Robin, the owner of a professional services company, came to me for advice to grow her business. Robin's company has been successful, but not as successful as she would like. Robin felt she had the potential to grow her business significantly if her team could just spark the interest of potential clients during their outbound calls. All she needed, she described, was a good call script for her team to use.
I get asked what's a good call script several times per month -- and sometimes several times per week. While I am happy to share the right elements of an effective call script, there are good reasons why I can't share the actual script. No, it's not that the actual script is confidential. Keep reading to learn why.
How Do You Feel When You Get the Call?
Have you ever received a phone call from someone who is just reading their call script? We all have, and it is a horrible experience. I received a call the other night from someone who said his name was Jeffrey. However, based on his accent, I am suspecting that Jeffrey might not be the name his friends call him. After he read the first line in the script, I said, "Jeffrey -- I have a question. What does the script say next?" We can all tell when the person on the other end of the phone is speaking hollow words or reading a script. I feel strongly that you have to own your words. Just reading someone else's words will not do. You are better off knowing the right components, and then let each person on your team tailor the message to their own style.
Element 1 - Belief
Have you ever asked a salesperson a question, and when they give the answer, you can tell they don't believe the answer? No matter what words you say, your tone and body language (if in person) will give away any lack of confidence. The first, most valuable element is to believe in what you are selling. You must appreciate the value you bring to the customer, and recognize what is and is not a good fit for what you are selling.
One of my clients was struggling a bit with discounting from their call center staff. We designed a training session to help the staff realize how they were markedly superior to the competition. After the training, their belief in their value resulted in less discounting and an increase of more than $50,000 per month in profit.
Element 2 - The Right Goal
As I have said many times, effective sales is about getting to the truth as quickly as possible. The goal for each call is not to make a sale. Rather, the goal for each call is to determine if there is a good fit between you and the customer. In Same Side Selling, we replace the old-school acronym ABC, Always Be Closing, with a new concept: FIT, Finding Impact Together. With FIT each team member should determine whether or not the customer's issue is impactful and important enough to warrant an investment in what you offer. If so, then the conversation is worthwhile. If not, then don't make the mistake of trying to sell something to someone who has no need for your product or service.
If you would like examples and more details on FIT -- Finding Impact Together -- read Chapter 1 of the free Same Side Selling preview available at SameSideSelling.com.
Element 3 - Speak In Their Language
What matters to your clients is their own situation, not your stuff. Your script should entice the client's interest, disarm the notion that you are just calling to sell them something, and trigger a discovery phase where you can learn more about their situation. In Same Side Selling, we call this (wait for it...) Entice, Disarm and Discover.
For the right people, Entice-Disarm-Discover puts both parties on the same side of the table focused on solving the client's issue. A recent client had contacted 21 potential clients with zero responses. They switched to the Entice-Disarm-Discover formula, and 19 of the 21 companies are now requesting a meeting with the seller.
If you want more to read more about Entice-Disarm-Discover, refer to this recent article "3 Crucial Elements for the Perfect Elevator Pitch."
It's Your Turn
What's the worst and best call script you have experienced? Where has one or more of the above mentioned elements created a great result for you?