Tag: Cold Calling Scripts

[This is an excerpt from my completely revised and updated for 2014 eBook, “The Complete Book of Phone Scripts.”]

Because you only have a few precious seconds to make a connection and establish interest, you’d better have a good opening prepared in advance. Besides being very busy, your prospects get a lot of sales calls every week, and many of them from your direct competition. So why would they want to talk to you? What can you do to separate yourself from all the other calls they get?

The answer is that you have to establish a real connection with your prospect and stop sounding like all the other sales reps who call them!

The Wrong Way to Open Your Call:

“Oh hi Mr. __________, this is _______ _______ with the MLT Group. __________, we are an industry supply manufacturer and we help companies streamline their production process. We work with many companies in your field and save them between 10 to 15% on the cost of their storage and delivery process. What I’d like to do is ask you some questions to see how our process may save you that kind of money as well. Where are you currently getting your…”

Do you see how this opening makes NO connection with the prospect? Do you see how it just starts pitching at the prospect and doesn’t acknowledge that the prospect might be busy, or not interested? Do you see how there is no rapport built here and how it’s a one sided conversation?

How do you feel when someone barges in on your day and starts in with a pitch like this? You’re probably thinking what most prospects are thinking: “How do I get this sales rep off the phone?!”

Now let’s look at the right way to open your call. Your goal in the first few seconds is to make a connection and get them to interact. You have to acknowledge that they may be busy or that you respect their time and you have to establish some rapport and separate yourself from all the other sales reps calling them.

The Right Way to Open Your Call:

Opening example: Acknowledge that you know your prospect gets a lot of calls — this will immediately help you establish a connection because you will be saying exactly what they’re thinking and feeling. Use:

“Hi ________ this is _______ _______ with (your company), how is your Tuesday going?

Great. _______, I know you probably get a ton of calls so I’ll make this brief.”

Now go into a one to two sentence explanation of why you’re calling and what it means to them. Quickly state your value proposition and ask a qualifying question:

“________ we provide/service/work with (companies like yours) helping them service/provide/process/do better at _________. Let me ask you a quick question…”

Ask a specific qualifying question tied with a value statement here. Something like:

“If I could show you a way to increase the number of leads you’re getting right now and show you how you can easily afford to do so, would you be willing to invest 5 minutes to find out how?”

Now it’s important to listen to not only what they say here, but to how they say it. Most of the time you’ll be able to tell if you have an interested prospect or not, and after you read a bit more of this section on cold calling, you’ll know exactly what to do with both kinds of prospects…

There are a ton of other word for word opening scripts, initial resistance scripts, qualifying scripts, closing scripts, etc., in my completely updated and revised for 2014 eBook, “The Complete Book of Phone Scripts.”

Learn More About it Here.

What kind of a commitment do you get from your prospect at the end of your prospecting call?  If you’re like most sales reps, the answer is, ah, none.  Or, it’s an undefined, “Well, I’ll follow up with you next week…”

If this sounds familiar – or if you’re a manager and it sounds like your whole team! – then you’re not alone.  You see, many sales reps haven’t been taught how to properly qualify prospects and they especially haven’t been taught how to ask for and get a commitment at the end of the first call.  Most sales reps are just happy they were allowed to “get information out” to someone and don’t feel they want to push it or ruin it by asking for and getting clarity and commitment about what’s going to happen before the next call.

And that’s where Top 20% producers differ.  You see, a top closer knows that any prospect who isn’t willing to make a commitment of either time, or of taking a specific action or agreeing to some other part of a sales process (sitting through a demo, etc.) means that they are dealing with shaky prospect.  And think about it: if a prospect isn’t willing to commit to something now, what do you think your chances are of getting them to sit through a pitch and actually take action with you later?

So here are five kinds of commitments you can ask for (along with scripting) that will help you further qualify your prospect and get the kind of cooperation and buy in in the beginning of the sales process:

1)      A commitment of time for the next call.  Crucially important as we all know how busy people are and how prospects can literally disappear never to be heard from again.  I always end my call with:

“Because you’re probably as busy as I am, it’s best if we get on a calendar to make sure we can discuss this next week.  I’ve got my calendar open in front of me, are you looking at yours?”

Then simply set a firm date and time to get back with them.  Always send an email follow up confirming the time and asking them to email you if they have to change the appointment.

