Cold Call Script for Web Design: Word for Word, With Objections

Cold calling still works for selling websites to local businesses, and a friendly voice is harder to ignore than an email. Owners of trades, salons and repair shops answer their own phones. If you sound like a person with a specific reason for calling, and not a call center, many will give you thirty seconds.

This article gives you a word-for-word script for the most common situation, a business with no website or a weak one, plus lines for the gatekeeper, eight objections, a voicemail and a follow-up plan. One honest caveat: these scripts are a starting point built on common sales practice, not a proven formula with a guaranteed close rate. Say them in your own words, keep what works and change what does not.

Before you dial: a two-minute lead check

A good call starts before the phone rings. Spend two minutes on each business so you have something real to say.

1. 1

   Confirm the website situation

   No link on the listing? Search the business name and town, and check the Facebook and Instagram bios. If there is a site, open it on your phone and note one concrete problem.

2. 2

   Read the last few reviews

   Look for what customers praise ("showed up the same day", "great with kids") and any hint of the owner's name.

3. 3

   Check the hours

   Do not call a restaurant at noon or a salon on a Saturday morning.

4. 4

   Decide your offer

   Know your starting price and whether you offer a monthly plan. If an owner asks "how much?" and you hesitate, you lose credibility. Our guide on how much to charge for a website helps you set it.

5. 5

   Have the preview ready, if you built one

   A live link you can text during the call is the strongest thing you can offer.

If you find prospects on Google Maps, the checks in how to find web design clients on Google Maps cover most of this.

The opener

You have about ten seconds to explain who you are and why you are calling this business in particular. Use their name, your name, and the specific reason.

If you have built a preview:

"Hi, is this [First name]? Hi [First name], this is [Your name]. I'm a web designer here in [area]. I was looking at [Business name] on Google Maps, saw you've got [number] great reviews but no website, so I actually put together a quick preview of what a site for you could look like. Do you have thirty seconds?"

If you have not built one:

"Hi, is this [First name]? This is [Your name], I build websites for [trade] businesses around [area]. I came across [Business name] on Google and noticed [you don't have a website linked / your site doesn't show your phone number on mobile]. Is now a bad time for a quick question?"

"Is now a bad time?" sounds odd, but it gives the owner an easy way to say "it's fine, go ahead", and it respects that they are working. If they say yes, it is a bad time, ask when to call back and hang up. That call-back is a warm lead.

The pitch: ask permission, then keep it short

When they say go ahead, do not launch into a feature list. Make one point, connect it to their customers, and ask a question.

"Thanks. So when people search for [trade] in [town], your listing shows up, which is great, but there's nowhere for them to click through to see your services, photos or prices. Some people are fine with that and just call. Others move on to a business that has a site.

What I do is build simple sites for businesses like yours: your services, your service area, your reviews, and a big button to call you. Is getting more calls from Google something you'd want right now, or are you pretty booked up?"

That last question matters. If they are booked solid, you learn it now and can offer to check back in their slow season. If they want more work, you have a reason to continue.

If they are interested:

"Great. The easiest thing is for me to show you instead of describing it. Can I text you a link to a preview? It takes a minute to look at on your phone, and there's no cost to look."

Sending the preview by text

Only text after the owner says yes, and send it yourself from your own phone, one message at a time. Keep it short and identify yourself, because they will read it later without remembering your name.

"Hi [First name], it's [Your name], the web designer who just called. Here's the preview for [Business name]: [link]. It's a first draft, so anything can change. Happy to walk through it whenever suits you."

Before you send any preview, open it on your phone. Check that the business name, phone number and services are right. An owner who sees their phone number wrong on the first screen will not look further.

SiteSeeker helps before and during the call. Its lead search pulls Google Maps businesses with no website listed, with the phone number, rating, review count and a 0 to 100 lead score that factors in how recent the latest review is. For a saved lead it can build a preview site from the listing and write a call script with openers, talking points, objection responses, a voicemail and an SMS follow-up. Treat both as drafts: check every fact, and rewrite the script so it sounds like you.

Getting past the gatekeeper

At larger shops and busy salons, someone else answers. Be polite, be brief and be honest. Do not pretend you are an existing customer or that the owner is expecting you.

"Hi, this is [Your name]. I'm a local web designer. I had a quick question for the owner about the business's website. Is [First name] around?"

If they ask what it is about:

"I noticed [the specific finding], and I put together an idea for fixing it. It'll take two minutes. When's a good time to catch them?"

If the owner is never available, ask the gatekeeper for the best time to call and whether there is a better number or an email. Gatekeepers often know exactly when the owner has a spare minute, and they tend to help people who are courteous to them.

