Pittsburgh small business outreach · both paths open with the personal-connection icebreaker, then offer something free, no strings · working draft
Before You Dial
Check if the business has a live, working website before you call. No site (or a dead/broken one) → Path A. Has a real site already → Path B. This decides which free thing you're offering.
Know the business name before the call connects. That's all either path needs going in.
Best windows: a few minutes before the top or bottom of the hour — people are between meetings, not in them.
Goal of this call is ONE thing: get permission to send them something, plus a phone/email to send it to. That's it. The real sales conversation happens later, on the follow-up when you actually deliver it.
Expect roughly 1 real conversation per 8-10 dials. A "no" or voicemail is a normal rep, not a bad list.
Gatekeeper path Objection
Click a path to show its script. Toggle back and forth as needed.
Path A · Opener
No website — free site hook
"Hey, is this [Business Name]?"
— they answer —
"Okay yeah, this is Noah. You guys did a job for, like, a friend of my mom's — Julie Becker. I don't know if that rings a bell."
— they answer either way, doesn't matter which —
"Oh yeah — well, you know, it was a long time ago."
Keep this part short on purpose. It's a 10-second icebreaker, not the pitch. Don't linger here.
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The actual hook
"Well, she did mention you guys didn't have a website or anything like that, so I figured I'd just build you guys one. Do you want to check it out?"
This is the real, honest part of the call — no pretext needed here. You're offering something concrete and true, and it's a gift, not a pitch.
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Path A · If They Push on Details
"Julie who? What job was it?"
"Honestly, I could ask my mom, but she's working right now so I'm not totally sure. It was a while back."
Say it once, then move on to the site question immediately after. Don't keep defending it.
"Who is this again? What company?"
"I'm Noah — I do web and marketing work for small businesses around here. I'll send everything over from Off The Market Media once it's ready, so keep an eye out."
"Why would you build us a website for free?"
"Honestly, it's good work for me to show what I can do. No strings attached — if you like it, we can talk, and if not, it's still yours to keep."
"Not interested / skeptical"
"No worries at all. I noticed you guys didn't have one up, so I figured it was worth a shot. No harm in me sending it over once it's done, you can just take a look, zero obligation."
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Path A · Close
Get contact info, set expectation
"Perfect. What's the best number or email to send it to once it's done? Should have it ready in a couple days."
This call's only job is to land a phone/email and a "yes, send it." The mockup gets built after this call — do not promise a link on the spot.
Voicemail version
"Hey, this is Noah — I know this'll sound random, but you guys did work for a friend of my mom's a while back, and she mentioned you might not have a website up. I went ahead and put one together for you. Give me a call back if you want to see it, no pressure either way."
Path B · Opener
Has a website — free ad ideas hook
"Hey, is this [Business Name]?"
— they answer —
"Okay yeah, this is Noah. You guys did a job for, like, a friend of my mom's — Julie Becker. I don't know if that rings a bell."
— they answer either way, doesn't matter which —
"Oh yeah — well, you know, it was a long time ago."
Same icebreaker as Path A. Keep it short, don't linger, move straight into the hook.
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The actual hook
"Well, she mentioned you guys were looking to bring in some more customers, so I put a couple of ad ideas together for your business. Want to check them out?"
Positive framing only — you're adding something, not pointing out what's wrong with what they've already got. No mention of their existing site, socials, or reviews. Just "here's something I made for you."
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Path B · If They Push on Details
"Julie who? What job was it?"
"Honestly, I could ask my mom, but she's working right now so I'm not totally sure. It was a while back."
Say it once, then move straight back to the ad ideas. Don't keep defending it.
"Who is this again? What company?"
"I'm Noah — I do marketing work for small businesses around here. I'll send everything over from Off The Market Media once it's ready, so keep an eye out."
"What kind of ads? What do they look like?"
"Just a couple options, some with photos of your work, some more offer-focused. Nothing set in stone yet, wanted to run them by you first before finishing them up."
"Why would you put these together for free?"
"Honestly, it's good work for me to show what I can do. No strings attached — if you like the direction, we can talk, and if not, no big deal either way."
"Not interested / skeptical"
"No worries at all. I already put a little time into them, so no harm in sending them over once they're done, you can just take a look, zero obligation."
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Path B · Who Picks Up (if you get a gatekeeper first)
Gatekeeper answers
"Could you point me to whoever handles marketing or bringing in new customers? It's Noah — following up on some ad ideas I put together for them."
Use first name only, keep it specific. Sound like you already belong.
Owner/decision-maker answers
Continue straight into the opener above — most calls on this list will reach the owner or manager directly since it's a smaller business.
Gatekeeper says: "What's this in regards to?"
"Totally fair — I put together a couple ad ideas for the business and wanted to run them by whoever handles that. Only takes a couple minutes. Is that you, or someone else?"
Stay specific, not vague. Vague is what gets screened out.
Gatekeeper says: "They're not interested" / "We don't take sales calls"
"Understood — I'll be quick either way. Can I just get their name so I follow up the right way, or is there a better time to try?"
