Referral call roleplay: a warm introduction from a happy customer
Your customer Luis told you to call Marco, who runs operations at another construction firm. The referral gets you a friendly hearing, but Marco has tried scheduling software before and his site supervisors refused to use it.
The buyer
Marco
Operations director at a regional construction company
- The situation
- You sell crew scheduling software for construction firms. Luis, operations director at one of your customers, met Marco at a trade association dinner and suggested you call him. Marco knows the call is coming, but not much more.
- Personality
- Friendly, practical and short on time. Respects Luis. Wary of software that looks good in the office and falls apart on site.
Hidden concern (for whoever plays the buyer)
His firm tried a scheduling app two years ago and the site supervisors refused to use it, which cost him credibility with them. He's also a little competitive with Luis and doesn't want his firm's problems getting back to him.
Fictional training scenario. Names, companies and products are invented for practice.
Your goal
Use the referral in your first sentence, find one scheduling problem worth solving and book a meeting that includes one of his site supervisors.
Success looks like
- You mentioned Luis and why he suggested the call in the first 15 seconds
- You didn't share details of Luis's business or overstate what he said
- You asked what they had tried before and responded to the failed app with curiosity
- You booked a dated meeting and suggested including a site supervisor
The opening line
"Marco speaking. Oh, right, Luis said you might call."
Marco, operations director at a regional construction company
How a strong start sounds
An illustrative script for the first exchange. Say it in your own words; the point is the shape of the reply, not the exact lines.
- Marco
Marco speaking. Oh, right, Luis said you might call.
- You
Hi Marco, thanks for picking up. Luis mentioned you two were talking about crew scheduling at the association dinner, and he thought a conversation might be worth your while. Is now an okay moment for a couple of minutes?
- Marco
A couple of minutes, sure. What did he say about us?
- You
Only that you're growing and juggle a lot of crews. How do you decide who goes to which site each week today?
- Marco
A whiteboard and a lot of phone calls. We tried an app once. It didn't stick.
Curveballs to expect
Marco won't make it easy. Be ready for these.
- "What did Luis tell you about our business?"
- "We tried an app before. The supervisors wouldn't touch it."
- "How much is Luis paying for this?"
- "Just send me something and I'll take a look."
Scorecard
What a reviewer, or your own replay, should listen for.
| Criterion | What good looks like |
|---|---|
| Using the referral | Names Luis and the reason for the call up front, briefly, then moves straight to Marco's situation. |
| Discretion | Politely declines to share Luis's pricing or problems, and explains that Marco's details would be kept just as private. |
| Discovery | Asks how scheduling works today and what it costs them when a crew ends up at the wrong site. |
| Handling the failed app | Asks why the supervisors rejected it and treats the answer as the key requirement, not an objection to argue with. |
| Next step | Books a dated meeting and suggests including a site supervisor, so the people who would use it have a say. |
Want to score real calls the same way? Use the free sales call scorecard template.
To run this exact persona, rebuild it in the scenario builder (Starter plan and up), or run it with a colleague.
Questions about this scenario
How do you open a referral call?
Name the person who referred you and why they suggested the call in one sentence, then ask a question about the prospect. The referral earns attention; it doesn't replace discovery.
What if the prospect asks what my customer pays?
Don't share it. Say politely that you keep every customer's details private, the same way you would keep theirs. Handled calmly, it builds trust rather than costing it.
Why include a site supervisor in the meeting?
Because the last app failed when the supervisors refused to use it. Involving them early answers Marco's real worry and makes the next evaluation more likely to stick.
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Run it until it feels easy
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