2)      A commitment of what they are going to do before the next call.  Give yourself some options here.  Can you get your prospect to look at a particular part of your proposal?  Is there a section on your website they can commit to reading?  Can they commit to running this by their boss or marketing department before your next call?  Think about your selling situation and come up with the most appropriate commitment of action and then say:

“OK, so let me make sure I have this right.  Before our call next Tuesday you’ll have been able to spend some time with your marketing manager and get his buy in before our demo next week, right?”

3)      A commitment of what you’re going to do (always make sure you get one of the two commitments above as well).  Think about your product or service and your prospect’s particular situation.  Perhaps you can check on the adaptability of your products or on the licensing or fit within their department.  I’m sure you can come up with something.  Try:

“OK ________, here’s what I’ll do in the meantime.  I’ll contact our delivery department and make sure we can ship to all of your locations for delivery at the same time.  This will make installation easy as we can walk all your managers through this at the same time.  That will help a lot, won’t it?”

4)      A commitment of what the next step is if they like it (again, make sure you get one of the first two commitments above as well).  This is so important on two counts: 1) By agreeing in advance what the next step is if they like it, you are actually trial closing on the first call.  Your prospect’s reaction here will be important – if they won’t commit at all, that’s a red flag.  You can choose to either keep qualifying or get an idea of what kind of objections you’re going to get when you do call back.  And 2) If they tell you what the next step is, you can prepare for that and for the closes you’ll need to use once you get back to them.

This is an important step.  Use this scripting here:

“_________, it sounds like this will be a great fit for you. Let me ask you, after you get through the demo, if you find this will work for you, what is the next step for you to get started with it?”

5)      The best commitment of all: Asking for the deal if the prospect likes your material.  I know, this takes real guts, but if you’ve done the proper job of qualifying up front, then this is actually the natural progression of your sales process.  In fact, this is how I became a Top 20% in 90 days.  I would always say (and still do, by the way):

“Great _______, well I think I’ve covered everything.  By the way, do you have any initial questions?”  (Now bare in mind that I covered every detail of my proposal and qualified for interest, compatibility and budget up front).

“OK, then let me ask you a question:  If after you get the material I’m sending you see it’s exactly what we just spoke about, and you can see this (making you money, working in your environment, meeting your needs – whatever is appropriate for your sale), what size participation do you see yourself starting with?”

The answer you get here will almost always be the same one you’re going to get after you get back to them and go through your presentation, so why not just get it now?

So there you have it – a variety of ways of getting a commitment at the end of your prospecting call.  Work with these approaches and adapt them to your selling situation.  I guarantee you that the better you get at asking for and getting a commitment, the more sales you’ll close.

If you found this article helpful, then you’ll love Mike’s NEW book of phone scripts, “The Ultimate Book of Phone Scripts.”  Get over 220 Brand New Scripts to help you easily get past the gatekeeper, set appointments, overcome objections and close more sales. Visit:  http://www.mrinsidesales.com/booklaunch.htm and get over $400 of FREE Sales Bonuses by Jeffrey Gitomer, Tom Hopkins and more!!

Do you have an underperforming inside sales team?  Talk to Mike to see how he can help you and your team reach your revenue goals.  To learn more about Mike, visit his website: http://www.MrInsideSales.com

Many sales reps send me emails asking the same thing, “How can I sell against my competition and win the deal?” They tell me it gets more and more difficult as there is always someone who has a similar product for less money, or who can offer their kind of service with more bells and whistles, etc. What can they do?

Let’s look at a few facts and then put together a sales strategy. To start with, if a prospect hasn’t bought anything yet, it means they haven’t found exactly what they’re looking for, right?

And, as always, only your prospect knows what the magic “it” is (their true buying motive), and so it’s up to you to ask the right questions to figure out what it’s going to take to close each particular prospect. I’d start with these:

1. If your prospect is telling you they can get it cheaper somewhere else, ask:

“Why haven’t you gone ahead and placed your order there yet?”

Or,

“Yes, that is a good price, just curious, what’s preventing you from going with them on this?”

Or,

“What were you hoping to gain by talking with me (or with my company)?”

All these questions will force your prospect to tell you what their real buying motive is and will give you a chance to earn their business.

2. If your prospect says they have been doing business with X, or that XYZ offers more service, or better add-ons, etc., say:

“Yes, I’ve heard about their offer – what’s missing about it that still has you looking around?”

Or,

“Yes I know, in fact many of their customers call me as well. What motivated you to call me?”

And,

“Yes _________ I know all about the other companies and their promotions. Just out of curiosity, why haven’t you made a decision on this yet?”

Once again, these questions (and all the other ones I know you’re thinking of right now) will reveal what your prospect’s true buying motives are, and until you know them you’ve just shooting blind.

