TL;DR
- Introduce the actual buyer and the real purpose of the call. Do not imply a relationship, offer or local track record you do not have.
- Use the script to listen, not to push every answer toward an appointment. Wrong person, not interested, call later and stop contact require different actions.
- Ask about the property before making claims about its value or the owner's situation. A database signal is not a fact about someone's motivation.
- These are invented wording examples for a separately reviewed contact process. They do not make a call, recording, automated message or follow-up text legally permitted.
A script cannot approve the contact
Before using any wording, resolve whether the actual contact process is appropriate and permitted for the recipient, location and technology. Manual live calls, automated or prerecorded voice, recording and SMS need separate consideration. Checking a script is not the same as checking the program.
Keep a usable stop-contact process and a way to correct wrong-party records. A new list upload should not erase what someone already told you.
SMS is not an automatic fallback when a voice call fails. Review any proposed follow-up method separately before using it.
Start with your identity and purpose
The examples below are invented practice wording, not Ross Paller's recorded words, a customer exchange or legal clearance. Replace placeholders only with facts you can support.
“Hi, I'm [your actual name]. I'm looking to buy a house in [the area you actually buy in]. I may have reached the wrong person. Are you the person I should speak with about [property]?”
Use only the limited property reference needed to establish the correct person. Do not disclose an alleged foreclosure, debt, inheritance or other private assumption to whoever answers.
If you reach the appropriate person:
“I'm calling to ask whether you would consider discussing a sale. Is this a reasonable time for a brief conversation?”
An invitation to talk is not a reason to say you already have an offer. If you have not evaluated the house, say so.
Ross's seller-conversation lesson begins with a simpler role: the person considering buying the house asks what they need to know. Keep that role truthful. Do not borrow his construction experience or tell a rehearsed success story as your own.
Let the answer change the call
| Actual answer | Illustrative response | What to record |
|---|---|---|
| “Wrong person” | “Sorry about that. I'll correct my record. Thank you.” | Wrong-party report and the record requiring correction; do not press for another person's number |
| “I'm not interested” | “Understood. Thank you for letting me know.” | The actual refusal; do not convert it into an appointment request |
| “Stop calling” | “Understood. I'll record your request and stop outreach.” | Retained stop request, not a later callback task |
| “Maybe, but not now” | “Would you like another conversation? If so, when and how would suit you?” | Only the timing and method actually agreed; no agreement means no invented follow-up commitment |
| “What would you pay?” | “I haven't evaluated the house yet. I'd need to understand its condition and check the numbers before discussing a supported price.” | What remains unknown and whether the owner wants to continue |
| “How did you get my information?” | “I used [the actual source]. I can explain what I have and correct it if it's wrong.” | The real source and any requested correction or stop; never invent a referral |
A polite sentence does not undo an inappropriate contact process. The branch table is for handling an answer honestly, not for finding a new route around it.
If the owner wants to talk, ask about the house
Start with a few questions you can use to make the next decision:
- Who occupies the property, and what would a sale need to account for?
- What work has been done, and what repairs remain?
- What timing does the owner want, if they decide to sell?
- What would they want to understand before considering a visit?
Listen to the answer rather than reading all four regardless of context. An owner describing a repair gives you a topic to investigate, not a basis to diagnose the entire house by phone.
The property-screening guide develops the buying analysis. Keep those checks separate from a script's ability to get a conversation started. Do not promise cash, a closing date, a cleanout or an as-is purchase unless you can actually deliver the specific commitment.
Agree on one next step
Invented appointment wording:
“If you would like to continue, the next step could be a visit so I can see the house and understand the work. Would you like to discuss a time? I still need to evaluate the property before I can make a supported offer.”
If the owner requests a callback instead, repeat the agreed date and method. If they do not want to continue, end the conversation. Avoid fake deadlines, a claim that you are the only buyer or a promise of a price you have not assessed.
Save the property, actual answer, unresolved facts, contact boundary and next action in the same note. Distinguish “asked to call Friday” from “I tried Friday and did not reach them.” An attempt is not a new agreement.
Keep the script in its proper role
Cold calling means initiating contact and supporting the work afterward. Ross's channel comparison explains why he chooses a different workload: inviting owners to respond to mail. Neither method makes every conversation a buying opportunity.
If mail better fits your operation, start with your first neighborhood analysis free. Mailing is paid. Whichever channel you choose, a useful conversation ends with an accurate record and a next step that respects the answer.
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