I personally, insert the Company name every time, cold call or not. I also answer every phone but my personal phone in the same manor ( well most of the time )

It may depend on the company you are calling and the authority that your company name has or implies.

I'll give you an example...I've talked to these guys a couple of times as I know a couple of the telemarketers from previous contacts.

I'll talk to telemarketers because I love listening to how their script develops over time.

Not always because because I am busy and generally others filter the calls.

Here in Oz there is a company called "Australian Taxation Reporter"

They always start with "This is Jane Doe" (NOTE first and last name) from

"Australian Taxation Reporter"

BEFORE you can talk....

They say "I'm calling you about the change in your company situation in relation to this new amendment that the Australian Tax Office has just released"

When you first get one of these calls you think the Tax Office or a company employed by them is calling you.

In this situation they command authority and you tend to listen.

NOW...here is the thing...

We get a lot of calls from telemarketers who say "I'm call you about your Optus Account" or "Telstra Account" - the two big players in the telephony industry in Australia .

These type of company name drops just don't work or after about 2 seconds of an Indian or Philipino accent you are gone.

IF you wan't to command respect you should state your company name.

Just don't say it super quick or like a non target market speaking individual, or if you are in a foreign language market say your company name clearly and with authority in your voice.

The other people that cut through my gatekeepers are LEGAL sounding names like Marshall, Allan and Associates....

....or THET Business Services Pty Ltd....corporate experts in. XXX XXX

Confidence and authority needs to be conveyed at all times to get to the decision maker.

Trust me...I ofetn listen to the pitches of marketers who manage to get through my wall of defences.

Usually the authoritative types with Legal or White Collar sounding names get through.

Go for that positioning

Hi. This is DABK. Is this a bad time to talk?
Hi. This is DABK with DABK Websites, Inc. Is this a bad time to talk?

Either way, the above connect you to bad moods, if present. You could do other things instead of Is this a bad time to talk? and the result would be the same.

What does it matter if the client thinks it's weird you only gave your name?

Hi. Is this a bad time to talk?
No.
I'm DABK with DABK Wesbsites, Inc. Blah, blah blah.
vs
I'm DABK, blah, blah, blah

You can tell them your company name. They know you're calling from/on behalf of some company. They know you're trying to sell them something or ask them for a donation.

They said it's not a bad time to talk with that knowledge in place.

Personal calls from strangers start differently:

Hi, This is Bob. Your brother says you have a pint of gin you're not going to drink...

Hi,