How to Write an Effective Sales Script
The Biggest Mistakes People Make When Writing Sales Scripts
Most sales scripts are doomed to fail before the prospect ever answers the phone.
The reason is simple.
Most scripts are written backwards and upside down.
Most Scripts Are Written Backwards.
Most sales scripts are written from the salesperson's perspective instead of the prospect's perspective.
The salesperson wants:
The purpose of a sales script is not to force someone to buy. It is not even to convince someone to buy. You cannot convince people to purchase something they don't need.
The purpose of a sales script is to start a productive conversation.
How do you start a productive conversation?
By talking about what is important to them.
Most Scripts Are Written Upside Down
Some salespeople don't want to say the "good stuff" up front. They want to use it during the conversation. The problem is, if you hold back on the good stuff, you may not ever get to the conversation.
In the Army we called it "Opening Fire with you biggest weapon first."
In marketing, it's making sure that if they say "Not Interested" that there wasn't anything else you could have said to change their mind.
I call this "Giving Them Permission to Believe."
When people answer the phone, they are hoping for a positive outcome. They want to learn something useful, solve a problem, save money, or gain some other benefit.
You need to quickly give them permission to believe that:
Most effective openings contain two things:
The credibility statement tells them why they should believe you.
You Have 10 Seconds to Earn 30 Seconds.
Many prospects decide whether they want to stay on the phone within the first few seconds.
In those first 10 seconds, you only have two tools:
It means you need a relevant opening.
The prospect should quickly understand:
If you sound uncertain, prospects will assume you don't know what you're talking about.
If you sound nervous, they may assume you're inexperienced.
If you sound confused, they may assume you're wasting their time.
A useful rule is:
You have 10 seconds to earn 30 seconds, and 30 seconds to earn a conversation.
The Goal of the Opening Is Not the Appointment.
Many salespeople try to get the appointment too quickly.
This is one of the most common reasons scripts fail.
The prospect has not yet decided whether they want to continue talking.
Trying to schedule an appointment before establishing relevance is like proposing marriage on a first date.
The opening should have one objective:
Earn permission to continue the conversation.
Once that happens, the appointment becomes much easier.
Why Most Lead Follow-Up Scripts Fail.
Many scripts begin with something like:
"Hi, you filled out a form online six months ago and I'm calling to see if you're still interested."
While technically accurate, this approach immediately focuses attention on the age of the lead.
The homeowner rarely cares how old the lead is.
The homeowner cares about solving a problem.
A better approach is to focus on the project itself and the benefits you offer.
An Example of an Effective Script Opening
Here is a simple opening that has been used successfully for years:
"Hello, this is __________ with __________ here in Denver. How are you today?
Great. You were online and requested information about replacing your windows.
We can definitely help with that project. We've been helping homeowners in the area for over ___ years and have a ___ rating with the Better Business Bureau.
We're simply letting homeowners know that right now we're helping cover a significant portion of the cost of replacement windows for homeowners who are willing to help us build some exposure in the neighborhood with things like a yard sign or an online review."
Notice what the script does:
It earns the right to continue the discussion.
A Script Is Not a Speech.
I call it the live delivery of a prerecorded message. If a tape recorder can do your job, you aren't doing your job.
One of the most common mistakes new salespeople make is memorizing a script word for word.
This creates several problems:
A good script is a roadmap, a series of talking points to remind you what items to cover during the call.
Think of a script as a guide that helps you navigate a conversation rather than a speech that must be delivered exactly as written.
The best salespeople often sound completely unscripted even when they are following a proven structure.
The most effective scripts I have written had a 98% response rate.
Why?
Because they were strongly relevant and had very strong benefit statements.
Just as importantly, they were delivered by callers with experience and confidence.
Here is a script we use to call Vice Presidents of Marketing for chains of grocery stores. Just as important as the script, we had a caller who had previously succeeded calling the Presidents of Fortune 500 companies. She was good at her job.
Hi, this is Patrick Kilhoffer with XYZ Ad agency. The reason for the call is we increased the sales of Kroger by 17% during the promotion period, and I was calling to see if you would like to know how we did that for them, and what we could do for you.
Why it worked so well:
That's what you want. A strong benefit statement and a strong credibility statement, well delivered by a confident, well-spoken individual.
The Biggest Mistakes People Make When Writing Sales Scripts
Most sales scripts are doomed to fail before the prospect ever answers the phone.
The reason is simple.
Most scripts are written backwards and upside down.
Most Scripts Are Written Backwards.
Most sales scripts are written from the salesperson's perspective instead of the prospect's perspective.
The salesperson wants:
- An appointment
- A sale
- A quote request
- An application
- A meeting
- Their problem solved
- Useful information
- A good decision
- To avoid wasting time
The purpose of a sales script is not to force someone to buy. It is not even to convince someone to buy. You cannot convince people to purchase something they don't need.
The purpose of a sales script is to start a productive conversation.
