Sales conversations cheat sheet: 10 powerful questions for successful cold calls

1. Why asking the right questions makes a difference

Asking the right questions is crucial to capturing your prospect's attention, building trust, and providing value. Effective questions:

• Open the conversation naturally. For example, the Bizzy platform provides insights into recent updates about the company you’re reaching out to. If they have recently opened a new office, raised funding, or expanded their team, mentioning these milestones is an excellent way to start a meaningful conversation.

• Help identify the prospect's needs and pain points.

2. What’s a great cold call?

• Respects the prospect's desire for autonomy and makes him/her feel comfortable to want to speak to you.

• It’s a conversation (two-way). Don’t trick or manipulate, but try to lead and be in control of the conversation.

• Gets your prospect to think differently about the solution they have and what's possible (new opportunities beyond what they have now).

• Doesn’t “handle objections” as they are self-inflicted by the seller pushing his or her agenda.

• The goal is not to get a meeting but to set a qualified meeting if it works for both parties.

3. The 10 powerful questions for successful cold calls

Here are ten questions you can use to make your cold calls more effective:

1. "What are you currently using to solve [specific problem]?"

2. "How satisfied are you with your current solution?"

3. "What is your biggest challenge in this area?"

4. "What priorities have you set for this quarter/year?"

5. "Have you ever considered using [solution]?"

6. "What would an ideal situation look like for you?"

7. "Who is involved in the decision-making process for [specific solution]?"

8. "What is most important to you when choosing a supplier/partner?"

9. "How much time or resources does [current process] currently cost you?"

10. "How open are you to a brief introduction to learn more about a solution that [provides value]?"

Voicemail ❓

Leaving a voicemail, or not leaving a voicemail… As your cold calling you’d need to ask yourself the question: “What’s the added value of my voicemail?” Furthermore out of 100 voicemails, how many people would call back?

Personally, we (almost) never leave a voicemail. Each time you lose at least 30 seconds while leaving a message.

4. A practical example from Bizzy

At Bizzy, we have refined and optimised this approach using data-driven insights. Here's an example of what this looks like:

Check out a sample cold call from Bizzy (in Dutch)

Results: Thanks to our approach and data, we have achieved impressive results:

• Connect rate: 33%

• Meeting rate: 38%

Our data analysis has helped us personalise conversations and truly engage prospects. By focusing on the right prospects from the outset, we ensure that every call is meaningful and impactful. These numbers show that a strategic approach to cold calling, coupled with proper prospecting with Bizzy beforehand, pays off.

5. Even faster connections with direct phone numbers

At Bizzy, we’re committed to making prospecting faster, smarter, and more effective, which is why we’re thrilled to announce our latest integration: direct dials powered by Prospeo! This new feature provides verified phone numbers for key decision-makers directly within Bizzy, enabling your team to break through barriers and connect more efficiently.

Time is money, and chasing down the right contact information wastes valuable selling time. With Prospeo’s direct dials embedded into Bizzy, your team can quickly reach decision-makers without calling generic numbers or sending unanswered emails, increasing connection rates and boosting sales opportunities. Plus, there’s no need to switch between tools or external databases—the numbers are conveniently available where you already manage your leads.