On a business financing cold call, never quote a rate, never promise an approval, and never ask for a bank statement. Your only job on the first call is to find a purchase that needs funding and book a 15-minute call to look at it. The script below is built on that rule. It is for a broker who arranges equipment financing and working capital for owners who are buying or about to buy something.

The caller is made up. Marisol Quintero runs Keystone Equipment Finance, a two-person brokerage that places equipment loans and leases with lenders for contractors, restaurants and light manufacturers. She calls owners and operations managers. The names and numbers are invented, and the script keeps each step short because owners hang up on long ones.

Three things never to say on the phone

First, no rates. Rates depend on credit, time in business, the equipment and the lender, and any number you quote on a first call is a promise you may not keep. Second, no "guaranteed approval." Nothing is guaranteed before an application, and the Federal Trade Commission rule that covers most telemarketing bans false or misleading statements about what you sell (16 CFR 310.3(a)(2) and (a)(4)). Third, no request for account numbers, tax IDs or bank statements on a cold call. Marisol asks for those only after the owner has agreed to a call and wants to apply, through a secure form.

The trigger: a purchase on the horizon

Equipment financing follows purchases. She watches for a restaurant announcing a second location, a contractor that has added a new type of work, a manufacturer posting for a machine operator, or a shop whose website shows a new piece of equipment. Public information, one fact. If you have no trigger, the opener works as a survey.

The script

Hi, is this Colm? Marisol Quintero at Keystone Equipment Finance. I'm a broker, so this is a sales call, and I'll keep it under a minute. I saw you added a second oven line on your website. Are you buying that outright, or financing it?

The question has two possible answers and either one is fine. "Buying outright" gives her a second question: "Is that coming out of cash you'd rather keep for payroll?" "Financing it" gives her: "Who are you financing through, the dealer, your bank, or somewhere else?" Then she listens. Then the reason for the call, in one sentence:

The reason I'm calling is that I work with about a dozen lenders, so when a bank says no or the dealer's offer is high, I can often find another option. I don't know yet whether I can beat what you have. The way to find out is a 15-minute call where you tell me what you're buying and I tell you what the options look like.

Then the ask:

Could we do Wednesday at 9 or Thursday at 4? I'll send you a link. Before then, nothing for you to prepare. On the call, I'll just ask what the equipment is, the price, and how long you've been in business.

Note what the ask promises and what it does not. It promises options, not approval. It asks for three facts, not documents. It names the time. Owners often agree to this because it feels like an information call and not a loan application, and that is what it is.

Objections and what to say

  • "My bank handles it." "Good. Do they give you a decision fast on equipment, and are they offering a term that matches how long the equipment lasts? I'm not asking you to leave them. A second quote on a purchase this size is cheap insurance."
  • "We don't want debt." "That's a sound instinct. A lot of owners feel that way until the equipment is making money. We can look at paying part in cash and financing part."
  • "What's your rate?" "It depends on your credit, time in business, and the equipment. I would be guessing on a first call, and I do not want to give you a number I cannot stand behind. The 15 minutes gets you a real range."
  • "Are you going to pull my credit?" "Not on this call and not without your written okay. If you want to apply, I'll tell you which lenders pull and which do a soft check first." Only promise what you know about each lender.

For the 15-minute call that follows, discovery call questions has a list to borrow from, and how to start a cold sales call covers the first sentence.

Voicemail and the follow-up email

Colm, Marisol Quintero at Keystone Equipment Finance, 555-0191. I saw the new oven line on your site and wanted to ask how you're paying for it. I'll send you a note today. I'll try you again Wednesday morning.

Subject: The oven line at Hartley's Bakery

Hi Colm, I called about the new oven line. I arrange equipment financing through about a dozen lenders and can often find a second option when a dealer's offer is high. I'm not quoting anything yet. Can we take 15 minutes Wednesday at 9 or Thursday at 4 to talk through the purchase? Marisol Quintero, Keystone Equipment Finance, 17 Harbor St, Tampa. Reply "stop" and I won't write again.

Keep the email to what you said on the call, with no attachment and no rate table.

When to call an owner

Owners run their businesses early and close them late. Marisol calls restaurant owners between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m., after lunch service, and contractors after 3:30 p.m. For an office or shop owner, mid-morning works. When the trigger is a recent purchase announcement, call within a week, since financing is chosen before the equipment arrives. See also best time to cold call.

The law, including a financing wrinkle

Under 16 CFR 310.6(b)(7), the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule exempts most calls from a telemarketer to a business, but the exceptions include the rules against misrepresentation (16 CFR 310.3(a)(2) and (a)(4)) and the rules for calls selling nondurable office or cleaning supplies. The calling window in 16 CFR 310.4(c) is 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the called person's location; it is written for calls to a residence but is the limit to keep for any sales call. A sole proprietor's mobile number can be a personal number, and in February 2024 the Federal Communications Commission ruled that AI-generated voices count as artificial voices under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, so an AI-voice call to a mobile phone needs consent in the cases that law covers. Financing adds a layer: according to Venable's March 2026 overview of state commercial financing disclosure laws, ten states, including California, New York, Florida and Texas, require some form of disclosure on commercial financing, and the details differ by state and by who the broker is. Look up the state of each borrower. This is general information, not legal advice.

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