How do you start a productive conversation?
By talking about what is important to them.
Most Scripts Are Written Upside Down
Some salespeople don't want to say the "good stuff" up front. They want to use it during the conversation. The problem is, if you hold back on the good stuff, you may not ever get to the conversation.
In the Army we called it "Opening Fire with you biggest weapon first."
In marketing, it's making sure that if they say "Not Interested" that there wasn't anything else you could have said to change their mind.
I call this "Giving Them Permission to Believe."
When people answer the phone, they are hoping for a positive outcome. They want to learn something useful, solve a problem, save money, or gain some other benefit.
You need to quickly give them permission to believe that:
- You are not going to waste their time.
- You understand their situation.
- You may have information that is valuable to them.
- You represent a company worth listening to.
Most effective openings contain two things:
- A benefit statement.
- A credibility statement.
The credibility statement tells them why they should believe you.
You Have 10 Seconds to Earn 30 Seconds.
Many prospects decide whether they want to stay on the phone within the first few seconds.
In those first 10 seconds, you only have two tools:
- Your voice
- Your words
It means you need a relevant opening.
The prospect should quickly understand:
- Who you are
- Why you're calling
- Why the call may matter to them
If you sound uncertain, prospects will assume you don't know what you're talking about.
If you sound nervous, they may assume you're inexperienced.
If you sound confused, they may assume you're wasting their time.
A useful rule is:
You have 10 seconds to earn 30 seconds, and 30 seconds to earn a conversation.
The Goal of the Opening Is Not the Appointment.
Many salespeople try to get the appointment too quickly.
This is one of the most common reasons scripts fail.
The prospect has not yet decided whether they want to continue talking.
Trying to schedule an appointment before establishing relevance is like proposing marriage on a first date.
The opening should have one objective:
Earn permission to continue the conversation.
Once that happens, the appointment becomes much easier.
Why Most Lead Follow-Up Scripts Fail.
Many scripts begin with something like:
"Hi, you filled out a form online six months ago and I'm calling to see if you're still interested."
While technically accurate, this approach immediately focuses attention on the age of the lead.
The homeowner rarely cares how old the lead is.
The homeowner cares about solving a problem.
A better approach is to focus on the project itself and the benefits you offer.
- The roof
- The windows
- The bathroom
- The insurance coverage
- The financing
- The problem that caused them to request information in the first place
An Example of an Effective Script Opening
Here is a simple opening that has been used successfully for years:
"Hello, this is __________ with __________ here in Denver. How are you today?
Great. You were online and requested information about replacing your windows.
We can definitely help with that project. We've been helping homeowners in the area for over ___ years and have a ___ rating with the Better Business Bureau.
We're simply letting homeowners know that right now we're helping cover a significant portion of the cost of replacement windows for homeowners who are willing to help us build some exposure in the neighborhood with things like a yard sign or an online review."
Notice what the script does:
- Identifies the reason for the call.
- Establishes credibility.
- Provides a benefit.
- Creates curiosity.
- Opens the door for a conversation.
It earns the right to continue the discussion.
A Script Is Not a Speech.
I call it the live delivery of a prerecorded message. If a tape recorder can do your job, you aren't doing your job.
One of the most common mistakes new salespeople make is memorizing a script word for word.
This creates several problems:
- They sound rehearsed.
- They speak too quickly.
- They stop listening.
- They become uncomfortable when the conversation changes direction.
A good script is a roadmap, a series of talking points to remind you what items to cover during the call.
Think of a script as a guide that helps you navigate a conversation rather than a speech that must be delivered exactly as written.
The best salespeople often sound completely unscripted even when they are following a proven structure.
The most effective scripts I have written had a 98% response rate.
Why?
Because they were strongly relevant and had very strong benefit statements.
Just as importantly, they were delivered by callers with experience and confidence.
Here is a script we use to call Vice Presidents of Marketing for chains of grocery stores. Just as important as the script, we had a caller who had previously succeeded calling the Presidents of Fortune 500 companies. She was good at her job.
Hi, this is Patrick Kilhoffer with XYZ Ad agency. The reason for the call is we increased the sales of Kroger by 17% during the promotion period, and I was calling to see if you would like to know how we did that for them, and what we could do for you.
Why it worked so well:
- Kroger is a nationally recognized brand. If we did work for them, we can do work for anyone.
- A 17% increase in sales in a grocery store is massive. Any grocery store chain should be thrilled with that result.
- We offered to share what we did to generate that result.
- We offered to show how we could help them as well.
- The caller was absolutely comfortable and confident on the phone.
That's what you want. A strong benefit statement and a strong credibility statement, well delivered by a confident, well-spoken individual.
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Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions
Solar Installation leads Roofing Leads Windows Leads Mortgage leads Burial Leads Final Expense Leads Medicare Leads Mortgage Protection Leads Medicare Leads Payday loan leads Selling Preneed Funeral arrangements