Summary
The sales script is sometimes referred to as the sales pitch. But this term is a little misleading. The aim is not to present, one by one, the arguments that make your service the best solution for the prospect. You need to tailor your business script so that it tells a story. This makes it easier for the prospect to understand the value your product/service holds and enter your sales tunnel.
All that remains is to determine how you are going to tell your story and present your services. It's essential to have a well-constructed, well-prepared sales script, especially if you happen to be launching a cold calling campaign. Here, we present you with the keys to success so you can improve your conversion rate.
What are the golden rules for writing sales scripts?
In this section, we present our list of golden rules for optimising telephone prospecting, business scripts, and considerably improving your chances of converting.
Structure your sales script
To be relevant, a sales script must respect certain rules, whatever your sector of activity.
- Arouse curiosity: the prospect should ask why your service might be right for him or her.
- Provide context and ask permission to continue presenting your product/service.
- Ask questions to better qualify your prospect.
- Attempt commercial approaches through questions related to price, decisions, etc.
- Conclude the call by planning the next steps.
By following these six steps, you're sure to develop an effective sales script and avoid telephone prospecting mistakes. Once optimised, this business script can then be used by the rest of the sales team to improve their sales closing rate.
Introduce yourself and arouse the prospect's curiosity
When the prospect picks up the phone, you need to arouse his or her curiosity. First, show respect and engage in social niceties. Greet them and exchange a few words before you launch into your sales script.
This creates a stable professional relationship. Secondly, present your reasons for calling. When you start on your business script and present your company, remember to focus on the benefits it offers, rather than its features.
To get the most out of this part, use the information in your CRM to show your caller you've done your homework. Good to know: CRMs such as Axonaut allow you to automatically retrieve insights (number of employees, fundraising, etc.) about the company.
Preparing an opening
At the beginning of your call, you need to find the right formula to make your prospect want to continue the exchange so you have time to get into your sales script. This involves presenting your company (its advantages, its offer, its services).
Don't hesitate to prepare several types of discussion openings for your business scripts. These allow you to adapt to the prospect and can later be re-used by all your sales teams. For example, you can draw on customer reviews of your services or those of your competitors left by your contact or someone in his or her company.
Qualifying your lead
After the initial conversation, it's time to qualify your lead. The idea is to ask them a few questions about their current situation and the problems they or their company face. These questions could be:
- What is your current process?
- Who are your customers?
- How do you currently solve your problem?
- What is your budget for this product/service?
Attempting to close
Once you've qualified your leads, it's time to lean on your sales script, present the benefits of your product or service, and close the deal.
If the sale isn't confirmed within the first call (this will most likely be the case), suggest another call or video call within the next 10 days.
Determine the next steps
Whether you're setting up a website, closing a sale or recruiting a new employee, it's always important to define the next steps. Whatever happens during a prospecting call, it's essential to end with a clear and precise definition of the steps to be taken. If you're planning a new appointment, set a date, time and means of communication in advance. Include all the people involved in the process. This is a step that you should always include in your sales scripts.
By being clear, you limit the risk of misunderstandings and mistakes, and increase your chances of conversion. You can use some of the business scripts below to help you: When is the right time to discuss this, together, next week? To which e-mail address should I send this information? Can I send you an invitation for a meeting, so that we can review your situation together?
A captivating sales script
A captivating presentation of your company, your team, or your services will improve your chances of success in prospecting. It's estimated that, on average, the most successful commercial exchanges are 65% storytelling!
Be sure to cover the reasons why your company offers this particular product or service. Present the reasons that motivate your teams, offer sound, personalised advice... In short, get involved!
A convincing sales script
Providing proof of your claims makes for a more convincing sales pitch. Your prospect is bound to wonder why he should believe you. To reinforce your credibility:
- Add customer testimonials
- Share data and information linked to recent studies and research
- Offer comparisons between your services and those of your competitors
- Offer and highlight additional benefits
You can also develop credibility and trust by asking questions to understand the customer's needs. To develop your list of questions, build on the foundation of information you began building with your qualifying questions.
