The Steady Craft Cold Call Playbook

Demo strategy: Pre-build a sample Solev site before calling. Text the URL mid-call.

Target call length: 3–5 minutes. Past 6 without a booked next step, you're losing.

Target close: Starter tier on the call ($49/mo + $297 setup) or booked 15-min follow-up.

The Mindset (Read This Every Morning)

You are a neighbor calling another neighbor. You are not a telemarketer. Do not sound like a salesperson — because the moment they feel sold to, their guard goes up and the call is over.

The opener makes them think you might be a customer. That is the whole trick. Their brain spends the first 15 seconds wondering "is this a potential customer?" — and in that window, you earn the rest of the conversation.

1. The Opening — Sound Like a Customer

Wait for "yeah."

Why this works: You sound like a real person who was trying to find them online. Their brain reads this as "possible customer." Guard stays down. They're the one who brings up the website gap, not you.

They'll say something like: "Yeah we're open — we just don't have a website yet," or "No, we've never needed one." Don't rush. Let them talk.

2. The Soft Pivot (Introduce Yourself Naturally)

Why this works: You introduce what you do AFTER they've explained their situation. No "I'm from Steady Craft Solutions" — just "I actually help local [trade] folks with websites." The company name never comes up unless they ask.

Get the number, text the link while still on the phone.

As they load it:

3. The ROI Anchor

Somewhere during the demo walkthrough, drop the math line:

4. Close

Path A — They're engaged

Path B — They're lukewarm

Path C — "Let me think about it"

5. Hook & Exit

Objection Handlers — 8 Most Common for This Demographic

1. "I've been doing fine for 20 years without one."

2. "My customers are all word of mouth."

3. "I'm not good with computers."

4. "I don't want to be on the internet."

5. "Just send me something in the mail."

6. "My nephew/son/daughter is going to build me one."

7. "How much?" (asked in the first 20 seconds)

Deflect to the demo. ALWAYS. Price-before-context kills every call.

8. "Where are you based? / Are you in China?"

Tier Reference

Tier	Setup	Monthly	Best For
Starter	$297	$49	Solo operators, 1–3 person shops, new businesses
Pro	$497	$149	2–10 employees, growing, monthly updates included
Growth	$997	$249	10+ employees, established, custom domain + analytics

Default recommendation: Starter. Don't over-sell.

The 20-Calls-Will-Suck Rule

Your first 20 calls with this script will be rough. You'll fumble the opener, you'll forget to pause, you'll answer "how much" too early. That's fine. By call 30 you'll have rhythm. By call 100 it'll sound like a conversation, not a script. Track your numbers. Adjust your delivery, not the script.

The Flow

1. Opener — "Hey is this [Owner]? ... Hey how's it going. I was on Google earlier, wasn't sure if you guys were open and couldn't find a website. Figured I'd just call and see if this was a landline."
2. Let them explain — they'll say they don't have one.
3. Soft pivot — "Oh gotcha, makes sense. So I actually help local [trade] folks with websites — built a sample for your business already. Want me to text it over?"
4. Demo — text the pre-built link while still on the phone.
5. ROI anchor — "One new customer a month covers the whole year."
6. Close — Starter tier or booked follow-up.
7. Exit — Confirm next action, warm sign-off.

Opener (Verbatim)

The Pivot (Verbatim)

Objection → Response (Lightning Round)

Objection	Response
"Doing fine 20 years without one"	"Exactly why I called. We're protecting what works, not replacing it."
"All word of mouth"	"Those referrals are pulling out phones. Right now they land on Yelp or a competitor."
"Not good with computers"	"You never touch it. Done-for-you. Your grandkids could Wix it; we're not that."
"Don't want to be online"	"You already are. Google has a listing. Question is whether you control it."
"Send me mail"	"Let me text you the sample site instead. 10 seconds. Delete if you hate it. Fair?"
"Nephew's building one"	"How long has that been in the works? We'll have yours live tomorrow."
"How much?" (early)	"Depends what you need. Let me show you the demo first, then price."
"Where are you based?"	"Nashville. US-based. I'll text our site and LinkedIn with the demo."

Power Phrases

• "How's it going" — opens natural, not sales
• "Gotcha, makes sense" — acknowledgment, builds rapport
• "Fair?" — frictionless yes
• "Here's the thing..." — reality check
• "Let me show you instead of telling you" — pivot to demo

Pricing

Tier	Setup	Monthly
Starter	$297	$49
Pro	$497	$149
Growth	$997	$249

Default pitch: Starter. Upsell later.

Closes

Hot: "Want me to walk you through getting it set up right now?"

