If you’ve never cold called before, you’re not “bad at sales.”
You’re just avoiding discomfort you’ve never trained yourself through.
Here’s how to start cold calling without overthinking it into oblivion:
🧵
First truth: you’re not nervous about calling
You’re nervous about:
→ sounding stupid
→ getting rejected
→ awkward silence
→ not knowing what to say
None of that is fatal.
All of it is normal.
You’re just not used to it yet.
Stop trying to be good. Aim to be “on the phone.”
Your first goal is not to close.
It’s to:
→ dial
→ speak
→ survive the call
→ hang up and do it again
That’s it.
Most beginners lose because they’re trying to perform instead of participate.
Use a stupidly simple opener
Don’t script your personality to death.
Just say:
“Hey (name), did I catch you at a terrible time?”
If they say yes → hang up clean.
If they say no → continue.
That’s the whole entry system.
You don’t need confidence. You need exposure.
Confidence doesn’t come before action.
It comes from hearing:
→ “no” 30 times
→ awkward pauses
→ rushed objections
→ random wins you didn’t expect
You’re not building skill.
You’re building tolerance.
The biggest mistake beginners make
They treat every call like it matters.
It doesn’t.
Your first 50 calls are just calibration.
You’re learning tone, timing, and what people actually respond to.
Not closing. Calibrating.
Expect to be bad on purpose
Your first calls will suck.
Your voice will sound off.
You’ll forget what to say.
You’ll hang up early.
Good.
That means you’re in the game.
Simple structure that won’t break you
Use this:
→ Intro (permission)
→ Problem question
→ Listen
→ Simple offer
→ “Worth exploring or no?”
Don’t complicate it.
The more you script, the worse you sound.
Reluctance is just untrained friction
You don’t “overcome” reluctance.
You out-rep it.
Every call reduces resistance for the next one.
The 10th call feels worse than the 50th.
The 100th feels automatic.
Final truth
Cold calling isn’t about charisma.
It’s about willingness to be slightly uncomfortable longer than most people.
That’s it.
Most people don’t lose because they’re bad.
They lose because they quit before they normalize it.
A quick reintroduction.
I’ve spent 17 years in sales.
B2B.
B2C.
Door-to-door.
Enterprise.
Leading teams.
The biggest lesson?
Sales isn’t about scripts.
It’s about psychology.
The script matters far less than understanding how people make decisions.
Most people think sales happens when you ask for the sale.
It doesn’t.
The sale happens long before that.
In beliefs.
Emotions.
Perceptions.
And assumptions.
That’s why two people can say the exact same thing and get completely different results.
One understands psychology.
The other memorized a script.
I’ve seen founders spend months fixing funnels when the real problem was positioning.
I’ve seen businesses buy leads when the real problem was follow-up.
I’ve seen sales teams blame objections when the real problem was trust.
The market rarely tells you the real problem directly.
You have to learn how to see it.
That’s what sales teaches you.
On this page I’ll be sharing what I’ve learned about:
• Sales
• Buyer psychology
• Offers
• Positioning
• Lead generation
• Follow-up
• Scaling sales teams
• Decision making
• Limiting beliefs
• Identity shifting
• GTM
Because whether you’re trying to get clients, grow a business, or change your life…
The game is usually the same:
Understand people better.
Most business problems are psychology problems wearing a different outfit.
That’s what we’ll be exploring here.
Welcome.
If cold email is sending the traffic to your VSL, the VSL has one job:
keep the same buyer moving toward the next step.
Here’s 15 steps to follow
1. It should open by repeating the exact pain point or desired outcome from the email so the viewer knows they are in the right place.