Kind of like 80% of your competition does. Once you understand what it’s going to take to sell them, you need to build the value of doing business with you and your company.

If you found this article helpful, then you’ll love Mike’s NEW eBook of phone scripts, “New Scripts for the New Economy.”  Get over 108 pages of Brand New Scripts to help you easily get past the gatekeeper, set appointments, overcome objections and close more sales. Visit: https://mrinsidesales.com/newscripts.htm to find out why Brian Tracy and Tom Hopkins call this the best book on inside sales available today!

Do you have an underperforming inside sales team?  Talk to Mike to see how he can help you and your team reach your revenue goals.  To learn more about Mike, visit his website: http://www.MrInsideSales.com

I talk a lot about the techniques that separate the Top 20% of the money earners from the other 80%. As you know, my Ezine is dedicated to providing you, often word for word, with the exact tools, tips and strategies that you can use to become a Top 20% producer. And today I’m going to share with you one of the most effective and easiest ways to double your sales. And it has to do with what you say when you call a prospect back to close the sale.

Here’s what 80% of the inside sales reps currently say:

?Oh hi, this is _______ with the XYZ Company. I’m calling to follow up on the (proposal, information, etc.). Did you have a chance to review that??

Or, another equally weak opening most sales reps use is:

?Hi, this is ________ with the XYZ Company, how are you? Good, I was just calling to see what you thought of the (proposal, information, etc.)??

Wrong, wrong, wrong! I cringe when I hear sales reps open the close this way! First, you’re giving all control over to your prospect — why would you want to do that? Second, you’re just opening yourself up for a stall or put off ? ?No, I haven’t had time yet, why don?t you call me back next week?"

If you want to be a Top 20% closer, strike the phrases ?just calling to follow up? and ?just wanted to see if you…? out of your pitch ? FOREVER!

Here is how the Top 20% start their closing callbacks, and how you can double your sales starting with your very next call:

?Hi _______ this is ______ ______ with the ABC Company. You know, I’ve been looking forward to getting back with you and getting you started with our (award-winning newsletter, number one industry ranked product, world-class service — fill in your product/service/investment here). I know you’ll be as happy and satisfied as my other clients are.

Now, I’m sure you (read/received the information), and I’m sure you see how it will benefit you. My question is: do you want to start with our professional position of _______, or does the _______ position work better for you??

Now shut up and listen. Earth shattering to you? Perhaps it is. But so will be your results. This works on so many levels:

1) You’re asking for the deal right away (and you?ll be surprised because some will buy on the spot!)

2) It immediately starts the close on an assumptive and positive note.

3) You eliminate any put-offs and stalls.

4) You immediately get the prospect to tell you where they stand and what they’re thinking (and what you’ll need to do to close the sale).

This is a powerful technique. I guarantee that if you begin using this approach on every sales call, you will be well on your way to doubling your closing percentage and income.

But don’t take my word for it — try it and let me know your results.

Whenever the subject of scripts comes up, people usually have definite opinions — they either love them or hate them.

Those who wouldn’t be caught dead using scripts like to point to those pesky telemarketers will call at night that sound stilted and computer like. ?I hang right up on them,? they say. ?I’d never read the script. It’s totally unprofessional."

On the other hand, there are people like me who understand that some scripts, used in the right context, are exactly what separates the Top 20% from the other 80% who are ad-libbing their way through their presentations and careers.

The bottom line is that even if you’re not physically reading a script, chances are you say the same things over and over again. And, chances are, if you haven?t taken the time to plan out and script the absolute best, most effective, proven responses to the situations, objections, red flags, and reflex responses you get day in and day out, then you truly are winging it, and I’m here to tell you — that’s not a good thing.

I’m big on scripts. Oh, not every word — that would only work if you gave your prospect a script, too.

But to be successful you have to be prepared, you have to know what to say, how to say it, and you must know how to effectively deal with the objections and responses that blow away 80% of your competition.

Here are five key areas you absolutely must have scripts for:

#1 Gatekeeper Scripts. How successful are you at getting around gatekeepers? Do you cringe when you are asked, ?Will he know what this call is about?"

If you aren?t using proven scripts to get past gatekeepers, then I know you are hating life. It doesn’t have to be that way! Use this — it works:

?Can I tell him who’s calling??

?Yes, please tell him Mike Brooks with XYZ company is holding please."

The combination of please (twice!), and an instructional statement will eliminate 80% of any further screening. Try it!

#2 Reflex Negative Responses Scripts.

How do you feel when you hear these objections?

