Cold Calling: A Proven Script for Architects
October 16, 2022
Tyler Suomala
Founder of Growthitect
You might be shocked to learn that cold calling is not dead.
In fact, it’s very much alive. Why?
Because it works!
And firms that utilize it correctly can expect BIG gains to their pipeline.
But, I must admit, I haven’t always felt this way.
When I transitioned from running my own studio into a business development role, I became very familiar with the value of cold calling.
But before then?
Nah.
No way.
Not a chance.
I thought to myself:
“You mean like those spam calls I get 10 times a day?!”
“I didn’t get two degrees so that I can spend my valuable time cold calling people!”
(Geesh, that guy had some ego problems!)
But wow has my perspective shifted.
Cold calling has helped me to generate more than 1,000 meaningful conversations with architects over the past year.
What value have those conversations created for me?
A one-of-a-kind understanding of the challenges facing architecture leaders (do you know anyone else in the architecture industry that has had 1,000 one-on-one conversations with architects in the past year? I don’t!).
175+ business opportunities for myself and Monograph.
An endless supply of content creation ideas.
A new confidence in my speaking and communication. (perhaps the most valuable outcome!)
Tell me more…
Spam calling is not strategic. It’s usually done by a bot with no regard for the individual. It’s spray and pray with little value to be offered.
Cold calling is strategic. The person you’re calling may not know who you are but you know about them. The benefit is two-way: you have something to offer them and they have something to offer you.
What if I told you that 30 minutes of cold calling each week could bring you 50+ new business relationships over the next year, with each new relationship bringing you multiple projects?
Now I’ve got your attention! (I’ll show you the math at the end!)
Before we jump into it, here’s the thing you have to know about cold calling: there’s not one right way to do it.
The purpose of cold calling is to generate new business relationships and opportunities.
The usual flow of a cold call is:
Introduce yourself.
Find a challenge that they have, which you can help resolve.
Set a meeting to extend the conversation and build a relationship.
What I’m going to share with you is what works well for me.
Enough chit-chat.
Let’s get to the action.
Sideline your negative stereotypes for a moment.
Let’s cover the how and the why.
01 // Build a list
As an example, let’s pretend that I own a residential architecture firm in Charlotte, NC.
One thing that makes cold calling easier is calling the same type of people or businesses in one sitting. It will help keep your script consistent and relevant.
So who should you call?
In most cases, builders and general contractors are a great starting point. They’re heavily involved in the built environment (obviously), they usually have plenty of work, clients may be going to directly to them rather than an architect, and they’re usually open to new business relationships.
As a residential architect, I would search for residential builders in my area that have completed projects aligned with my own interests.
For each builder, you’ll want to capture:
Name of the business.
Name of primary contact(s) (you want to speak directly to owners or managers). These are also called “prospects”.
Business phone number. Bonus points if you can get the extension of your primary contact(s).
Do this until you have a list of 10-20 businesses.
Then set aside a 30-minute block to make your calls.
02 // 5 Tips To Maximize Your Calls
Set aside a 30-minute block to make your calls. Remove all other distractions. Trust me, this makes it 10x easier to focus on the conversation.
Stand up. This will naturally make you sound more confident.
Smile. Like really big. You want to sound happy!
Practice out loud. Before you call, repeat your script out loud 5 times to warm up.
Talk loudly. This will help relieve some of those cold call jitters.
These will help you to sound more confident, happy, and energetic. All traits that will make you more attractive to the person on the other end of the phone!
03 // Permission-Based Opener
A permission-based opener (PBO) simply means that you are giving the person on the other end of the phone the opportunity to choose whether or not they want to talk to you.
I love PBO’s because it’s an easy way to give your prospect some control and comfort. Plus, when they agree to talk to you early on, there’s a better chance of having a meaningful conversation.
Here’s the script:
"Hi {primary contact}! This is {first name} {last name} from {firm name}. How are you? (Let them respond)
I’m just calling to introduce myself. I’m an {owner/principal/associate/etc} at {firm name} and I admire your work around town.
Do you mind if I just ask you one question and let you decide if we should chat? (PBO)"
Now, let’s pause for a moment to unpack this.