Warm: "Let's do a 15-min call Thursday at 10 — does 10 work or is 2 better?"

Lukewarm: "I'll check back Thursday at 10. If you've decided it's not for you, tell me and I'll stop calling. Sound good?"

Daily KPIs

• 60 dials per day
• 8 conversations target
• 2 demo links sent
• 1 booked (tier close or follow-up)

Demo strategy: Pre-build a sample Steady Craft Full-tier mockup before calling. Text the URL mid-call.

Target call length: 5–8 minutes.

Target close: 30-minute technical audit on Zoom, owner attending (not ops or IT).

Pricing anchor: Full tier is $3,500 setup + $1,997/mo all-in. Industry average is $5,000 setup and $2,500–$4,800/mo.

The Mindset

Mid-market owners aren't defensive about websites — they're defensive about admitting they overpaid. Don't tell them they got ripped off. Ask the question and let them tell you.

You're not selling software. You're selling relief — one bill, one vendor, one login.

The core pitch is transparency: 9 out of 10 business owners overpay on software. That's a real stat — not made up.

Pre-Call Prep (30 Seconds)

1. Business name — what they do, one sentence.
2. Pre-built demo URL — Steady Craft Full-tier mockup for their business.
3. Owner's name (optional) — if you can find it on LinkedIn in 30 seconds, great. If not, you'll ask on the call.

No Wappalyzer, no stack detection. The pitch is a direct question about cost, not a reveal about tools.

1. Gatekeeper (If Screened)

You don't know the owner's name yet — asking for them by name would be fake. Position it as a curious question about their website.

Why this works: "A quick question about your website" sounds like a customer or a peer, not a sales pitch. Gatekeepers put those calls through.

If asked "what company?" or "regarding what?":

Don't name-drop Steady Craft yet. Vague is less salesy than specific on a first pass.

2. The Opening — Confirm Owner, Get Their Name

You usually don't know the owner's name. Don't fake it — ask.

Wait for "yeah."

They give their name — say "Mike."

If you DID research their name on LinkedIn: "Hey is this [Name]? ... You the owner over there?" — same idea, just confirming.

Why this works: No company name. No pitch energy. You get their name naturally into the conversation so you can use it throughout the call.

3. The Transparency Pitch (Real Stat + Real Question)

Most will say yes. Some will hedge. A few will defend what they paid.

Acknowledge before moving:

• If yes: "Yeah, that's exactly what we keep finding."
• If "not sure": "Yeah, most people don't really know — that's part of the problem. It's not like there's a public price sheet for this stuff."
• If defensive: "Fair enough. Can I ask what you're paying? I can tell you pretty quick whether it's in range or not."

If they push back on the stat: "It's from Zylo's 2025 SaaS report — 90% overpay, by an average of 26%."

4. The Soft Reveal (No Prices Yet)

Do NOT say a price yet. "Less than half" is vague on purpose. Prices land without context if you drop them before the demo.

5. Pre-Built Demo Reveal

Get the number. Text the link while still on the phone.

As they look:

90% admit their systems don't talk. That's the pain. Let them sit in it for a beat before the price reveal.

6. The Price Reveal (Only After They've Seen It)

Pause. Let the number land.

Why this order matters: "Less than half the average" means nothing until they've seen what they're getting. Show first, price second. The number feels earned instead of pitched.

7. The Audit Close (Book the Zoom, Not the Tier)

Don't try to close a tier on the first call. Deal size is $27,464/yr — they need a real walkthrough.

8. Owner-Only Close-Out

Without this line, the audit gets delegated to an ops manager with no authority to switch vendors. 30 minutes wasted, deal dies.

Objection Handlers — 6 Specific to This Demographic

1. "We already have a website / CRM — we're good."

2. "I don't feel like I overpaid."

Most owners, when asked directly, say a number that's 2–4x what we charge. That's the moment.

3. "Our CRM has 3 years of data — migration would be a nightmare."

4. "Send me a proposal."

5. "How do I know you'll be around in 3 years?"

6. "We're in a contract with [vendor] until [date]."

Tier Reference (For the Audit Call, Not the Cold Call)

Tier	Setup	Monthly	Seats	Best For
Core	$1,997	$999	3	10–25 FTE, replacing 1 tool
Full	$3,500	$1,997	10	25–60 FTE, replacing 2–3 tools (most common)
Enterprise	Custom	From $3,997	Unlimited	60–100 FTE, full stack replacement

All tiers: migration included, 24-hr support, no long-term contract, 30-day money-back guarantee.

Pre-Call Prep (30 Seconds)

1. Business name — what they do, one sentence.
2. Pre-built demo URL — Steady Craft Full-tier mockup.
3. Owner's name (optional) — find it on LinkedIn in 30 seconds if you can; otherwise ask on the call.