?I’m not interested," Or

?We do business with XYZ," Or

?We don’t have the money now."

These negative reflex responses usually mean the end for 80% of sales reps.

The Top 20% are prepared for these, however, and have proven scripted responses that work! Use this:

"That’s exactly why I’m calling, you see…" And then list a benefit your other clients are enjoying.

This is a proven and effective way to get past your prospect?s negative reflex responses, and a way to earn the right to find out whether or not your prospect really is or isn’t right for your product or service.

#3 Voicemail Scripts. Have you scripted a powerful voicemail message that provides a benefit, creates curiosity, and gets your prospects to call you back?

The worst thing you can do is ?um and uh? your way through a voicemail message. Follow the suggestions of the ?5 Golden Rules of Voice Mail,? and watch your call back rate soar.

#4 Rebuttal Scripts. Believe it or not, 80% of inside sales reps are still ad-libbing and stumbling their way through rebuttals. And most of them are not getting the deals. You must script or rebuttals! Must, must, must!!

For a list of: ?How to Overcome the Top 10 Objections," visit my website and download my Special Report.

#5 Taking Your Prospect all the Way Through the Close Script. This is a Top 20% favorite, and I?ve included the way to do this in the closing section of this manual.

So, do you need to use scripts? My answer is, ?Only if you want to be a Top 20% producer!"

There are all kinds of questions a sales rep can ask — closed-ended, open-ended, directive, etc. — but none are more valuable than the assumption question.

While 80% of your competition use closed ended questions ? ?Are you the decision maker on this?" only the Top 20% use and understand the proper use of the assumptive question.

The main benefit of using an assumptive question is that it often catches your prospect off guard and eliminates the smoke screens they are so used to giving. Let’s take the above example of the decision maker.

To start with, most prospects you speak with will involve others in the decision-making process. But most of them won’t tell you this until the end of your presentation.

Asking the closed-end question ?Are you the decision maker," often prompts them to say yes and so avoids further qualifying from you. But if you’ve been in sales a while, you know the ?I’ve got to talk to _______? objection still surfaces — usually at the very end.

Using an assumption question can often smoke this out. Here’s what to say:

?________ who else will you be speaking with in regards to this decision?"

When you ask an assumptive question like this, your prospect will often volunteer crucial information you will need to close the sale later on — information that 80% of your competition isn’t getting.

And you will usually get this information by using these kinds of assumptive questions.

Here are a few more you can use:

For budget: ?________ most of my clients have a price range in mind when considering this, what is yours?"

To sell bigger orders ? ?________ most of my clients want the discount that comes from ordering this by the (case, unit, multiple month contract, etc.), is that how you want to do this is well?

Assume the close ? ?________ I?ve been looking forward to getting back with you today. I’m sure you?ve (reviewed the information, brochure, material, etc.) and liked what you saw. Did you want to start with (X size order) today, or take the (larger) order?"

The assumptive questioning technique can be used throughout your sales process and will immediately make you a better closer. My question to you is, ?How many current questions can you change so they become assumptive?"

The more you change, the more sales you will make.

For the past 26 years I?ve worked on the phones as a qualifier, broker, sales associate, sales manager, director of sales, V.P. of sales, owner of various inside sales companies, consultant ? you get the idea.

I?ve worked with, monitored and heard thousands of sales reps over the years, and I?ve heard it all ? the good, the bad, and the ugly. Here, for your reading enjoyment and education, are my all time, Top 5 classic opening statements:

First, the ugly:

1) When I was an investment broker in the 80?s, I worked with a woman, Barbara, who was one of the top brokers in our five office broker dealer network. It was always hard to get through to prospects at their offices, but she had a way of almost always getting through. While I do not recommend it, it sure worked for her back then:

Gatekeeper:

?ABC company, can I help you??

B:

?Yes, I need to talk to Jim, please.?

G:

?Can I tell him who?s calling??

B:

?Yes, tell him Barbara is holding.?

G:

?Will he know what this call is about??

B:

?He sure will. Tell him it?s about what he left at my apartment last night ? he?ll know. I?ll hold while you put me through.?

Oh, the good old days? J Ugly for sure, but effective back then!

Next, the bad:

2) There are so many BAD ways of opening a call it?s hard to choose, but here are two that people still use (believe it or not) that they need to stop using now!

Prospect:

?Hi this is Bob, can I help you??

Rep, (either):

?Oh hi, this is Brad Johnson with the XYZ company, have you ever heard of us?? Or,

?Oh hi, this is Brad Johnson with the XYZ company, do you have a few minutes for me now??