Lead with the name of the person that picks up the phone to help capture their attention.
Say your first and last name, which makes you sound important.
Ask “How are you?” to allow for a pleasant exchange.
If you don’t have their extension, then try: “I’m calling to speak with {primary contact}. Can you transfer me?” Note: There’s no bulletproof way to get past a gatekeeper. Sometimes you simply won’t get transferred and that’s ok.
Say why you’re calling (to introduce yourself), to relieve any confusion for your prospect.
Say your title and firm name for context.
Mention that you’re familiar with their work so that they are intrigued.
Ask the PBO.
Once they say “Sure”, you’re good to go!
Everyone will have different success with this. Personally, I see about a 90% success rate with prospects agreeing to chat.
04 // Open-Ended Question
They’ve agreed to chat with you! Oh crap! Now what do you do?!
Take a deep breath 🙂
This is just a normal conversation. You want to ask them an open-ended question that will get them chatting.
Your goal is to find a problem that they’re having, which you can help resolve.
For example:
They don’t like the architects that they currently use.
Most of their projects are over budget.
Most of their projects are behind.
They don’t like managing stakeholders.
Here’s a few questions you could try:
General: I’m curious, what’s the most common challenge you see in your projects today?
Specific: Most other builders are speak with are experiencing challenges with {common challenge}. How are you dealing with that?
To the point: How are the architects you’re working with now serving you?
Test out each one and see what works best for you.
Remember your goal from above. Find a problem that you can help resolve.
05 // Set the meeting
Don’t feel like you have to rush the conversation.
Sometimes it might only take a minute to understand their challenge. Other times, it might take 5-10 minutes. In the meantime, you’re building confidence and comfort with the prospect.
Once it feels right and you’ve identified their problem, here’s what you can say in order to set a meeting and extend the conversation:
"From what you’ve said, it sounds like your biggest challenge is {x}.
Let’s do this, how about we set some time aside for me to stop by and walk you through how we {resolve problem}. Does {day} and {time} work well for you?"
For example:
"From what you’ve said, it sounds like your biggest challenge is keeping the project on budget.
Let’s do this! How about we set some time aside for me to stop by and walk you through how we manage to keep 95% of our projects under budget. Does Tuesday at 1pm work well for you?"
I prefer this ask because it shows that you’ve heard their struggle and you can help them. It’s the perfect win-win, which is what a business relationship should be.
Full Script
"Hi {primary contact}! This is {first name} {last name} from {firm name}. How are you? (Let them respond)
If speaking to gatekeeper: I’m calling to speak with {primary contact}. Can you transfer me?
I’m just calling to introduce myself. I’m an {owner/principal/associate/etc} at {firm name} and I admire your work around town.
Do you mind if I just ask you one question and let you decide if we should chat? (PBO)
I’m curious, what’s the most common challenge you see in your projects today?"
(Conversation ensues)
"From what you’ve said, it sounds like your biggest challenge is {x}.
Let’s do this, how about we set some time aside for me to stop by and walk you through how we {resolve problem}. Does {day} and {time} work well for you?"
Why does this work so well?
You’re leading with your prospect and their problems. It’s not about you - it’s about them!
You don’t pitch your firm. You don’t tell them everything that you do well. You don’t list projects around town that you’ve completed.
You listen and learn. Then you set a meeting with the knowledge of their current problem, show up to that meeting explaining why you are the best solution to that problem, and develop a new business relationship that will increase your pipeline.
Remember earlier when I said I would show you the math?
If you connect with 10 prospects each week and use this script, then you can expect at least one new business relationship to emerge.
And I think that’s a conservative estimate.
If you do this once a week then that’s 52 new business relationships each year!
That’s a METRIC TON of potential pipeline from 30-60 minutes of work a week.
That type of pipeline gives you the option to scale your practice, pick and choose your projects, and confidently increase your fees.
Don’t forget about the value you gain from understanding additional challenges + problems of others in the industry, as well.
Spam calling = Terrible.
Cold calling = Good.
Strategic cold calling = Growth + opportunity.
Enjoy your smiles and dials! 😉