Handling the eight most common objections

Objections are usually a request for more information, not a final no. Answer briefly, then ask a question to keep the conversation going. If someone says no twice, accept it politely.

"We already have a Facebook page"

"That's great, and you should keep it. A website doesn't replace it. It's for the people who search Google and never find your page. The site can link straight to your Facebook so they see your posts too. Can I show you what that looks like?"

"My nephew (or a friend) handles that"

"Makes sense to keep it in the family. If they're planning to build one, I'm happy to leave it with them. If it's been on the list for a while, I can send the preview anyway so you have something to compare against. Would that help?"

"We can't afford it right now"

"Understood. Can I ask what you'd expect a website to cost? ... I have a simpler option at [price], and I can spread it over [a few monthly payments / a monthly plan that includes hosting]. And if the timing's wrong, I can check back in [month]."

Only mention payment terms you really offer. If you sell monthly plans, website maintenance pricing covers how to structure them.

"Not interested"

"No problem. Can I ask, is that because you're fully booked, or because a website just isn't a fit for how you get customers?"

If they answer, you learn something useful, and sometimes the answer opens a real conversation. If they repeat "not interested", thank them and end the call.

"Just send me some information"

"Happy to. So I send something useful and not a brochure: is it more about seeing what the site would look like, or about the price?"

Then send exactly that, and ask when you can follow up. See our cold email templates for web design for what to write.

"We're too busy right now"

"Sounds like business is good, which is exactly why I called you instead of someone struggling. When does it usually slow down? I'll give you a call then."

Put the date in your tracker and call back when you said you would.

"We got burned by a web designer before"

"I'm sorry to hear that, it's frustrating. Can I ask what went wrong? ... The way I work, you see the site before you pay [or: you pay a deposit and the balance only when you approve it], and you own your domain. Would that make it easier?"

Listen properly here. Their answer tells you exactly what to reassure them about.

"Is this a scam?"

"Fair question, there are a lot of spam calls. I'm [Your name], I run [Your business] here in [area]. You can look me up at [your website]. I'm not asking for any payment or information today. I'd just like to text you a preview you can look at in your own time."

For objections that come up later, by email or after they have seen the preview, see web design objections and follow-up emails.

The voicemail script

Leave one voicemail per business, not one per attempt. Keep it under thirty seconds and give them one reason to call back.

"Hi [First name], this is [Your name], a web designer here in [area]. I saw [Business name] has great reviews on Google but no website, so I put together a free preview of what one could look like. I'll text you the link, or you can call me back at [number]. Again, that's [Your name], [number]. Thanks."

Say your number twice, slowly. If you say you will text, only do it if the number looks like a mobile and you are sending the message personally, not through an automated system.

Follow-up cadence after the call

Very few owners decide on the first call, so plan your follow-up before you dial. A simple rhythm:

1. 1

   Same day

   Send what you promised, the preview link or a short email.

2. 2

   Two or three days later

   A short check-in by text or email: "Did you get a chance to look at the preview?"

3. 3

   One week later

   A call. "Just wanted to see what you thought of the site and answer any questions."

4. 4

   Two to three weeks later

   A final note offering to check back next season.

Log every attempt in a tracker with the date and what was said. If anyone asks you to stop contacting them, note it and honor it.

US cold calling rules: DNC, TCPA and state laws

• The Do Not Call Registry mostly covers consumers. The FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule Q&A says that most calls to a business made to solicit sales from that business are exempt from the Do Not Call provisions.
• But many owners use a personal cell phone. A plumber's listed number is often their own mobile. Treat it with care, and check the National Do Not Call Registry rules if you are unsure whether a number is a business line.
• Do not use autodialers or prerecorded messages. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act restricts autodialed and prerecorded calls and texts to wireless numbers without prior express consent. The FCC's guide to unwanted calls and texts explains the basics. Dialing by hand and texting only with permission keeps you well away from this.
• Respect calling hours. Federal rules bar telephone solicitations to residential numbers before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. local time. For businesses, call during their working hours anyway, because that is when the owner can talk.
• Check your state. Several states have their own telemarketing laws, registration requirements or do-not-call lists.
• Keep an internal do-not-call list. When someone asks you not to call again, record it and never call that number again.

If you call outside the US, the rules are different. The UK, Canada, Australia and the EU all have their own registries and consent rules.

Practice before your first real call

Read the opener and pitch out loud ten times. Record yourself and listen back. Then call five businesses in a niche you care less about, so the stakes feel low while you find your rhythm. After each call, write down what the owner said and which line landed badly. After twenty calls, rewrite the script in your own words. That version will beat anything on this page.