Permission-based prospecting calls

Define the type of organisation and professional role that could reasonably benefit from a conversation. Find a business context you can explain without pretending to know the person's internal priorities. Prepare one hypothesis, two discovery questions and a useful next step. Check the number's source and whether it is appropriate to use for this specific business purpose.

Review the rules that apply to the caller, recipient and number, including relevant preference registers, calling restrictions and any requirements for identification. Business numbers are not automatically exempt from all rules. Choose a reasonable local time and prepare to stop immediately if asked. Do not record calls unless you have assessed the applicable requirements and can meet them.

Open with your name, organisation and a brief, accurate reason for calling. Ask whether the person is willing to hear a short explanation now. This conversational permission is a courtesy, not a substitute for any legal permission required before calling. Avoid pretending that the call was expected or that a colleague referred you when that is not true.

If the timing is poor, ask whether the person wants an alternative time or no further contact. Accept either answer without negotiation. When permission is given, state your hypothesis in plain language and ask a question connected to their responsibilities. Leave space for an answer. Your first objective is to establish relevance, not to deliver an uninterrupted product presentation.

Listen for the difference between a question, a timing issue and a clear refusal. If someone says they already have a supplier, acknowledge that arrangement before asking whether a specific unmet need is worth discussing. Ask permission before exploring further. Do not challenge their judgement, manufacture urgency or use a prepared rebuttal that ignores what they actually said.

When a person says they are not interested, clarify only if their wording genuinely leaves room and they remain willing to talk. A request to stop is not an invitation to persuade. If they ask for information, agree what would be useful and how it may be sent. Reflect their stated need accurately instead of turning tentative curiosity into a supposed commitment.

Close by summarising the need you heard and checking that you understood it correctly. Offer a proportionate next step, such as a short technical discussion, only if it fits the conversation. Confirm the purpose, participants and timing without assuming agreement. If there is no relevant need, thank the person and end the call rather than extending it to meet an activity target.

Review attempts, conversations, permission to continue, relevant needs identified and mutually agreed next steps. Use consistent definitions so comparisons remain meaningful. Examine objections for targeting or clarity problems, not as scripts to defeat. Keep any necessary operational notes minimal and factual, follow the applicable retention policy and ensure requests against further contact are respected through an appropriate suppression process.