A cold-call script for web designers, with the objections and a voicemail

By 67Leads Team · Published 7 Nov 2026 · Updated 7 Nov 2026 (US Central) · 7 min read

A cold-call script for web designers works when it opens with one true fact about the business, usually its rating and review count, then names the gap (no website on the listing, so people who find them can only call) and asks one easy question; it should be short enough to deliver in 20 seconds and offer a free homepage mockup rather than a price. As of 7 Nov 2026, 67Leads lists 27,378 US local businesses with no website, 6,138 of them with 20 or more reviews to open with.

What the script has to do in the first 20 seconds

An owner who picks up an unknown number is deciding, within a few seconds, whether you are a robot, a scam or a person worth hearing. You get past that by being specific and local. "I build websites for tree services around Columbus" is specific. "I help businesses grow online" is what every robocall says.

The opener has three jobs:

1. Say who you are and why you are calling them, not everyone. Their name, their trade, their town.
2. Show you looked. Their rating and review count are public, flattering and true. Read them back.
3. Ask a question they can answer without committing. "Do most of your jobs come from referrals, or do people find you online?" gets them talking about their business, which is the only thing they want to talk about.

Do not mention price, packages or design in the opener. You are not selling a website yet. You are earning the next two minutes.

The opener, word for word

Fill each bracket from the business's own listing before you dial.

• "Hi, is this the owner of [business name]? My name's [your name], I build websites for [trade] companies around [town]. I'll be quick."
• "I was looking at [trade] listings in [town], and you've got [rating] stars from [review count] reviews on Google, but there's no website on the listing. So when someone finds you and wants to see your work or check you cover their street, the phone number is the only place to go, and some of them call the next company that has a site."
• "Do most of your jobs come from referrals, or do people find you online?"

Then stop talking. Whatever they say, you have a path. Referrals: "That makes sense. When someone gets your name from a neighbour, what do they see when they look you up?" Online: "Then a page that shows your reviews and your service area is the shortest path from that search to a call."

Every page on our no-website finder for a trade and city prints this script with a real business's details already filled in, so you can see it read naturally before you make your first call.

Objection one: "I don't need a website, I'm busy already"

This is the most common answer and often the true one. Do not argue with it. Agree, then change what the site is for.

"That's fair, and it's a good problem to have. The site isn't about more calls. It's so the people who look you up after a referral see your reviews, your photos and that you cover [town], instead of a bare listing. If you're turning work away, it can also say which jobs you take, so the calls you do get are the right ones. Would a one-page mockup with your name and your own reviews on it be worth a look? There's no charge for that."

The reframe works because a busy owner's real problem is often the wrong calls: tiny jobs, out-of-area jobs, tyre-kickers. A page that says what they do and where is a filter, not a megaphone.

Objection two: "How much?"

Give a real number or a real range. Dodging the question sounds like a sales trick. Then move straight back to the mockup.

"A one-page site with your services, photos, reviews and a tap-to-call button is [your price], live in [your turnaround]. Hosting is [your monthly price, or included]. I'd rather show you the mockup first, so you're judging something real and not just a number. Can I text it to this number, or is email better?"

If you do not know your price yet, our guide to pricing your first local business website walks through it. Have the number decided before you make call one.

Objection three: "Just send me some info"

This is usually a polite way to end the call. Treat it as a yes to something smaller and concrete.

"Happy to. Rather than a brochure, I'll send a mockup of your homepage so you can see exactly what it would look like. What's the best email or number for it? And so I'm not chasing you, is [day] or [day] better for a two-minute follow-up?"

Now you have permission to send something, a channel, and a date. Put the date in your sheet and keep it.

The voicemail

Most calls go to voicemail. Keep it under 25 seconds, say your number twice, and give one reason to call back.

"Hi, this is [your name], calling for the owner of [business name]. I build websites for [trade] companies in [town]. I saw your [rating] stars from [review count] reviews on Google, and no website on the listing, so I'd like to make you a free mockup of a homepage, no strings. My number is [your number], that's [your number]. Thanks."

Leave one voicemail, not five. Call again on a different day and time of day; owners in the trades are often on a job in the morning and easier to reach late afternoon.

The follow-up text, and when you may send it

Send a text only when the owner said yes to one on the call, and send it by hand from your own phone.

"Hi, it's [your name]. We spoke about a website for [business name]. Here's the homepage mockup I mentioned: [link]. It uses your own reviews and phone number, and I'm happy to change anything. Reply STOP and I won't text again."

This is not a formality. Many small-business numbers are the owner's mobile, and under the TCPA a marketing text or an autodialled or prerecorded call to a mobile needs prior express consent, with damages of $500 to $1,500 per message (47 USC 227, 47 CFR 64.1200). A person dialling by hand and talking is a different situation from a texting blast. Most business-to-business calls are also exempt from the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule, but not all of it (FTC). Some states add their own rules; check yours.

Who to call with this script

The script leans on reviews, so call the businesses that have them. In 67Leads data, 2,069 businesses have no website, 4.5 stars or more and 50 or more reviews, and 6,138 have no website and 20 or more reviews. 27,050 of the no-website businesses have a local number rather than a toll-free one, which usually rings at the shop or on the owner's own phone.

Work one trade in one town at a time. Our guide on finding web design clients who have no website covers how to build and check that list, and the web designers page opens the same filters as searches.

How to practise before the first real call

• Read the script aloud five times, then put it away and say it in your own words. Owners hang up on reading.
• Make your first ten calls to the businesses you care least about. You will stumble; better there.
• Track every call: picked up, conversation, mockup agreed, sold. After 50 calls your own numbers will tell you more than any average.
• Stand up and smile. It sounds silly and it changes your voice.

Questions

Is cold calling still worth it for web designers?

For businesses with no website it is often the only channel, because there is no email to find. A specific, local, polite call stands out precisely because so few people make them.

How long should a cold call for web design be?

The opener takes 20 seconds. A good first call is two to five minutes and ends with one next step: a mockup sent, a follow-up date, or a no.

What do I do if they say no?

Thank them, ask whether you may check back in six months, and mark the date. Some will say yes. Never argue a second time on the same call.

Ready to start? Open the no-website finder, type your trade and town, and the script is printed beside the list with the details filled in.

No card. Search is free with contacts masked.

Sources

1. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/47/227
2. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/64.1200
3. https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/complying-telemarketing-sales-rule