How cold calling can unlock better messaging for your startup
As an early-stage startup founder with ambitious growth goals, you need to pay attention to your momentum. It’s okay if you start from nothing—investors expect that. The question is how quickly you can get on a rocketship trajectory.
One of the key things you need to learn as you scale beyond product-market fit is your messaging—how you tell your story to customers. Getting this right is hard.
Validating messaging through cold calling
Many founders ask friends for messaging feedback. But friends don't want to hurt your feelings, so they sugarcoat things. You need direct customer input, not watered-down validation that sets you up to fail later.
The other mistake is never testing messaging until it’s too late. You build an expensive website before knowing your audience, only to realize the messaging is way off.
This is where cold calling shines, not as a sales tactic but as a research strategy offering three unparalleled advantages:
Direct customer insights - Engage with target customers and observe firsthand what resonates (and what doesn’t)
Message-market fit testing - Validate your messaging in real-time and scale your findings without blowing your budget on premature ad spend and marketing.
Language alignment - Discover the exact terms your prospects use and integrate them into your messaging to speak directly to their needs.
Instead of waiting months to discover poor messaging, cold calling offers instant clarity. It’s like running rapid customer interviews at scale.
Insight: You can test 10 messaging variations in the time it takes for 1 email campaign. And you get authentic, unbiased feedback.
Listen to uncover what hits home
Cold calling exposes how prospects describe their own needs. Listen for the specific terminology they use. Then, integrate those exact phrases into your messaging.
Suddenly, your messaging echoes your prospects’ existing vocabulary. You’re speaking their language, not insider jargon.
This instantly lifts message resonance.
How to use cold calling to refine messaging
Yes, cold calling can feel intimidating. But you can get comfortable by:
Approaching with curiosity: Enter each call with the intent to learn, spending most of the conversation engaged in active listening.
Starting small: Begin with 2 short calls per day and gradually increase as your comfort grows.
Using a casual, friendly tone: A smile can be heard over the phone. Maintain a casual tone to put both you and the prospect at ease.
Researching prospects beforehand to personalize: A quick glance at LinkedIn profiles or company websites can provide tidbits to weave into your conversation, making the call feel less cold and more tailored.
With practice, not only will cold calling become second nature, but it will also be a wellspring of insights to refine your messaging strategy.
Refining your method: small batches and big insights
Once you have momentum, hone your process:
Set clear messaging testing goals: Before picking up the phone, know what you’re testing. Pinpoint 1-3 messaging elements for each call to maintain focus.
Develop a flexible script: Use a script as a guide, but leave room for natural conversation to explore new angles based on the prospect's responses.
Analyze and adapt: Post-call, reflect on what language struck a chord. Did certain phrases cause confusion or spark interest?
Optimize and repeat: Edit your script and messaging to incorporate language from your calls. Test again with wider batches as needed until messaging clicks.
Dial first, then draft
Cold calling provides a direct line to your customers to workshop copy, validate positioning, and boost clarity before going to market.
The initial nerves will pass quickly. And the customer intelligence you unlock is worth 100x the temporary discomfort. So stop guessing what your personas might want to hear. Instead, go straight to the source—get on the phone with real prospects. And let your customers guide your messaging. You’ll quickly cut through the noise to craft copy that truly hits home.
