Scripts that lead to sales

Telemarketing, Jan 1995 by McKee, Judy

"Kiss today good-bye and point me toward tomorrow." What a great way to say the old days are gone. We must look to a new day and new methods for selling by phone. Those words are from a song written for a Broadway musical called Chorus Line, and the song is "What I Did For Love." Today, what I do for love is write scripts that lead to sales and train customer service reps and telephone sales reps how to use them.

Effective scriptwriting takes time and planning, but it is well worth the effort required. Providing your telephone sales staff with a great script that gives them the right words to say is by far the superior contributing factor to a successful call campaign. Here are some good ideas on how you can write a script that will enable your callers to make the sale, get the appointment, increase the order or simply develop a long-term relationship with your customers.

Pre-Script Planning

To create a script that will lead to the sale, invest some time in a pre-scriptwriting planning session. You can do this by yourself or with a few members of your staff in a "brainstorming session."

Start by writing down the purpose of your call campaign. The purpose should be a lofty goal; something like: "To make our potential clients aware of the most affordable color printing service available anywhere in the entire city."

Next, determine the objective of your calls, for example: "To speak with decision makers and obtain appointments to present a new, unique and affordable approach to color printing."

The plan should include the features, benefits and competitive vantages you want to use in your selling messages and offers. And, of course, you must anticipate the obstacles or objections your callers will encounter and need to handle.

Include These Two "Cardinal Rules" In Your Scriptwriting Plan

Cardinal Rule #1. Never say or do anything that will make your prospect or client feel wrong or stupid.

To illustrate what I mean by this rule, let's compare two possible opening statements: "Ms. Jones, I have a deal for you that can make you money now and save you money later. Would you like to save money on your long-distance calling?"

-or

"Good morning Ms. Jones, my name is Judy Smith calling from ABC Long-Distance Telephone Service. We are calling to announce our new, unique, and surprisingly economical long-distance telephone service. Do you have a moment to talk?"

The first opener is designed to make the customer say "yes" or she will sound wrong or stupid. It's a manipulation that doesn't work. Most people are wise to this type of sales pitch and they hate being dominated or manipulated. The second opener is nonmanipulative, generates genuine interest by alluding to a money-saving possibility, and asks for permission to continue. Experience has proven clients will be more likely to stay on the phone with you if they feel you are "safe" to talk with.

Cardinal Rule #2. Whoever asks the questions controls the call. Your success depends on you being able maintain control.

Keep the above purpose, objectives and rules in mind, and let's move on to the main elements of a good script.

The Call Opener

Decide what you can say that will create a "love-me--trust me" feeling in the first 20 seconds of the call. Simplicity, sincerity and clarity are key issues. Don't make the prospect have to try to figure out who you are and what you want. Here's an example of a good call opener:

"Good morning Mr. Jones." (A simple greeting.) My name is Jim Smith calling from Ralphs's Printing. (Identification.) We recently opened a new division right here in North Fork that specializes in very affordable four-color printing. (Call purpose statement.) Do you have a minute to talk?" (Request for permission.)

The above opener is clear, nonintrusive, generates interest, gets the prospect's attention on the caller's intention, and ends with a request for permission to talk. The caller will seldom be refused permission, but if he or she is, it prompts a request for a convenient time to call back.

Remember that your call is probably an intrusion on the prospect's busy day and he or she will respect your considerate appeal for attention. Avoid familiarity if you don't already have a relationship with the prospect. Do not ask, "How are you today?"

Consultive Selling

Consultative selling is defined as finding the client's need, and making suggestions or recommendations that show how your product or service can fill the need. This technique enables the caller to be perceived as a helpful problem-solver and helps develop an enduring, valuable relationship with the customer.

To be effective at consultative selling, the caller must be able to initiate a dialog with the prospect. The Statement/Question TechniqueTM is an excellent way to initiate dialog between the caller and the prospect or customer. It gives the caller control of the call, and therefore the confidence to make effective calls. It is a methodology I recommend you use throughout the script to enable the TSR or CSR to and achieve guide the conversation the objective.