Goal here downgrades from "get the yes" to "get the name." A name and a callback window is still a win.
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Path B · Close
Get contact info, set expectation
"Perfect. What's the best number or email to send them to once they're finished up? Should have them ready in a couple days."
Same rule as Path A: land the contact info and a "yes, send it." Don't try to pitch the full offer on this call.
Voicemail version
"Hey, this is Noah — I know this'll sound random, but you guys did work for a friend of my mom's a while back, and she mentioned you were looking to bring in more customers. I put a couple ad ideas together for you. Give me a call back if you want to see them, no pressure either way."
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Once You Follow Up and They've Seen the Site or Ads
This is where the real conversation happens — after they've actually seen the free thing and are engaging with it. Open with a genuine discovery question:
"Curious, right now how are most of your new customers finding you? Referrals, ads, word of mouth?"
Whatever they say, acknowledge it in a line, then move into the full pitch below — that's where each answer gets addressed specifically instead of in a one-liner here.
Once They Say "Sure, Tell Me More" — The Pitch
What we actually do
This is the plain-language version. Four parts, and the whole point is they work together instead of as separate one-off tactics:
1. AI-powered ad targeting. Instead of guessing who to target, we let Meta and Instagram's AI find your actual buyers using billions of data points, then keep shifting the budget toward whoever's actually clicking, booking, and buying.
2. Content that builds trust. Before/afters, results, the stuff that proves you're legit, produced fast with AI tools so you're not stuck staring at a blank screen trying to think of what to post.
3. A lead filtering system. Before anyone reaches your phone, they've already been through a quick automated qualifying step, so you're not burning hours on window shoppers who were never going to buy.
4. A simple path from click to booked customer. One page, one message, one action, so people don't get lost or wander off before they reach you.
Most businesses already have a piece or two of this, running some ads, posting sometimes. What's usually missing is all four working together as one system instead of four disconnected things.
Make it specific to them
Circle back to how they answered the discovery question and go one level deeper:
Referrals only: "For you specifically, this would mean building a second channel that runs on its own, so you're not only growing when someone happens to remember to send a friend your way. It runs whether you're thinking about marketing that day or not."
Running some ads/social already: "For you, most of the win is in the targeting and the filtering. Right now you're probably reaching a lot of people who were never going to buy. We narrow that down so the leads that actually reach you are ready to have a real conversation."
Not much / struggling: "For you, it's really about building the whole thing from the ground up, the ads, the content, the follow-up, in the right order so you're not throwing money at something with no system behind it."
Why work with us specifically
Use if they ask "why you and not someone else" or if the call needs one more push toward booking:
"You'd be dealing directly with me, not an account manager, not a support ticket. I'm the one running the ads and building the creative, and I'm using AI to keep optimizing it, so the cost to get you a new lead goes down over time instead of just sitting flat or creeping up. We'd hop on a call every couple weeks so you always know what's working and what's changing."
Objection Handling (Reveal Call)
"Not interested"
"Totally get it — most people say that before they know what it actually is. Can I ask, when's the last time a new customer found you through your ads or social media, versus just word of mouth?"
"We already have someone / an agency"
"That's great, glad you're already investing in it. Quick question — are you getting the number of leads you'd expect for what you're paying them?"
"Just send me an email / some info"
"Happy to. So I send something actually worth your time instead of generic stuff — is the bigger issue not enough leads, or leads that don't turn into paying customers?"
"How much does this cost?"
"Depends on what we'd actually build for you. Most clients run right around $997 a month for management, plus their own ad spend, usually $700-900. But pricing only makes sense once I understand your situation, that's really what the call is for."
"We tried ads before, didn't work"
"That's really common, and it's almost never the platform, it's how the campaign was set up. Mind if I ask what you tried and what happened?"
"No budget right now"
"Understood. Out of curiosity, if the numbers worked, meaning it paid for itself in new customers, would budget still be the thing holding you back, or is it more about timing?"
Rule for all objections: acknowledge it in one sentence, then redirect with a question. Never argue the objection head-on.
Close (Reveal Call)
Interested / warmed up
"Sounds like there could be a fit. I've got time Thursday at 2 or Friday at 10, would either work for a quick 15-minute call to go over it?"
Give two specific times, not "when works for you." Specific beats open-ended.
Interested but won't commit live
"No pressure either way. Mind if I text you a link to grab whatever time actually works for you, no obligation?"
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Follow-Up Cadence
Same day (first call): text confirming you'll send the site/ads once ready.
Within a couple days: the actual reveal — send the site or ad concepts, and that's when the discovery question and reveal-call conversation above kicks in.
Day 2 after reveal: short message with a quick client result or proof point if they've gone quiet.
Day 5 after reveal: direct, low-pressure check-in. "Wanted to make sure my message got to you, happy to answer anything if you're still weighing it."
Day 10 after reveal: final touch, then graceful close. "Going to close this out for now, but reach out anytime if timing changes."