknowledgment and one question.
• R - Reinforce by removing pressure and inviting a small next step.

Ghost Product Method

Telling the prospect NOT to buy is the most counterintuitive trust builder in sales. Every other vendor they've talked to in the last six months pushed harder when met with resistance. You're the only one who agreed with them.

After the Ghost Product line, you ALWAYS follow with a question that re-opens the conversation:

Open15 sec

[yes]

C - Clarify45 sec

If they say "could take more"

Listen. Examples: referrals, Facebook, Google, repeat customers, signs, word of mouth.

If they say "we're slammed" (Ghost Product moment)

L - Label15 sec

Let them agree. Wait for the yes.

O - Overview45 sec

Two paths depending on their answer.

If YES (they've tried something)

Listen for: "expensive," "no results," "they ghosted us," "wasted money," "didn't work." Do not interrupt. Their pain is your wedge into Sell the Vacation.

If NO (never paid for any of that)

Skip the pain-mining and go straight into Sell the Vacation. No prior burn means no defense to overcome, but no proof point either, so the value pitch has to land clearly.

S - Sell the Vacation60 sec

Use their own words back to them.

Ghost Product layer (if they push back with "I don't think I need a website")

Demo Reveal30 sec

While They Look60 sec

Get them talking. Don't sell. Their reaction tells you which tier they need.

E - Explain Away Concerns45 sec

Objection	Response
"We already have a website"	Totally fair. Quick question, does it actually bring you customers, or is it more of a digital business card?
"Not interested"	No worries. Usually when people say that it's either timing or they had a bad experience. Which one?
"How much?"	Depends. Some businesses need a couple fixes, others want the whole setup. For most owners it runs $49 to $249 a month plus a one-time setup, depending on what makes sense.
"Send me info"	I can do that. Quick question first, if I send it over and it actually solves the problem we just talked about, what would stop you from getting started?
"I need to think about it"	Of course. What specifically do you want to think on? Sometimes I can answer it right now and save you a couple days.
"Call me back next month"	Happy to. Quick one, what changes between now and next month that would make it a yes?

R - Reinforce15 sec

Tier reference (after R only)

Tier	Price	Best fit
Starter	$49/mo + $297 setup	Solo, brand new, need to look real
Pro	$149/mo + $497 setup	Established, wants site to stay current. 10 pages, 5 edits/mo (24h SLA)
Growth	$249/mo + $997 setup	Actively growing. 25 pages, 10 edits/mo (4h SLA), 2 SEO pages/mo, review engine

If they need more time, book a 15-min follow-up at a specific date and time. Never leave with "I'll follow up soon."

Open

C - Clarify · "Could take more"

C - Clarify · "Slammed" (Ghost Product)

L - Label

O - Overview (PAID prior attempts)

YES: "How'd that go?" (listen for pain)   ·   NO: "Got it, that's actually pretty common. Most owners just figure customers will find them, and for a while that works."

S - Sell the Vacation

Demo Reveal

While They Look

Top 4 Objections

"We have a website"	Does it bring you customers, or is it more of a digital business card?
"Not interested"	Usually it's timing or a bad experience. Which?
"How much?"	$49 to $249/mo + one-time setup. Depends what makes sense.
"Send me info"	If I send it and it solves the problem we just talked about, what would stop you from getting started?

R - Reinforce

Open15 sec

[yes]

C - Clarify60 sec

Listen. Take notes on the tools they name.

This question forces them to confront their leak. Most can't answer it cleanly.

L - Label15 sec

O - Overview45 sec

Listen.

S - Sell the Vacation75 sec

Ghost Product layer (if "we already have all that")

Demo Reveal30 sec

The teardown should already be prepped. If you cold-dialed without one, do not pretend you have one. Skip this step and go straight to the audit ask.

While They Look60 sec

E - Explain Away Concerns45 sec

Objection	Response
"We have HubSpot / GoHighLevel / [CRM]"	Got it. What are you paying them, and what's their actual job? Not unusual to find we replace what they do for half.
"We have an agency"	Cool. What are they billing you monthly, and what's the deliverable? If they're charging $4K a month for ads management, we might be your alternative built in.
"Not interested"	Fair. Usually it's timing or a bad experience. Which is it?
"How much?"	Setup runs $1,997 to $3,500. Monthly is $999 to $1,997 depending on tier. Most clients save more than that off what they're already paying.
"Send me a deck"	I can. Quick question first, who else on your side needs to see this? I'd rather just get the right people on a 30-min audit so we're not playing email tag.
"We're not ready to change"	Totally fair. What would have to be true six months from now for it to be worth a look?

R - Reinforce15 sec

Always close to a calendar invite, not "let's talk soon." Specific day, specific time, owner attending. Send invite within 5 min: teardown attached, one-line agenda, Zoom link.

Tier reference (for your head, do not recite)

Tier	Price	Best fit
Core	$999/mo + $1,997 setup	10 to 25 FTE, replacing 1 tool, 3 AI Employees
Full	$1,997/mo + $3,500 setup	25 to 60 FTE, replacing 2 to 3 vendors, all 5 AI Employees + ads
Enterprise	$3,997+/mo + custom	60 to 100 FTE, CSM, custom integrations, SSO

You're not selling a tier on this call. You're selling the audit. The tier comes out of the audit conversation.

