Learning objectives :

• Assess your conversation partner in 2 minutes using a structured screening checklist
• Create a personalized opening line and a 30-second pitch focused on the prospect’s problem
• Addressing the main types of objections to secure a meeting
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Course :

Session 1: The Target Audience
Before cold calling, you need to know who you’re talking to and why now. Participants create their qualification grid and populate it using an AI prompt in just two minutes, so they never have to make a cold call.

Example of a tool : The 4-level prospect qualification grid: Who to speak with (decision-maker, influencer, or user depending on the offering), Shared connections (school, former colleague, shared event), Recent news (recent job title, published article, hiring, fundraising), Likely challenges (what is currently weighing on this contact)

Session 2: The Opening Line:
Once you know your target audience, you need to capture their attention within seconds. Participants learn different ways to start a conversation depending on the context, and practice testing their opening lines in real-life situations with a prospect who could hang up at any moment.

Example of a tool : The 4 types of cold calls: Direct transparency (honestly disclose that you’re cold calling to put the prospect at ease right away), Permission (ask for consent before pitching to make the prospect feel like an insider), Shared interest (leverage a shared event or context), Recommendation (subtly mention a mutual reference)

Section 3: Objections: 

An objection isn't a rejection; it's a disguised sign of interest. Participants learn to stop arguing or justifying themselves, and to turn every objection into an opportunity to start a conversation using a four-step method.

Example of a tool: The AQPR method: Accept (acknowledge the right to have doubts, without opposition or “yes, but” responses), Question (respond with an open-ended question, never with an argument), Social Proof (cite a concrete, quantifiable reference), Appointment (systematically narrow it down to two specific time slots, never say “I’ll get back to you”)

Session 3: Closing the Appointment:
Knowing how to handle objections isn't enough if you don't know how to close the deal. Participants leave with specific scripts and practice securing an appointment during a full-length, high-pressure simulation.

Example of a tool : The 5 closing techniques: Direct (suggest a specific time slot without asking about availability), Alternative (offer a choice between two options), Value (link the appointment to the cost of maintaining the status quo), Humor (defuse the situation with a light touch), Power (determine who is actually making the decision)