2. It should make the first 30 seconds about them, not about you.
3. It should name the consequence of doing nothing in a way that feels specific to their situation.
4. It should explain what you do in one simple sentence, without jargon or a long origin story.
5. It should show the mechanism of how you get results so it doesn't feel like another generic agency pitch.
6. It should prove that the problem is real and expensive with a clear example or pattern they recognize.
7. It should show why this approach is different from the common alternatives they have already tried or ignored.
8. It should answer the biggest objection before the viewer has a chance to click away.
9. It should include one or two proof points that match the promise made in the email.
10. It should make the offer feel concrete by explaining exactly what happens after they take the next step.
11. It should reduce uncertainty by showing the process in plain language.
12. It should keep the same tone and angle as the email so the experience feels seamless.
13. It should not introduce a new topic that makes them re-evaluate why they clicked.
14. It should build enough belief that the viewer feels safer taking the next step than leaving the page.
15. It should end with one clear call to action, like booking a call or filling out a short form, not three different options.
The email gets the click.
The VSL gets the belief. The best one feels like the prospect never left the same conversation.
Most people think the job of cold email is to book a meeting.
It’s not.
The job of cold email is to start a buying process.
What happens after someone books is often more important than the email itself.
The first question to ask is:
How complex is this buying decision?
Can one person say yes?
Or does the deal require multiple stakeholders, approvals, budget reviews, and internal conversations?
That determines everything.
A founder buying a $2,000 service is different than a VP evaluating a $50,000 solution.
The higher the complexity, the more education needs to happen before the meeting.
Not after.
For simple sales cycles, you may only need:
→ confirmation email
→ short overview doc
→ one relevant case study
→ calendar reminder
That’s enough.
Don’t overwhelm people.
For more complex sales cycles, prospects need ammunition.
They need information they can bring back internally.
Think:
→ ROI breakdowns
→ implementation plans
→ case studies
→ process docs
→ FAQs
→ stakeholder-specific concerns
The mistake most companies make is sending everything to everyone.
Twenty PDFs doesn’t create certainty.
It creates homework.
The goal isn’t more content.
The goal is removing the next question.
A simple framework:
If the prospect is asking:
“Should I take this meeting?”
Send education.
If they’re asking:
“Will this work?”
Send proof.
If they’re asking:
“Can we implement this?”
Send process.
If they’re asking:
“How do I get approval?”
Send business cases and ROI.
Every asset should have a job.
A Loom.
A Google Doc.
A case study.
A proposal.
If you can’t explain why you’re sending it, don’t send it.
The best sales calls happen when the prospect already understands:
→ the problem
→ the opportunity
→ your approach
→ expected outcomes
The call becomes clarification instead of persuasion.
Most outbound teams focus on generating appointments.
The better teams focus on preparing buyers.
Because educated prospects show up more often, move faster, and close at higher rates.
The email got the meeting.
The education gets the deal.
Limiting beliefs are one of the few things that can keep a smart person stuck for years.
Not because they’re true.
Because they’re never tested.
The scary part is they don’t sound like self-sabotage.
They sound like common sense.
“I’m not ready.”
“I need more experience.”
“I should wait a little longer.”
So instead of taking action, you collect more information.
Another podcast.
Another book.
Another course.
Another year.
Eventually you forget that the belief was just an assumption.
Now it’s a rule.
And you start making decisions around it.
You don’t launch.
You don’t ask.
You don’t post.
You don’t sell.
Not because you can’t.
Because you’ve already decided what will happen.
The irony?
Most limiting beliefs are impossible to prove.
They’re predictions.
Not facts.
“I won’t be good at sales.”
How do you know?
“I can’t start a business.”
How do you know?
“Nobody would buy from me.”
How do you know?
You don’t.
You’re guessing.
And then treating the guess like reality.
That’s why limiting beliefs are so dangerous in business.
They don’t kill your business.
They kill the actions that grow it.
The call you don’t make.
The offer you don’t send.
The content you don’t publish.
The opportunity you don’t pursue.
Years later people think they had a strategy problem.
Most of the time they had a belief problem.
The fastest way to destroy a limiting belief isn’t positive thinking.
It’s evidence.
Test it.
Reality is usually far kinder than the story in your head.
What’s really holding most people back from starting a business tomorrow isn’t time or money.
It’s the gap between who they are today and who they think they need to become first.
They keep waiting to feel “ready” for something that only gets real after action.
The biggest problem with limiting beliefs isn’t that they’re wrong.
It’s that you never test them.
So an assumption becomes a rule.
And a rule becomes your reality.
