Practice English for sales calls and pitches

Selling in a second language is high-stakes talking: opening a cold call, pitching value, handling objections, and closing — all while sounding confident and natural. Hesitation costs deals, and you cannot rehearse it by reading a script.

Airi plays the prospect so you can practice the whole call. Ask her to be curious, busy, or skeptical, and rehearse your opener, your value pitch, and the objections you dread — "it's too expensive", "send me an email", "we already have a supplier". By the real call, your answers are ready and your English is smooth.

A quick example with Airi

I'm a busy prospect. You've got 20 seconds — why should I care?

Hello sir, our product can help you saving time and money.

Small fix: "our product can help you save time and money." Okay, how much time?

Around 10 hours per week for your team.

Now that's interesting. But honestly, it sounds expensive.

Try a conversation like this, free600 free credits, about 8 minutes of speaking. No card.

What to say at each stage of a sales call in English

Most sales calls, cold or scheduled, pass through the same five stages.

Stage	Its job	A line to say
Opener	Give your name and your reason	Hi Sarah, this is Omar Haddad from Northwind. The reason I'm calling is that we help small businesses get paid faster.
Discovery	Get the prospect talking	What's the hardest part of getting paid on time?
Pitch	Link one feature to their problem	You mentioned late payments. Our software sends reminders automatically, which means you get paid sooner.
Objection	Find the real concern	That's fair. When you say it's expensive, what are you comparing it to?
Next step	Set a day and a time	Would it make sense to set up a 20-minute demo? How about Thursday at ten?

Lead with your reason. When the sales-software company Gong analyzed 90,380 recorded cold calls, it reported that callers who stated the reason for the call were 2.1 times as successful at booking a meeting, and that "Did I catch you at a bad time?" did worse than average. In Gong's later, larger study, that question was again the weakest opener tested.

Discovery questions for a sales call, in SPIN order

Neil Rackham's book SPIN Selling (McGraw-Hill, 1988) sorts the questions a seller asks into four types: Situation, Problem, Implication and Need-payoff. Keep Situation questions to the few you could not answer from the prospect's website.

Question type	What you find out	Example
Situation	How they work now	How do you send invoices at the moment?
Problem	What is not working	How often do customers pay late?
Implication	What the problem costs them	What happens to your cash flow when a big invoice is a month late?
Need-payoff	What fixing it is worth	If most customers paid within a week, what would that change for you?

Prefer "what" and "how" to "why". "Why do you do it by hand?" can sound like criticism; "What made you decide to do it by hand?" asks the same thing without the blame.

What prospects say on a sales call, and what it means

Prospects often avoid a flat "no". Miss the meaning of a soft phrase and you answer the wrong objection.

The prospect says	It means	A good reply
That's a bit steep.	The price is too high.	I understand. What figure did you have in mind?
We're all set, thanks.	We don't need anything. Common in American English.	Glad to hear it. Out of curiosity, what are you using now?
Can you just send me some information?	Often a polite way to end the call.	Sure. Just so I send the right thing, what would you most like to see?
I'll have to run it by my boss.	They can't decide alone.	Of course. What will your boss want to know?
Let's circle back next quarter.	Come back to this later. It can be a polite no.	Happy to. Can we put a date on the calendar now?
I think we'll pass.	No.	No problem. Would it be okay if I checked in again next year?

Each reply accepts the concern, then asks a question. If you are not sure what the prospect meant, say it back: "So the main concern is the price. Is that right?"

Sales pitch phrases: from feature to price to next step

Turn a feature into a benefit with "which means" or "so". "It works on your phone, so you can send an invoice before you leave the client's office."
Say the price in one sentence, then stop. "It's 29 dollars a month for up to five users." Let the prospect speak first, even if the silence feels long.
Offer two times instead of asking "when". "Does Tuesday morning work, or is Thursday better?"
Follow up without pressure. "I'm following up on the quote I sent on Monday. Have you had a chance to look at it?"

Five sales English slips, and what to say instead

Instead of	Say	Why
Am I speaking with Ms. Sarah?	Am I speaking with Sarah Collins?	A title such as "Ms." goes with the family name ("Ms. Collins"), not the first name. On business calls in the US and UK, people usually go by first names.
Our price is very cheap.	Our prices are very competitive.	A price is "low" or "competitive", not "cheap". A product can be "cheap", but the word can also suggest poor quality.
I will explain you how it works.	Let me walk you through how it works.	You explain something to someone. "Walk you through" means step by step.
I'll send you an offer tomorrow.	I'll send you a quote tomorrow.	The price you put in writing for one customer is a "quote" or a "proposal". An "offer" usually suggests a special deal, or the price a buyer proposes.
Do you understand?	Does that make sense so far?	The first can sound as if you doubt the listener.

An eight-minute sales call rehearsal with Airi

The free credits last about eight minutes of speaking, enough for one short call. Spend them like this:

Set the scene: "Be the owner of a small design studio. I'm cold-calling you about invoicing software. You're busy and skeptical. Answer the phone first."
Give your opener, then ask: "In one sentence, why am I calling?" If her answer is not what you meant, shorten the opener.
Ask one question of each SPIN type before you mention your product.
Say: "Now give me three objections, one at a time, in the indirect way a real prospect would."
State your price and ask for a day and a time.
Whenever she shows a small fix, say the corrected sentence out loud once.

How to get the most from it

Rehearse the opener

The first 20 seconds decide the call. Practice a hook that earns attention.

Drill objections

Have calm, clear responses to price, timing and competitor objections ready out loud.

Practice the close

Asking for the next step clearly is a skill. Rehearse it until it's natural.

Start speaking today

Your first 600 credits are free — no credit card. Sign in and have your first conversation with Airi.

Start free with Google

Frequently asked questions

Can Airi play a tough prospect?

Yes. Ask her to be skeptical, busy, or price-sensitive and she'll push back so you can practice handling it.

Can I practice my real pitch?

Absolutely. Describe your product and deliver your pitch out loud; Airi reacts as a prospect would.

Voice or text?

Both, but voice is best for calls: you practice sounding confident, not just choosing the words.

How do I start a sales call in English?

Say the prospect's name, then your full name and company, then the reason for your call in one sentence: "Hi Sarah, this is Omar Haddad from Northwind. The reason I'm calling is that we help small businesses get paid faster." Then ask a question. Don't open with an apology for calling.

What do I say when a prospect says "It's too expensive"?

Accept the concern and ask a question before you defend the price: "That's fair. Can I ask what you're comparing it to?" The answer tells you whether the problem is the budget, a competitor's price, or doubt about the value.

Is it free to try?

Yes. You get 600 free credits when you sign up with Google, about eight minutes of speaking, which is enough for one short sales call role-play. After that there are one-off credit packs from USD 5, with no subscription.

Last updated: 2026-10-03