How to Use Cold Call Hooks to Book Meetings

When I was at Salesforce, I used this exact cold email framework to book meetings with CEOs, COOs, and CFOs at the biggest companies in the world. Now I coach 100s of reps to use it—and they’re landing meetings that most sellers only dream about. Most reps never get to sell to the C-suite. Not because they don’t work hard. But because they reach out with transactional garbage that looks like every other email in the inbox. Executives don’t want another seller. They want a partner who understands their business. Here’s the cold email formula that works: 1. Warm and personal Lead with a sincere compliment. “I saw your podcast on ___…” “I read your Forbes interview and was moved by…” Show them you did your homework. Not some AI-generated flattery—real human admiration. 2. Shared values or struggle Make it human. “I related deeply when you talked about overcoming ___. I’ve faced something similar.” Vulnerability isn’t weakness—it’s how you earn trust. 3. Research-backed insight Cite a 10-K, public statement, or article. “Based on your Q1 earnings call, I noticed you're focused on X.” Link to the source. Build credibility. 4. A sharp POV + direct linkage Don’t say, “We help companies like yours.” Say, “You’re trying to achieve X. Companies on that journey often hit Y. Here’s how we solve it.” Make the connection crystal clear. 5. Soft CTA, strong conviction No desperate energy. Just: “If this is a priority, would it make sense to connect?” You’re not begging. You’re offering value. If you want my exact cold email template (and to see 13 real email examples me and my clients used to book C-suite meetings) grab them here: https://lnkd.in/g84w_utx

Cold call tip. Your intent shapes how you act. How you speak. How you sound. How you persist. If you’re attached to the outcome, you act in ways that feel pushy. You lean forward. You convince. You beg for time. If you’re detached from the outcome, you act in ways that feel inviting. You lean back. You approach people with humble curiosity. You poke the bear. You ask about a potential problem without steering them toward a desired answer. Like this: “Not sure if you’ve run into this, but I keep hearing that finding parking in Miami for an event feels like playing Mario Kart. You’re circling the block, dodging scooters, and hoping for a spot to open up. You either show up way too early or leave before the show’s over just to beat the chaos. How are you handling parking when you go to events in Miami?” Then you shut the front door and listen. You’re not assuming there’s a problem, so there’s no need to convince anyone. If there is a problem, you can assume the prospect has some awareness of the solution. Chances are, they’ve heard of it. “You’re probably familiar with SpotHero.” Then mute yourself. It’s not your job to fill people’s heads with information. It’s your job to draw it out. The shift? Leaning forward → Leaning back.

Want to book more meetings? Stop asking "got a minute?" and start talking industry trends. I've made 100,000s of cold calls in my career. The meetings I booked then (and still book today) all have one thing in common… …industry obsession. Most reps make the fatal mistake of leading with their product. They're focused on what they sell, not who they're selling to. The best cold callers are industry experts first, sellers second. Before picking up the phone, they 1) Know the specific challenges in that industry 2) Understand what that job title actually does daily 3) Can speak the language of the person they're calling When I call a VP of Talent at a SaaS company, I don't start with my pitch. I start with "I know you're probably trying to hire for these engineering roles. My guess is they're taking 90+ days to fill..." That's how you get "Yeah, exactly. How did you know?" Outbound isn't dead. Bad outbound is. The difference is that relevance beats volume every time.