Cold Call

---
name: cold-call
description: Prepare a founder for a live cold or first call with an investor — a 30-second opener, the core narrative beats, objection handling, a voicemail script, and a clear close/ask. Use when a founder says "I have a call with an investor", "help me prep a cold call", "what do I say on the phone", "write a voicemail for a VC", or is nervous about a live investor conversation. Coaches a real, two-way conversation — not a script to read robotically.
---

# Cold call / first investor call prep

Live conversations are where warm intros and cold emails get converted — or
lost. This skill preps a founder to sound calm, clear, and confident on the
phone (or first Zoom): a tight opener, a narrative they can run without reading,
crisp objection handling, and one clean ask. The goal is a **conversation**, not
a recitation.

Read `shared/references/outreach-ethics.md`. A call is consented contact when
booked; a true *cold* call (unscheduled) is higher-friction — prefer earning the
call via email/intro first, and only cold-call where it's culturally normal and
you have a genuinely specific reason.

## Gather before prepping

- Who's on the call (partner, associate) and how it was booked (warm/cold/
  inbound). If unknown, suggest the `investor-research` skill first.
- The one-liner, the raise (stage/amount/ask), and the 1–2 strongest true
  traction points.
- The single **goal of this call** — usually: earn the next meeting, not close.

## The structure (prep, don't script-read)

Give the founder beats to internalize, with example phrasing they can make their
own. See `references/objection-bank.md` for responses.

1. **Opener (~30 seconds).** Who you are, why you're talking to *this* investor
   (specific + true), the one-liner, and the reason now. End by handing them the
   floor.
   > "Thanks for the time. I reached out because you led <PortfolioCo>'s seed and
   > we're building the <X> for <Y>. In one line: we help <customer> <do job>
   > without <pain>. Happy to give the quick version and then go wherever's most
   > useful for you?"

2. **The 90-second story** (if they say "tell me more"): problem → why now →
   what you built → traction → why you. Concrete, numbers over adjectives. Stop
   and let them interrupt — investors steer; let them.

3. **Make it a dialogue.** After traction, ask a question back: "Does this fit
   how you're thinking about <space>?" A call where only the founder talks is a
   lost call.

4. **Handle objections calmly** (see the bank). Acknowledge → answer briefly →
   bridge back. Never get defensive; "good question" then a crisp, honest answer.

5. **Close with one clear ask.** Almost always the *next step*, not the check:
   > "Makes sense to take this further? I'd love to do a deeper session with the
   > team and share our data room — does next week work?"
   Then confirm the concrete next action before hanging up.

## Voicemail (if you truly cold-call and get voicemail)

15–20 seconds, one hook, one ask, leave a way to reply by email so it's low-
friction:
> "Hi <Name>, this is <Name> from <Company> — we're building <one-liner>, and I
> reached out because of <Fund>'s work with <PortfolioCo>. We're seeing <one
> metric>. No need to call back — I'll send a short email you can reply to if
> it's interesting. Thanks!"

Then send that email (use the `cold-email` skill) so there's a written trail.

## Delivery coaching

- **Pace down.** Nervous founders rush. Slower = more confident.
- **Lead with the punchline**, then support it. Investors decide fast.
- **It's okay not to know.** "I don't have that number in front of me — I'll
  follow up today" beats bluffing. Then actually follow up.
- **Match energy, stay founder-first.** Warm, direct, not salesy.
- **Mind their time.** Confirm how long they have up front and respect it.

## Output

- The opener (2 phrasings to choose from).
- The 90-second story as bullet beats (not a paragraph to memorize).
- 5–8 likely objections with short responses (pulled/adapted from the bank).
- A voicemail script.
- The closing ask + the next-step confirmation line.
- One line of delivery coaching tailored to what the founder's nervous about.

## Bilingual / China market (中文)

If the founder is in the **China market** or asks for **Chinese**, use
`references/zh-talk-tracks.md` and first read
`shared/references/china-market-playbook.md`. Pure cold calls are rare in China;
most calls are intro-led, in-person carries more weight, and address forms (X
总/老师) and a softer opening matter. The zh file gives the opener, 90-second
story, a full Chinese objection bank, and the close.

## Refuse / push back when

- The founder wants a word-for-word script to read — coach beats over scripts;
  a read-aloud script sounds dead. Give beats + example phrasing instead.
- Asked to overstate traction or "fake confidence" with claims that aren't true.
- True cold-calling where it's clearly unwelcome — suggest email/intro first.