Cold call script for web design agencies (with branches)

What's inside: two openers and a gatekeeper line · the reason for your call · six discovery questions · a 20-second pitch · two answers each to the 8 objections web designers hear most · the close · a voicemail to read live and a follow-up email.

Jump to: Opener · Discovery · Objections · Close · Voicemail

Before you dial: three minutes of prep per lead

Web design is one of the few niches where you can see the problem before you call. Use that.

1. Open their website on your phone. How long does it take to load? Can you find the phone number in five seconds? Is there a button to call or book?
2. Write down two specific things a customer would notice. "The contact form sends me to an error page" beats "your site could be better" every time.
3. Check their Google listing. Is the website linked? Do their reviews appear anywhere on the site?
4. Decide your next step. This script books a 15-minute screen share where you show your fixes. A free 3-minute video walkthrough is the fallback.
5. Know who to ask for. In a small business that's usually the owner; in a bigger one, the marketing manager.

How to read this script

• Every card has an ID: O opener, G gatekeeper, R reason, D discovery, P pitch, X objection, C close, V voicemail.
• → tells you where to go next.
• [Brackets] are filled in live from your prep notes.
• Say it in your own words. The wording is a guardrail, not a teleprompter.

Phase 1: Opener

O1 · Observation opener (default)

"Hi [First name], this is [Your name] from [Agency]. I'll be straight with you: it's a cold call. I was on [Company]'s website on my phone this morning and noticed something that's probably costing you calls. Can I take 30 seconds to tell you what it is?"

• "Sure" / "Go on" / "What is it?" → R1
• "Not interested" → X2
• "We already have a website" → X1
• "I'm busy right now" → X6
• A receptionist or assistant answers → G1

O2 · No-website opener (the business only has a Facebook page or a directory listing)

"Hi [First name], it's [Your name] from [Agency]. I was searching for [service] in [City] and found [Company] on Google Maps, but there's no website on your listing. Is that on purpose, or just something nobody's gotten around to?"

• "Nobody's gotten around to it" / "We've been meaning to" → D1
• "We don't need one, we get enough work" → X7
• "We had one, it was a waste of money" → X8

G1 · Gatekeeper

"Hi, this is [Your name] with [Agency]. Quick one: who takes care of your website these days?"

• They name someone or put you through → O1
• "What's it regarding?" → G2
• "Send an email to info@" → X4, gatekeeper version: ask for the owner's name and the best time to call back

G2 · Gatekeeper: "What's it regarding?"

"I noticed a problem on the site: on a phone, [the contact form doesn't send]. I'd like to show whoever runs the website. Is that [Owner name]?"

• Puts you through → O1
• "They're not available" → "No problem. When's the best time to catch them?" Log the callback and end the call.

Phase 2: Reason for the call

R1 · The observation

"Two things. First, on a phone, [the call button is below three screens of text]. Second, [the contact form sends me to an error page]. Those two usually mean people who wanted to call you didn't. That's what we fix: we build websites for [niche] businesses so that visitors turn into calls and booked jobs."

• Curious, asks a question → D1
• "How much?" → X5
• "We have a web guy" → X3

Phase 3: Discovery

Ask three or four of these, not all six. Listen more than you talk.

D1 · Where customers come from

"How do most new customers find you today: referrals, Google, something else?"

• "Referrals" → X7, then D2
• "Google" / "Online" → D2

D2 · What the website should do

"When someone finds you and lands on the site, what do you want them to do: call, book, ask for a quote?"

→ D3

D3 · What it brings in now

"Roughly how many calls or inquiries does the website bring in a month? Do you track it?"

• "No idea" → "That's normal. Tracking is usually the first thing we set up, so you can see what the site is worth." → D4
• Gives a number → D5

D4 · Who looks after it

"Who updates the site today: you, someone in-house, or an outside web person?"

• "A web guy" / "My nephew" → X3
• "Me, when I have time" → D5

D5 · The gap

"If the website worked exactly how you wanted, what would change for the business?"

→ P1

D6 · Timing

"Is anything coming up in the next few months that the site needs to support: a new service, a new location, hiring?"

→ P1

Phase 4: Pitch

P1 · The 20-second version

"Here's what we'd do: rebuild the site around one job, getting the visitor to call or book. Mobile first, fast, a clear button on every screen, your reviews up front, and tracking so you can see what the site brings in. For a business like yours, that usually takes [your real timeline]."

→ C1

P2 · Proof (only real, approved examples)

"We did this for [client, with their permission] last [season]. [One concrete, true result, such as: 'They now get quote requests through the site every week. Before, they got almost none.']"

→ C1

Phase 5: Objections

Two answers for each objection. Pick the one that fits the tone of the call.

X1 · "We already have a website."

Answer A: "You do, and it's not a bad one. The question is whether it turns visitors into calls. On a phone, [specific issue]. Is it worth 15 minutes to see what I'd change first? If it's all fine, I'll tell you."

Answer B: "Most people I call do. I'm not calling to replace it for the sake of it. If I showed you two changes that would get more visitors to call, would you want to see them?"

→ Interested → C1 · Still no → C3

X2 · "Not interested."

Answer A: "No problem. Can I ask: is that 'not interested in a new website at all', or 'not right now'?" → "Not right now" → C3 with a follow-up date

Answer B: "Understood. Before I let you go: is the website bringing in the kind of inquiries you want, or is it just there?" → Opens up → D3

→ Firm no → C3

X3 · "We have a web guy." / "My nephew does it."