Ask one or two questions for each sensitive point you've covered. This will help you determine how frequently this blocker recurs, and whether it's one you can address.
Using the points you've raised in steps one to five, adapt the following scripts to your own product, company and prospects.
Sample sales scripts for optimising telephone sales
Having templates saves you time. In this section, we've created a few sales scripts that will help you optimise sales during your telephone prospecting sessions.
Prospect qualification call
Hello [prospect's name], I'm [your name] from [your company].
How are you? We're a solutions company, whose main objective is to support companies specialising in [sector/industry], who are facing certain challenges, such as [insert a specific, relevant problem that your product/service can help with]. Is this a problem for [prospect's company name] today?
If so: Very good. We support our customers by helping them to optimise various aspects of their business: [List your key offerings and explain how each of them can solve the prospect's specific problem. Would you like to strengthen your position in these areas at present?
The prospect selects a topic: Excellent. Can I start by asking you a few questions? [Ask key qualifying questions about their specific problems, so that you can give more relevant and targeted answers and examples].
These are indeed issues on which we support our customers [Cite a few references and recent projects].
Would you be available early next week to review your situation together and identify the aspects on which our support might make sense?
Direct sales script
Hello [prospect name], I'm [Your identity] from [Company name]. Do you have time to talk about [project]?
Pre-qualification questions: If I could ask you quickly: [Ask your questions].
Depending on the answer: Okay. Well, when we talk to other hiring managers, we've noticed that they often say: [Expand list of problems encountered].
Are any of these areas of concern to you?
If the answer is yes: Based on what you've shared, it might be productive for us to talk in more detail about your issue. As I said, I'm with [Company name] and we provide: [Insert brief details of product, service and/or company]. Since I called you out of the blue, I don't want to take up any more of your time. You've asked some good questions, and I'd like to talk more with you.
Are you available for a 15-20 minute meeting where we can discuss your goals and challenges, and share some examples of how we've helped other managers build high-calibre teams?
Sales script to propose a new product
Hello, I'm [Your name], from [Name of your company]. How are you? Right now, [Your company name] is working on a new solution that helps companies sell more software to their target audiences. Is this something you'd like more information on?
If the prospect answers yes: Our software works on two approaches. It relies on buyer intent data to identify who is viewing your profile on [LinkedIn, Capterra, G2 etc...]. We also offer seasonal reports to sellers, so they can use reviews to attract potential customers. Which of these solutions are you most interested in?
[Prospect's response] Great. Can I ask you a few questions before we move forward?
[Qualifying questions]. I'll tell you a little more about the solution, then we can set up an appointment to explore your options before we close today. Does that sound good to you?
Sales script for calling a referred prospect
Hello [prospect name], this is [your identity] with [company name]. We're getting great results with [customer/connection's company name] and this person told me you'd be interested in our offer.
I'd be delighted to show you what we've done for [name of customer/connection] and how we can achieve it for you too. Is this something you'd be interested in?
Sales script to leave a voice message
Hello [name of prospect], I'm [your name] from [name of your company]. Many recruiters tell us:It takes too long to fill a vacancy. It's hard to find time for interviews because of daily assignments, objectives and responsibilities. They lack truly qualified employees, and interviews require too much personal investment.
Despite the investments seen in hiring, it's still hard to find the best employees. We help improve all these areas. [Very brief presentation of your company].
I'll call you back next week. If you'd like to reach me in the meantime, my number is [phone number].Once again I'm [your name] from [your company name]. Thank you, and I look forward to speaking with you soon.
Organize your call scripts with Ringover
Ringover comes with its own call script editor. But what's the point of such a tool?
Quite simply, go to your dashboard in the call campaign section. Choose your campaign, or create one if it doesn't yet exist. Click on "Add a script".
A new dialog box appears with an integrated text editor. In this editor, you can copy and paste text from an existing document or start a brand new script. You can then access it when you start your prospecting campaign.
This feature lets you create a reference script for each of your campaigns. This way, you avoid the risk of running out of script versions, and are sure to have the right file at hand when you need it.
To find out more about how you can optimize your call campaigns, or to view a demo of Ringover, contact us or test the solution today (no credit card required).