BREAKING: Claude can build a full business offer for free.
Here are 8 prompts to start your business
(Save this)
- “I serve [AUDIENCE] who struggle with [PROBLEM] and want [OUTCOME]. Design my core offer including: the name, what they get, the timeline, the price, the guarantee, and a one-liner hook that sells it.”
- “Create three tiers of my offer — Starter at $[PRICE], Core at $[PRICE], Premium at $[PRICE]. For each tier write who it’s for, what they get, and why they’d choose it over the others.”
- “Stack the value of my offer at $[PRICE]. List every element of value I’m delivering, assign a dollar amount to each, total it up, and show me how to present it so the price feels like a steal.”
- “Write a one-sentence positioning statement: I help [AUDIENCE] achieve [OUTCOME] without [OBJECTION] by [MY METHOD]. Then write the 30-second pitch, the 2-minute explanation, and how I’m different from [COMPETITOR].”
- “I’m considering these niches: [NICHE 1], [NICHE 2], [NICHE 3]. For each analyze: market size, problem clarity, buying power, competition level, and my fit. Tell me which one I should dominate and why.”
- “Define my ideal customer in extreme detail: who they are, their current situation, what they’ve already tried, why those solutions failed, where they look for help, and what makes them finally buy. Make me able to see one specific person.”
- “My competitors in [NICHE] are [COMPETITOR 1], [COMPETITOR 2], [COMPETITOR 3]. Tell me what they do well, where the gap is, and what my differentiated angle should be so I’m not just another option in a crowded market.”
- “I have experience in [BACKGROUND 1] and [BACKGROUND 2]. What niche sits at the intersection of both that I could own, that has real buying power, and that isn’t already saturated?”
Comment prompt if you want the other 21 + like and follow
Most people think confidence creates detachment.
It’s usually the opposite.
Detachment creates confidence because you’re no longer letting every outcome determine how you feel.
Most solopreneurs use AI like a search engine.
The leverage comes from having the right prompts.
I put together my Solopreneur Prompt Vault:
→ offer creation
→ niche selection
→ content ideas
→ outreach
→ sales
→ client retention
Comment PROMPTS + follow and I’ll send it.
14 things every Google sales doc needs for a new offer.
1. A single headline that states exactly who this is for and what problem it solves in one sentence.
2. A short paragraph on why this problem is more expensive to ignore than to fix right now.
3. The offer stated in plain language with no jargon, no buzzwords, and no ambiguity about what the client actually receives.
4. A clear deliverables list broken into exactly what is included, by when, and in what format.
5. The bonus stack listed separately from the core offer so the value layers are visible and distinct.
6. Pricing stated clearly with no buried fees, no "starting at" language, and no reason for the prospect to have to ask.
7. The upsell tiers presented as two named options so the reader is choosing between levels, not deciding whether to buy.
8. The downsell listed at the bottom as a lower commitment entry point for anyone not ready for the full offer.
9. A short proof section with one or two specific results from real clients, not vague testimonials.
10. A FAQ section that preemptively handles the three most common objections before the prospect has to raise them.
11. A clear next step with one specific call to action and no alternative links, options, or distractions.
12. A guarantee or risk reversal stated in one sentence so the prospect knows exactly what happens if it doesn't work.
13. A scarcity or urgency note that is real and specific, not manufactured.
14. A one paragraph founder or operator section that establishes why you specifically are the right person to deliver this.
A limiting belief is just an untested assumption you’ve become emotionally attached to.
Most people never challenge them.
They build their entire life around them instead.
Here’s 15 ways to keep them strong (so you see how ridiculous they actually are)…
1. Surround yourself with people who already gave up on the same thing.
2. Consume more than you create every single day.
3. Replay the one time it didn't work and ignore every time it did.
4. Avoid the thing that scares you and call it being strategic.
5. Keep the goal private so there is no cost to quitting.
6. Compare your beginning to someone else's middle.
7. Wait until you feel ready before you act.
8. Accept the first negative thought your brain offers without ever questioning where it came from.
9. Stay in environments that confirm who you were instead of signaling who you are becoming.
10. Let one bad result become a permanent conclusion about your potential.
11. Spend more time researching how to start than actually starting.
12. Ask for opinions from people who have never done what you are trying to do.
13. Treat every uncomfortable feeling as evidence that you are on the wrong path.
14. Make the goal so vague that you can never actually know if you failed.
15. Remind yourself daily of everything you don't have instead of everything you haven't used yet.
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If I had to build a business from $0 to $10k/month today, I’d start with a micro niche.
