Question: What’s the fastest way to fail at cold calling?
Answer: The fastest way to fail at cold calling is to sound like every other salesperson out there.
You know the deal. Cookie-cutter messaging. Robotic scripts. Same tired opening lines “Hi I’m Larry, I’m reaching out because…” Blah. Blah. Blah.
This one-size-fits-all approach hardly even worked in the early 2000’s — but now that it’s 2025 we seriously have to shape up or ship out. We have to EVOLVE. The market demands that we evolve.
So how exactly do we level-up? Well start with a GTM strategy that promises something different. Something better. In other words, you have to differentiate or die.
Dramatic, right? Well what’s more dramatic is failing to differentiate yourself from the competition and having deals slip through your fingers left and right. It’s really life or death for the survival of your business.
Don’t worry, today I’m sharing with you 6 winning strategies and 4 winning tactics on exactly how to be different and stand out in a crowded market.
So here’s how to show up different, make moves, and start closing deal after deal.
Sales Tip: The new currency is authentic connection. Folks are hungry for it… even in the B2B world. No, especially in the B2B world!
6 Winning Strategies
Are you a startup founder, CEO, or sales leader? If so, here’s how to differentiate your brand and offer.
1. Niche Way Down
You can’t be everything to everyone. Instead, master one offering to one specific audience. Don’t say, “We’re a digital marketing company that helps businesses grow online.” Instead, say: “We help B2B SaaS startups land Fortune 500 clients with our proprietary 90-day email and content strategy.” The riches are in the niches! Of course, this doesn’t apply to every brand, but 95% of companies would benefit by niching down to some degree.
2. Create a Proprietary System
I mentioned this above, and you need a system that’s unique to your company. People don’t buy into service offerings — rather, they buy into proven and repeatable systems. So take what you do and systematize it. Identify your unique process. Break it into clear steps. Name it. Brand it. And sell it. This is now your flagship or signature offering.
3. Tell Better Stories
Here I’m talking about better content, better videos, better website copy. Aim for authentic connection as your north star. And remember to put your customer at the center of the story — they are the hero in the story, not you. You’re the guide! And always sell transformation in your stories — not features or benefits. Show the prospect how you can help them storm their castle, slay their dragons, rescue the princess, and live happily ever after (of course, in the business sense!).
RELATED: Sell More With Stories
Differentiate Your Cold Outreach
OK — you’re differentiating in your GTM positioning. Great! Now here’s how to differentiate yourself when cold calling prospects.
4. Don’t Flatter. Provide Real Value.
Most salespeople resort to flattery and groveling on first contact. “Hi, I know you must be really busy… it’s a pleasure talking to you… I love what you’re doing at X company… can you please give me just 30 seconds…” You have to lose that from your lexicon. Instead, display authority and confidence, and inject real value. Speak about the latest industry news and trends that you’re seeing… and give your expert advice about your observations. This will ring differently in their ears! They only ever hear from obsequious and submissive salespeople; they rarely (if ever) hear from trusted advisors. Do this and you’ll win BIG.
5. Communicate with Tonality
Again, most B2B reps — from SDRs to closers — speak in a monotone, scripted way. They lack the ability to command attention and keep that attention. So start working on your tone and you’ll be sure to stand out. Pay attention to the rhythm of your speech, and how passionate you sound about what you do. Just as easily as you can lose a sale with poor tonality, you can win a sale with great tonality. In fact, the old adage “sell ice to an eskimo” is 100% because of tonality.
RELATED: Tonality in Sales – How to Get C-Level Prospects to Listen
6. Build Your Personal Brand
Ask yourself, “What makes ME different?” and “What’s MY competitive advantage?” Then start building your own personal brand around this. Having a strong personal brand helps to build trust and encourages folks to actually engage with you. Talk about differentiation! The YouTuber Trent Dressel does a fantastic job at this.
4 Winning Tactics to Execute On
Custom video messages – Don’t just cold call and cold email. Send customized video messages to select prospects. The more you can personalize, the better. Very few salespeople take a tailored approach like this.
Insight-based opening lines – Don’t bury the lead! Offer insight and value right away to keep from hearing that dreaded dial-tone. For instance, try something like “I see that you’re scaling aggressively, but it looks like your website messaging isn’t keeping up with the pace. Are you noticing an increase in conversion rates as you grow, or is it flatlined?” Get right into the good stuff.
Social proof case studies – Hardly anybody out there is showing their work, and it’s costing them. Say, “Here’s what we did for a company just like yours…” And if you can do it in a visually engaging way, you’re almost guaranteed to crush your competition. Take it one step further and drop a couple pro tips somewhere in the case study — provide real value for free — and when it’s time to buy, that prospect is coming to YOU.
ROI-heavy messaging – What’s the return on investment? What’s the transformation that you promise? Now promise it! Remember, the prospect’s internal dialogue goes something like this: “How can this make me more money, make me feel more validated, get me more ladies, or help improve my standing in society?” Connect your offer to those animalistic desires and you WIN. The sad truth is that 99% of salespeople never learned to “sell the sizzle.”
Take it to the Bank!
It’s not hard to differentiate and stand out. In fact, it’s simple. It just takes a few hours of sitting down and thinking intentionally about what makes YOU and your offer unique, then packaging that uniqueness. And finally, executing on a strategy to communicate that uniqueness across digital platforms and physical settings. OK – I said it’s simple, not easy. It will take some thought and action on your part. But trust me, the juice is worth the squeeze.
Of course, the path of least resistance will beckon. You just have to snap out of that and refuse to accept mediocrity as your reality. Because mediocrity won’t cut it in the B2B sales landscape today. You have to be different. You have to be unabashedly unique and brimming with value, authenticity, and the promise of a better future.
It’s OK, you’ve got this. If you made it this far, you’re primed and ready for the journey and the riches to follow.
Until next time…
Johnny-Lee Reinoso