Copier reps have a legal detail most other industries do not. The FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule leaves most business-to-business calls alone, but a call to sell toner, paper or other nondurable office supplies is not exempt. A call to sell the copier itself is. A managed print contract usually bundles toner with service, so the cautious reading treats that call as covered. Decide before you dial which kind of call it is, because the rules differ. The rest of this page is the script, written for the copier and print-contract call.

The caller is made up. Lorraine Beck sells for Tallgrass Office Systems, a dealer that leases multifunction copiers and runs managed print contracts for offices of 15 to 150 people. She calls office managers and operations managers. Her goal on the first call is a 20-minute walk through the office to count devices.

What the FTC says is and is not exempt

Under 16 CFR 310.6(b)(7), calls between a telemarketer and a business to induce a purchase are exempt from most of the rule, with exceptions. The FTC's own guidance on the rule gives examples. Nondurable office and cleaning supplies are paper, pencils, solvents, copying machine toner and ink. Durable goods are items that can be used again, such as software, copiers and computers. A call to induce the retail sale of nondurable supplies must follow the rule, though the FTC says those sellers are excused from the Do Not Call Registry provisions and the recordkeeping rules. So the first part of a call selling toner, or a print contract that includes it, should follow the rule's disclosure requirements, including who you are and what you are selling (16 CFR 310.4(d)). Lorraine's opener below does that in its first two sentences. The rest of the legal picture, including calling hours and AI voices, is at the end of this page.

The script for a copier or a managed print contract

Hi, is this Pavel? Lorraine Beck at Tallgrass Office Systems. This is a sales call, so I'll be short. We lease copiers and run print service for offices around here. Quick question: how many printers and copiers are in your building, and who looks after them when one breaks?

Notice the question has two parts, and both are facts. Do not ask "are you happy with your copier?" The buyer's honest answer is "it works, I guess." Ask for a count and a name. Then ask one more, picked from this list depending on what he said:

  • If he has several machines of different brands: "Who orders the toner for each one? Is it one person or whoever notices it is out?"
  • If he has one big copier: "When does the lease end? And do you pay a flat fee or per page?"
  • If he outsources service: "When the machine is down, how long until someone shows up?"

Lorraine then makes her ask. The offer is a walk through the office, not a quote.

Pavel, here's what I'd suggest. Let me walk your floor for 20 minutes, count every device, and look at your last three months of toner and service invoices. I'll bring back a one-page summary of what you spend per device, per month. If we can beat it, I'll show you how. If we can't, you'll have a number to hold against your next renewal. Tuesday at 2 or Wednesday at 10?

A one-page summary of spend per device is the whole sales method. Offices rarely know what a page costs them. Lorraine tells them, and then the comparison happens in the buyer's head.

Four objections and answers

  1. "We just renewed our lease." "When does it end? I'll put a reminder to call you 120 days before. The walk-through costs you nothing, and it lets you check the contract you signed." Copier leases often have set end dates and renewal terms, so ask to see the paperwork.
  2. "Our IT person handles printers." "Good. Who is that? I'd like to talk to him about network setup. Would you introduce us, or should I call him directly?"
  3. "We barely print any more." "That's a good sign for the walk. If you print less, you may be paying for pages you do not use. I can check the meter on each machine."
  4. "I don't have time." "The walk is 20 minutes and you only need to open the door and point. I can come at 7:30 or after 4."

For the wider habits around opening a first call, see cold call opening lines.

Voicemail and the invoice email

Pavel, Lorraine Beck at Tallgrass Office Systems, 555-0172. I'm asking offices how many printers they run and what they spend on service and toner. I'll send a short email today. I'll try you again Wednesday.

Subject: Your printers, per device

Hi Pavel, thanks for the minute. You said seven devices, four brands, and that the lease on the big copier ends in the spring. If I can walk your floor for 20 minutes and see your last three months of service and toner invoices, I'll send back a one-page summary of what you pay per device. Tuesday at 2 or Wednesday at 10? Lorraine Beck, Tallgrass Office Systems, 31 Foundry Way, Omaha. Reply "stop" and I won't write again.

If the invoices come in, put the numbers in the summary in his own terms: cost per page, cost per device, and what he pays in total each month. A lease that is up in the spring tells you when to call him again. The same date-based thinking is in how to get clients for a print shop.

When to call an office manager

Mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Avoid Monday mornings, when the office manager is catching up, and Friday afternoons, when people leave early. If the lease end date is the thing you want, the best call is 4 to 6 months before it, which is why you log it. For other buyers, check best time to cold call.

The rest of the law

Calling hours under 16 CFR 310.4(c) are 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the called person's location. That text is written about calls to a person's residence, and the business exemption takes most business calls out of it, but the hours are the right limit to keep. The FTC's guidance also says calls that go to a business line to sell to an individual employee for personal use are not business calls. The ban on false or misleading statements about price, performance or terms applies to every call (16 CFR 310.3(a)(2) and (a)(4)), including a quote for cost per page. In February 2024 the Federal Communications Commission ruled that AI-generated voices are artificial under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, so any call that uses one needs consent in the cases the law covers, such as calls to mobile phones. Check your state's rules too. This is general information, not legal advice.

If this kind of calling takes your whole week, Rocketship's Launch plan and up has AI phone calls that say they are an AI assistant and can book the floor walk on the call, with a follow-up email from your own Gmail. Calling starts on Launch, and the pricing page compares it with the larger plans.