For example:
Onboarding document packages for independent staffing agencies.
Painful problem.
Clear ROI.
Easy to validate.
The narrower the niche, the faster the path to revenue
1. Send 20 LinkedIn messages to staffing agency owners asking one question: "Is your onboarding documentation something you'd pay to have completely handled?" and don't build anything until 5 people say yes.
2. Write your offer as a single sentence: "I build a complete compliant onboarding document package for staffing agencies in 7 days so your placements never fall through over missing paperwork."
3. Price it at $797 because a single failed placement costs the average agency $2,000 to $5,000 in lost margin and that value gap makes the conversation about results, not cost.
4. Attach three bonuses at zero additional cost: a new hire checklist template, a compliance audit of their current process, and a reusable onboarding tracker they can hand to any employee.
5. Close your first three clients at $497 in exchange for a documented result and a LinkedIn testimonial because that case study is worth more than any ad you will ever run.
6. Deliver in 5 days instead of 7 every single time because exceeding the promised timeframe on the first engagement is what turns a one-time client into a referral source.
7. Introduce the upsell in the same conversation after delivery: a monthly document maintenance retainer at $297/month to keep everything updated as compliance requirements change.
8. Present two retainer options so the client is choosing between tiers and not deciding whether to continue: $297/month for updates only or $497/month for updates plus a quarterly full audit.
9. At day 30 send every client one message: "If you know another agency owner dealing with the same headache I'll give you a free month for every referral that becomes a client."
10. Once five clients are on the retainer you have $1,485 to $2,485 in monthly recurring revenue before you close a single new setup, and every new $797 setup compounds on top of that until the math crosses $10k on its own.
Most Looms never get a reply.
They’re too long.
Too generic.
Too focused on the sender.
I built the exact 60-second Loom framework I use to get prospects curious without pitching.
Comment LOOM + follow and I’ll send it.
Most founders don’t fail because their offer is bad.
They fail because they’re doing the right things in the wrong order.
Going from $0 → $10k/month is usually less about innovation and more about sequence.
Here are the 15 steps I’d follow if I had to start over today:
1. Pick one specific buyer with one specific painful problem and write your entire offer around solving that one thing completely.
2. Write your offer as a single sentence: who you help, what you solve, in what timeframe, and what happens if you don't deliver.
3. Price it at a fraction of what the problem costs them to ignore so the value gap makes the yes feel obvious.
4. Build three bonuses that cost you nothing to produce but make the core offer feel like they are getting twice what they paid for.
5. Before you build a funnel, a website, or a brand, have ten conversations with real people who match your buyer description and sell it manually.
6. Close your first three clients at a reduced rate in exchange for a documented result you can lead every future conversation with.
7. Deliver so fast and so well on those first three that a case study and a referral are the natural outcome of the engagement.
8. Design your upsell before you close your first client so you are never leaving the next sale on the table in the same conversation.
9. Introduce the upsell in the same conversation as the original sale at the moment of highest desire, never in a follow-up email.
10. Design a continuity offer around a problem that never permanently resolves so recurring revenue starts building before you need it.
11. At the 30-day mark with every client send a referral ask because one satisfied client in a tight industry knows ten others with the same problem.
12. Track every objection from every conversation and rewrite your offer language until the most common ones stop appearing.
13. Verify the unit economics before you spend a dollar on traffic: 30-day gross profit must exceed double what it cost you to acquire and serve that client.
14. Once the math works on ten clients, reinvest the margin into outreach volume and let the case studies do the closing for you.
15. You hit $10k a month not by finding more clients but by building an offer stack so tight that every client who comes in is worth two to three times what they paid on day one.
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