Obviously, you?re starting the call off with a ?no? response (?No, I?ve never heard of you.?) or you?re giving your prospect an immediate opportunity to get rid of you ? (?No, I don?t have time, good bye!?).

Seriously, if you?re using either of those, stop it today?

3) The other bad way to open a call is to try to trick the gatekeeper to put you through. Again, believe it or not, many sales reps still do this:

G:

?Can I tell him who?s calling??

Rep:

?Yeah, tell him it?s Brad.?

G:

?Does he know you??

Rep:

?Yep, we?ve spoken before.? Or,

G:

?Can I tell him what this call is about??

Rep:

?Yeah. He asked me to keep in touch with him.? Or, ?I?m calling him back.?

Both of these responses are blatant lies, but it?s amazing how reps justify them with, ?Well he gets a lot of calls; he won?t remember,? or ?Well, I make a lot of calls, and I did call him 2 months ago.? (Of course they never reached him, but that doesn?t stop them!)

If you?re using any of the above trick methods, please stop it immediately. There is a better way?

Now the good:

4) I was consulting with a company a few years ago when I received a cold call that was so honest, so refreshing, that I recruited the guy on the spot. Here?s how it went:

Me:

?Hi this is Mike, how can I help you??

Rep:

?Hi Mike, this is Carlos Avalar with the XYZ company. Mike we have never spoken before and I don?t mean to barge into your day, but I represent a company and a product that I think could be very beneficial to you.

It has to do with your lead tracking system, and all my clients are happy they took a moment to listen. Can I run a few details by you now to see it there?s a fit??

Wow. Now that was different ? honest, respectful, and it contained a value statement for me. I listened?

5) The best way to get through a gatekeeper is to use this statement:

G:

?XYZ company, can I help you??

Me:

?Yes please, please tell Bob that Mike Brooks with Mr. Inside Sales.com is holding please.?

Use please three times ? it will change your career, believe it. And once you get through:

?Hi Bob, this is Mike Brooks with Mr. Inside Sales, how?s your (Tuesday or day of the week) going so far?? [Listen carefully here to how and what your prospect says!]

?Bob, I know you?re busy so I?ll be brief?.I see you visited my Inside Sales Training website, and I wanted to find out what kind of help you were looking for in regards to your inside sales team??

Now, obviously, I?m calling back a warm lead. Here?s how you handle a cold one:

?Bob, I know you?re busy so I?ll make this brief. I got your name from (name your lead source ? paper, association, list, etc.) and I see you manage an inside sales team. Now we?ve not spoken before but I?ve sat in your chair for many years and I understand many of the challenges you?re probably facing right now.

?Let me ask you ? if I could give you some free resources that would help your team sell more and avoid rejection, would you be interested in downloading them today??

Now, those people who blow me off are not buyers, and those who listen and respond are potential clients. It?s as simple as that.

Compare your own openings with those in this article (and adapt yours to fit the last two). Where do you or your sales team stand in regards to the good, the bad and the ugly?

I hear over and over again how important the first few seconds of a phone call are to make a connection and grab interest, and my question to you is — are you still opening your calls with the standard, “How are you today?”  If so, then you’ve just turned off about half of your prospects.

Think about it, what’s your reaction to someone you don’t know who calls you and asks, “How are you today?”  If you’re like most people, you’re thinking, “I’ll be much better as soon as I can you off the phone!”

Want to know a better way?  The Top 20% understand how important it is to differentiate themselves from the hundreds of other people calling their prospects, and they are focused on engaging and creating interest with their prospects.  Here’s a technique they use that works really well:

When your prospect answers the phone, announce yourself and then ask, “Can you hear me OK?”  This immediately catches your prospect off guard, forces them to focus, think, and respond in a positive manner, which is usually “Yes, I can.”

An additional benefit is that your prospect is now also now paying closer attention to what you’re about to say next.  Quite an improvement over the other method/response, isn’t it?

If your prospect happens to say, “Yes, why can’t you hear me?”  (or some variation), just tell them that you’re trying a new headset, or that there was a clicking on the line, or that it’s very busy in the background there (or whatever else might actually be going on in your work environment), and you wanted to make sure you both had a clear connection.  Then continue on with your presentation (which should begin with, “Briefly, the reason for the call…”).

This technique, which may sound simple, really works well and though it may take some time getting used to, you will end up loving the new reactions and results you get.  I urge you to try it for a few days and see for yourself the difference it makes.

I agree with people who say you only have a few seconds to make a connection, and now you have proven way to do just that.