No stack research. The pitch is a direct question about cost.

The Flow

1. Gatekeeper — "Hey, how's it going. Had a quick question about your website. Is the owner around?"
2. Owner confirm — "Are you the owner? ... Cool, what's your name? ... Nice to meet you [Name]. You got a minute?"
3. Transparency pitch — "9 out of 10 business owners are overpaying. Do you feel like you paid too much?"
4. Soft reveal (no prices yet) — "We're transparent, we build the whole thing for less than half of what most folks are paying."
5. Demo — Text the pre-built link.
6. Price reveal (AFTER demo) — "$1,997/mo all-in. Industry average is $2,500 to $4,800."
7. Audit close — "Tell you what — grab 30 minutes on my calendar..."
8. Owner-only — "I want you on the Zoom, not your ops person."

The Gatekeeper (Verbatim)

The Opener (Verbatim)

The Transparency Pitch (Verbatim)

The Soft Reveal (Verbatim — NO PRICES YET)

The Demo Line (Verbatim)

The Price Reveal (ONLY After Demo)

Audit Close (Verbatim)

Objection → Response (Lightning Round)

Objection	Response
"We already have one, we're good"	"Not asking you to rip anything out. 30 min to run the numbers — if you're paying fair, you'll know. If not, you've got leverage for renewal."
"I don't feel like I overpaid"	"Fair enough. What are you paying? I can tell you in 30 seconds if it's in range."
"Migration is a nightmare"	"Single most common reason — that's why migration is included. Zero downtime, on us."
"Send me a proposal"	"Proposals without a walkthrough are useless — I'd be guessing. 30-min audit, real proposal same day."
"Around in 3 years?"	"Profitable, US-based, your data stays yours. Export anytime. Risk you're worried about is the one we already solved."
"Locked in contract until [date]"	"Perfect — best time to talk. Plan ready for the day it ends."
"Team won't want to switch"	"Bring your ops lead to the audit. Let them ask the hard questions."

Tier Cheat Sheet

Tier	Setup	Monthly	Seats
Core	$1,997	$999	3
Full (default)	$3,500	$1,997	10
Enterprise	Custom	$3,997+	Unlimited

Industry average: $5,000 setup + $2,500–$4,800/mo.

Daily KPIs

• 30 dials per day
• 4 conversations
• 2 "yes, I overpaid" admissions
• 1 audit Zoom booked with owner attending

The 5 Rules of Every Voicemail

1. 20–25 seconds max. Past 25 they hit delete.
2. Drop VMs only on attempts 1, 3, and 7. Silence on other attempts keeps you from looking like spam.
3. Leave your number twice — once early, once at the end.
4. Say your name and number slowly. The rest can flow fast.
5. Sound like a person. Not a script. Not a vendor. A person.

Small Business Voicemails

VM #1 — First Touch (Day 1) · Target 22 sec

Why it works: Sounds like a customer who was trying to find them, not a salesperson. No "I'm with Steady Craft Solutions." Reason for calling is implicit — they'll be curious.

VM #2 — Day 3 · Target 18 sec

VM #3 — Day 7 Breakup · Target 16 sec

The breakup voicemail is counterintuitively the highest callback-rate VM in the sequence. Removing pressure triggers reciprocity.

Mid-Market Voicemails

VM #1 — First Touch (Day 1) · Target 22 sec

Why it works: Opens with the real stat. Doesn't pitch — asks a question. "Where do you land on that?" invites a callback because they're curious if they're in the 90%.

VM #2 — Day 3 · Target 20 sec

VM #3 — Day 7 Breakup · Target 16 sec

Delivery Notes

• Small business tone: warm, neighbor-casual. Smile while you record it.
• Mid-market tone: confident peer. Matter-of-fact.
• Both: slow down on your name and phone number. Speed up slightly in the middle.

When to NOT Leave a Voicemail

• Attempts 2, 4, 5, 6, 8+ — let missed calls sit.
• Full voicemail box or personal-sounding greeting — move on, dial back in 24 hours.
• Generic robot greeting with no name — verify number before leaving VM #1.

Follow-Up Text Templates (Send After VM #1)

Small business follow-up text

Mid-market follow-up text

Benchmarks (Week 2+)

• Small business: 10–15% callback/text rate on VM #1 + follow-up text combo
• Mid-market: 5–10% callback rate (smaller sample, bigger deal size)

If callback rate is under 5% after 100 VMs, the issue is delivery, not script.

Why This Works (The Underlying Psych)

Both demographics share the same defense mechanism: the moment they hear "I'm [name] from [company] and we help businesses..." their brain files you as a salesperson and stops listening.

