Hey Niepodam,

I listened to 38 cold calls last week.
3 things kept happening.
Each one killed the call within seconds.

Here’s what you might be doing wrong, and exactly how to fix it.

❌ Mistake #1: You open with “Did I catch you at a bad time?”

Think about it, what do you expect them to say?

We’re wired to protect ourselves.
“NO” feels safe. It gives us control.
So when you ask: “Did I catch you at a bad time?”
You’re inviting the NO.

It sounds polite. But psychologically?
You’re triggering their defense system.

Fix it: Use a neutral opener that earns you a sliver of time, without setting off alarms.

Try this instead: “Hey, it’s Alan from The Modern Seller, do you have 30 seconds so I can tell you why I’m calling?”

It’s not magic. But it gives you a shot. (there are other 100 million ways of opening, I'm just sharing a tactical fast fix)

❌ Mistake #2: You pitch the product, not the problem

I heard a rep last week say: “We help teams streamline their sales workflows through automation and AI-powered forecasting.”

Guess what the VP said? “Cool, we’re good there.” Click.

Fix it: Ditch the buzzwords. Lead with a problem you fix, not the features you offer.

Try this: “I’m calling because I work with a lot of RevOps teams who are buried in manual reporting and firefighting bad pipeline data. Sound familiar?”

Now you’ve framed a pain they might actually feel.

❌ Mistake #3: You hang up when they say “not interested”

This one drives me nuts. Buyer says “not interested” and the rep folds like a cheap chair.

Here’s the truth: “Not interested” usually means “I don’t understand this yet.”

Fix it: Learn to defuse the brush-off, without being pushy.

Try this: “Totally fair, most people aren’t at first. Mind if I ask one quick thing before I hop off?”

If they say yes (many do), follow with: “When you say ‘not interested’, is that because you’ve already solved X, or it’s just not a priority right now?”

Now you’re having a real conversation.

Recap:

• Don’t use gimmicky openers. Be direct.
• Pitch the problem, not your product.
• Handle brush-offs with calm curiosity.

Fix these 3, and your cold calls will stop feeling like rejections and start turning into real conversations.

What's your strategy?

Alan "Modern Seller" Ruchtein.

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