Script library: by industry
Book discovery calls with heads of sales, operations and finance at Australian software buyers without sounding like every other vendor. Every line is ready to use: replace each {{placeholder}}, read it aloud a few times, then make it sound like you.
Quick answer
Software buyers get more cold outreach than almost anyone. Most of it opens with the vendor's name and a feature list, so the first ten seconds of your call decide whether you sound like the hundredth pitch or the first useful conversation of the week.
The script below leads with a workflow, not a product. It assumes you have done two minutes of research: what the company sells, roughly how big the team is and which tool they use today (job ads and LinkedIn usually tell you). Swap the placeholders, read it aloud five times, then put it away and use it as a map.
Six parts, in the order buyers expect them. The note under each part explains why it is written that way.
Hi {{first_name}}, it's {{your_name}} from {{your_company}}. This is a cold call, so I'll be quick.
We work with {{role}}s at software companies like {{prospect_company}} on {{workflow}}. Can I take 30 seconds to tell you why I called, and you can tell me if it's worth another minute?
Why it works: Name, company and purpose in the first breath is what the ACMA standard expects and what buyers respect. Admitting it's a cold call lowers their guard more than pretending it isn't.
Most {{role}}s we speak to at your size are still handling {{workflow}} in {{current_tool}} plus a spreadsheet, and it starts to break somewhere between 20 and 50 people.
I saw {{trigger}}, so I figured it might be on your radar.
Why it works: One observation about their world plus one specific reason you called them today. If you have no trigger, drop the second line rather than inventing one.
How are you handling {{workflow}} at the moment?
What happens when it goes wrong? Who ends up fixing it?
Have you looked at changing it in the last year, or is it working well enough?
If you did change it, who else would need to be in that conversation?
Why it works: Ask one question, then stop talking. The third question tells you if there is an active project. The fourth tells you who else needs to be in the meeting before you book it.
That's the pattern we hear a lot. {{similar_company}} had the same setup and the main change was {{result}}.
I won't pretend it's right for everyone. It tends to work when {{fit_condition}}.
Why it works: Reflect their words back before you say anything about your product. One result, said plainly, beats three. The honest fit line makes the result believable.
Would it be worth 20 minutes to compare how you're doing it with what we see at other software companies? No demo unless you want one.
I've got {{day_time_1}} or {{day_time_2}}. Which is easier?
Why it works: Ask for a comparison conversation, not a demo. A demo request triggers procurement thinking; 20 minutes to compare notes does not. Two specific times beat 'when suits you'.
Great. I'll send an invite now for {{agreed_time}} with a two-line agenda. Is {{email}} the best address?
Is there anyone else who should join, given you mentioned {{stakeholder}}?
And so I make the 20 minutes useful, what's the one thing you'd want to get out of it?
Why it works: Send the invite while you're still on the call. Their answer to the last question goes into the invite description, which is one of the strongest levers on show rate.
Swap one of these in for the opener above when the situation fits.
Hi {{first_name}}, {{your_name}} from {{your_company}}. I'm calling because I saw you're hiring {{hiring_role}}s. When software teams add headcount that fast, {{workflow}} is usually the first thing to creak. Is that fair, or have you got it covered?
When to use it: Use when job ads, a funding round or a new product line give you a real reason to call this week.
Hi {{first_name}}, it's {{your_name}} at {{your_company}}. Quick one: a lot of {{role}}s tell us {{common_problem}}. I'm calling to see if that's true at {{prospect_company}} too, or if I've got the wrong end of the stick.
When to use it: Use when you know the role well and can name a problem in their words.
For when reception or an assistant answers. Be honest about who you are and ask for help.
More gatekeeper scriptsHi, it's {{your_name}} from {{your_company}}. I'm hoping you can help me. I'm trying to reach whoever looks after {{workflow}}. Is that {{first_name}}, or someone else on the team?
Acknowledge, ask one question, then offer a smaller step or let them go.
All objection responsesThat makes sense, most teams your size do. I'm not calling to rip it out. Out of curiosity, what's the one thing you wish it did better? If the answer is nothing, I'll leave you alone.
Why: Incumbents rarely lose on features. They lose on one gap the buyer already feels. Asking for it is low pressure and tells you whether there is a reason to meet.
Happy to. So I don't send you a generic deck, is it {{workflow}} you'd want it to cover, or {{second_workflow}}? And if it looks relevant, would you be open to 20 minutes after you've read it?
Why: Agree, then qualify. If they won't pick a topic or agree to a next step, it was a polite exit and you've saved yourself a follow-up sequence.
Understood. Most of the teams we work with didn't have it budgeted either, which is why I'd suggest a 20-minute look now rather than a proposal. When does planning for next financial year start for you?
Why: Budget is a timing answer, not a no. Getting the planning month gives you a dated reason to call back and keeps you out of the 'vendor who wouldn't listen' bucket.
No problem at all. Is it a bad week, or a bad quarter? If it's just today, I'll call {{day_time_1}} instead.
Why: Separates a busy moment from a real brush off in one question, and books the callback in their language.
Fair enough, a lot of strong engineering teams do. The question we usually hear is who maintains it when the person who built it moves on. Is that a worry for you, or is it well looked after?
Why: Build versus buy is common in software companies. Don't argue the build; ask about the maintenance cost, which is the part internal tools hide.
Under 30 seconds. Skip voicemail on the first attempt and pair it with an email the same day.
12 more voicemail scriptsHi {{first_name}}, it's {{your_name}} from {{your_company}}. I'm calling about {{workflow}} at {{prospect_company}}, because {{trigger}}. I'll send you a two-line email so you have my details, and I'll try you again on {{day_time_1}}. If it's easier, my number is {{phone}}. Thanks.
Send it the same day as the call or voicemail. It identifies you and includes a working unsubscribe.
Subject: {{workflow}} at {{prospect_company}}
Nousu publishes a SaaS row in its Australian cold calling statistics. Use it as the reference point for this script.
Australian cold calling statistics| Measure | Published figure or what to track |
|---|---|
| Connect rate (SaaS) | 19% |
| Decision-maker conversation rate (SaaS) | 9% |
| Meetings per 100 dials (SaaS) | 1.4 |
| Meeting to opportunity (SaaS) | 45% |
Nousu's industry figures count only dials where we held a verified direct number for a named contact, which is why they sit above the 14% connect and 6% decision-maker averages across all dials.
To see how many dials your own meeting target needs, use the meetings per dial calculator.
General information only, not legal advice.
Australian cold calling lawsThis script is a starting point. The free cold call script generator builds a version around your offer, buyer and market, with your own objection responses, voicemails and follow-up emails. It runs in your browser and nothing you type is stored or sent.
FAQ
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