The small business VM sounds like a customer who was trying to find them. The mid-market VM leads with a real statistic and a question, not a pitch. In both cases, the voicemail creates curiosity, not resistance. Curiosity gets callbacks. Pitches get deleted.

The One Sentence That Runs Everything

Do not sound like a salesperson. The moment a prospect feels like they're being sold to, their guard goes up and the call is over. Your opener should make them think you might be a customer, a peer, or a curious stranger — not a vendor.

If at any point you're trying to talk someone into something, stop. That's the moment you lost them. Reset by asking a question.

Tone Calibration by Caller

Caller	Natural Tone	Best For	Watch For
Ben	Casual Nashville, neighbor-next-door	Small business	Don't rush — older owners need breathing room
Mike	TBD — add after week 1
Nate	TBD — add after week 1
Austin	TBD — add after week 1
Sabrina / Bean	Warm + direct, female voice	Both — female voice is a secret weapon with older male owners	Own it — don't apologize for not being the "usual" caller

Week 1 action: record yourself on 5 calls. Write your own row. Share in team standup.

The LAER Objection Framework

1. L — Listen. Let them finish.
2. A — Acknowledge. "I hear you." / "Totally fair." Never start with "but."
3. E — Explore. One clarifying question.
4. R — Respond. Address the actual concern.

Power Phrases — Use 2–3 Per Call

Phrase	Use When
"Hey, how's it going"	Opener — natural, not sales
"Gotcha, makes sense"	Acknowledgment after they explain
"I'll be straight with you"	Before the transparency pitch
"Fair?"	After explaining, to confirm
"Here's the thing..."	Before a reframe
"Let me show you instead of telling you"	Pivot to demo
"One new customer covers the year"	Small business ROI — verbatim
"9 out of 10 owners overpay"	Mid-market pitch — real stat

Daily KPIs by Demographic

Small Business

Metric	Daily Target
Dials	60
Live conversations	8
Demo links sent	2
Bookings (tier close OR follow-up)	1

Mid-Market

Metric	Daily Target
Dials	30
Live conversations	4
"Yes, I overpaid" admissions	2
Audit Zooms booked (owner attending)	1

Hard Rules — Violations = Immediate Coaching

Follow-Up Discipline

Fortune is in the follow-up. Most closes happen between attempt 5 and 11, not the first call.

Small Business Follow-Up Sequence

Day	Action
0	Cold call. If VM, leave VM #1. Text + demo link within 5 min.
1	If no response: cold call again, no VM.
3	Cold call. If VM, leave VM #2.
5	Text: "Thinking of you — any questions on the site?"
7	Cold call. If VM, leave VM #3 (breakup).
10	Case study text (if available for their niche).
14+	Check-in every 5–7 days with value, not a pitch.
30	Full re-engagement — "No hasn't meant never."

Mid-Market Follow-Up Sequence

Day	Action
0	Cold call. If VM, leave VM #1. Text demo within 5 min.
1	If no response: cold call, no VM.
3	Cold call. If VM, leave VM #2. Email comparison — subject "9 out of 10."
7	Cold call. If VM, leave VM #3 (breakup).
14	LinkedIn connection with a one-line note.
30	Email: "Your [vendor] renewal probably coming up — want me to rerun the audit?"
90	Repeat the full sequence. Contract may be ending.

The 20-Calls-Will-Suck Rule

Every new caller will have 20 calls that sound terrible. You'll fumble the opener. You'll answer "how much" too early. You'll leave a 45-second voicemail. That's fine. That's the entry fee.

• By call 30: you'll have rhythm.
• By call 100: it sounds like a conversation.
• By call 500: you're not reading anything — you're just talking.

Don't change the script in the first 100 calls. Change your delivery.

The Weekly Cycle

• Monday: batch pre-call prep for the week. Pre-build demo sites.
• Tue–Thu: dial days. Morning mid-market (30). Afternoon small business (60).
• Friday: follow-up day. Texts, emails, LinkedIn. No new cold calls.
• Sat/Sun: off. Weekend calls hurt connect rates.

When to Ask for Help

• Booking ratio >30% below team average after week 2 → record a call, review with Levi.
• Stuck on the same objection three calls in a row → post it in team chat.
• A prospect says something no handler covers → log it, share it, we add it to the playbook.

The Bottom Line

We're not selling websites or CRMs. We're selling:

• To small business: the next decade of their business being findable.
• To mid-market: relief from overpaying on software that doesn't talk to each other.

Lead with that, not with features. Features close themselves once the prospect sees the relief on the other side.

Now go dial.