Answer A: "Great, keep them. A lot of our work is a one-time rebuild, and your person can still handle updates afterward. Would they be open to a second opinion on the mobile issues?"

Answer B: "Good to have someone. Is getting new customers from the site part of their job, or mostly keeping it running?"

→ D5 or C1

X4 · "Send me an email."

Answer A: "Happy to. So I send something useful: what's the one thing you'd want the site to do better? … Got it. I'll send it today. Can we put 10 minutes on [day] to go through it, so it doesn't sit in your inbox?"

Answer B: "Sure. I'll record a 3-minute video of your site on a phone, showing the two fixes, and email it. If it's useful, we talk. If not, delete it. What's the best address?"

→ Agrees to a time → C2 · Email only → log a follow-up, C3

X5 · "How much does a website cost?"

Answer A: "It depends on pages and features. Our [niche] projects usually run [your real range]. Before I give you a number that's wrong, can I ask two quick questions?" → D2, then D4

Answer B: "Most clients pay [range], or [a monthly option, if you offer one]. The better question is what a new customer is worth to you. Roughly, what's an average job?" → D3

X6 · "I'm busy right now."

Answer A: "Got it. I can be quick or call you back. Which is better: 30 seconds now, or tomorrow morning?"

Answer B: "No problem. When's better: later today or tomorrow before lunch?" → Log the callback time and end the call

X7 · "We get all our work from referrals."

Answer A: "That's the best kind. Where do referrals go before they call you? Most look you up first, and the site is what they see. Does it back up what your customers say about you?"

Answer B: "Great. Do you have room for more work than referrals bring in? If you wanted five more jobs a month, where would they come from?"

→ D2 or C3

X8 · "We got burned by an agency before."

Answer A: "Sorry to hear that; it happens a lot. What went wrong?" (Listen.) "Here's how we work: [fixed price / you own the site and the domain / you approve a draft before paying the balance]." Only say what's true for your agency.

Answer B: "Fair to be careful. Let's start small: the 15-minute review costs nothing, and you keep the list either way."

→ C1

Phase 6: Close and next step

C1 · Book the screen share

"Let's do this: 15 minutes on a screen share. I'll show you what I'd change and what it would cost. Does [day] at [time] or [day] at [time] work better?"

• Picks a time → C2
• "Just send me something" → X4

C2 · Confirm

"Great. I'll send a calendar invite to [email]. Is there anyone else who should see it, like a partner or office manager? And what's the best number if the link doesn't work?"

→ Save outcome: Booked

C3 · Graceful exit

"No problem, [First name]. Mind if I check back in [month], before [busy season / the new location]? … Thanks for your time."

→ Save outcome: Follow up or Not interested

C4 · Callback opener (when they asked you to call back)

"Hi [First name], it's [Your name] from [Agency]. We spoke on [day] and you asked me to call back about the website. Is now still a good time?"

→ Short version of R1, then C1

Phase 7: Voicemail

V1 · Voicemail (about 20 seconds, spoken live)

"Hi [First name], it's [Your name] from [Agency]. I was on [Company]'s website on my phone and noticed [one specific issue]. I've got two quick fixes that should help more visitors call you. I'll email them over; if you want to go through them, call me at [number]. Again, [Your name], [number]."

E1 · Follow-up email (send right after the voicemail)

Subject: [Company] website: 2 quick fixes

Hi [First name], I just left you a voicemail. On a phone, [issue 1] and [issue 2]. Both are quick to fix and usually mean more calls. Happy to show you in 15 minutes: [two time options]. [Your name], [Agency], [number]

Leave one voicemail and send one email, then try again in a few days. You don't need a voicemail on every attempt.

Compliance note (B2B calling)

This script is written for live, person-to-person calls to businesses, with a real person saying every line, including the voicemail. Rules still apply, and they differ by country:

• US: most business-to-business calls are exempt from the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule, but its rules against misrepresentation still apply. The TCPA still requires consent for autodialed or prerecorded calls to mobile numbers, and many small-business owners answer on a mobile.
• UK: screen business numbers against the TPS and CTPS before making live marketing calls.
• Germany: calls to businesses need at least presumed consent (§ 7 UWG).

If you record calls, tell the people you call at the start of the call. Pre-recorded audio in calls is regulated in many markets (e.g. US TCPA/TSR, UK PECR, Germany UWG). Only use it where you have the required consent. This is general information, not legal advice.

Run this script as a Call Flow in BeastCaller

In BeastCaller, this script becomes a Call Flow that your whole team runs the same way:

• Phases: Opener, Reason, Discovery, Pitch, Objections, Close, Voicemail. Reps move between them with the ← and → keys.
• Cards: each card above becomes a card: the ID and name as its title, the wording as its text, and the "If they say…" line as its trigger, for example "They say: we already have a website". Use Live cards (⚡) for everything reps say in their own voice.
• Branches: O1's routing becomes a Logic Split with four branch cards, one per answer: Curious, Not interested, Busy, Gatekeeper.
• Number keys: every card that isn't a Live card gets a number key by its position in its phase (1–9, then F1–F12). A rep can record an approved clip on a card and play it with that key. (See the compliance note above.)
• Outcomes and hand-offs: name the campaign's call outcomes after this script's endings (Booked, Follow up, Not interested), and add a Quick Action that sends a booked lead to your calendar tool or CRM with one click.

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