Open

C - Clarify (60 sec)

L - Label (15 sec)

O - Overview (45 sec)

S - Sell the Vacation (75 sec)

Demo Reveal

Top Objections

"We have HubSpot / GHL"	What are you paying, what's their job? Not unusual to replace for half.
"We have an agency"	What are they billing monthly, what's the deliverable?
"How much?"	$1,997 to $3,500 setup. $999 to $1,997/mo. Most clients save more than that.
"Send me a deck"	I can. Who else needs to see this? Better to get the right people on a 30-min audit.

R - Reinforce

Small Business Voicemails

VM #1 · Day 0 · 22 sec

VM #2 · Day 3 · 18 sec

VM #3 · Day 7 Breakup · 16 sec

Mid-Market Voicemails

VM #1 · Day 0 · 22 sec

VM #2 · Day 3 · 20 sec

VM #3 · Day 7 Breakup · 16 sec

Follow-up Text Templates

Voicemails alone often get ignored. Follow every VM #1 with a text within 5 minutes.

Small business follow-up text

Mid-market follow-up text

When NOT to leave a voicemail

• Attempts 2, 4, 5, 6, 8+. Multiple VMs from the same number reads as spam.
• Full voicemail box or personal-sounding greeting where you can't tell if it's the owner.
• Generic robot greeting with no name. Verify the number before leaving VM #1.

LAER Objection Framework

1. L - Listen. Let them finish. Don't formulate your response while they're still talking.
2. A - Acknowledge. "I hear you." / "Totally fair." / "That makes sense." Never start with "but."
3. E - Explore. One clarifying question. "What specifically about that worries you?" / "When you say expensive, compared to what?"
4. R - Respond. Now you can address the actual concern, which is often different from the stated one.

Most common mistake: Skipping Explore. Without it, you answer a generic objection instead of their specific one. That's the difference between a script reader and a professional.

Power Phrases (2 or 3 per call, not more)

Phrase	Use when	Why it works
"Can I be honest?"	Before a hard truth	Pre-frames vulnerability, builds trust
"Fair?"	After explaining	Requires yes/no, keeps momentum
"Here's the thing..."	Before a reframe	Softens what comes next
"What's there to lose?"	Before a small commitment	Frames risk as zero
"Let me show you instead of telling you"	Pivot to demo	Breaks pitch energy, creates curiosity
"I hear you, and..."	Acknowledging + pivoting	Never use "but," always "and"
"One new customer covers the year"	Small biz ROI moment	Tested landing page line
"Same outcome, fraction of the cost"	Mid-market math reframe	Tested landing page line

Hard Rules

Tone Calibration by Caller

Caller	Natural tone	Best demographic	Watch for
Ben	Casual Nashville, neighbor-next-door	Small business	Don't rush. Older owners need breathing room.
Mike	TBD after week 1
Nate	TBD after week 1
Austin	TBD after week 1
Sabrina / Bean	Warm + direct, female voice	Both (secret weapon with older male owners)	Own it. Don't apologize for not being the "usual" caller.

Week 1 action: Record yourself on 5 calls. Listen back. Fill in your row. Share in standup.

The 20-Calls-Will-Suck Rule

Every new caller has 20 calls that sound terrible. You'll forget the opener. You'll answer "how much" too early. You'll rush the pause. That's the entry fee.

• By call 30: rhythm.
• By call 100: sounds like a conversation, not a script.
• By call 500: you're not reading anything. You're having real conversations that end in closes.

Do not change the script in the first 100 calls. Change your delivery. Earn the right to rewrite by putting in the reps first.

Small Business KPIs

Metric	Daily target
Dials	60
Live conversations	8
Demo links sent	2
Bookings (tier close OR follow-up)	1

Bookings ÷ Conversations should land at 10 to 15% by week 3.

Mid-Market KPIs

Metric	Daily target
Dials	30 (slower, pre-call research takes time)
Live conversations	4
Stack reveals that land	2
Audit Zooms booked with owner attending	1

Audit Zooms ÷ Conversations should land at 20 to 30% by week 3.

Small Business Follow-up Sequence

Day	Action
0	Cold call. If VM, leave VM #1. Follow with text + demo link within 5 min.
1	If no response: cold call again, no VM.
3	Cold call. If VM, leave VM #2.
5	Text: "Thinking of you, any questions on the site?"
7	Cold call. If VM, leave VM #3 (breakup).
10	Case study text (if you have one for their vertical).
14+	Check-in every 5 to 7 days with a value touch, not a pitch.
30	Full re-engagement: "No hasn't meant never. Any shift since we talked?"

Mid-Market Follow-up Sequence

Day	Action
0	Cold call. If VM, leave VM #1. Text teardown / demo link within 5 min.
1	If no response: cold call, no VM.
3	Cold call. If VM, leave VM #2. Email teardown with subject "Real numbers on your stack."
7	Cold call. If VM, leave VM #3 (breakup).
14	LinkedIn connection request with a one-line note referencing the teardown.
30	Email: "Your [current vendor] renewal is probably coming up. Want me to rerun the audit?"
90	Repeat the full sequence. Their contract may be ending.

When to Ask for Help

• Booking ratio more than 30% below team average after week 2: record a call, review with Levi.
• Stuck on the same objection three calls in a row: post it in the team chat. Someone else has a line for it.
• A prospect says something no handler covers: log it, share it. We'll add it to the playbook.

Silence is the enemy. Every objection another caller has heard is one you'll hear next week.