Whether you’re giving or receiving them, wooden sales scripts always make for uncomfortable interactions no one can wait to escape. Due to this, as a marketing or sales rep, you may be sick of the whole idea of sales scripts. However, maybe don’t hang up the phone just yet.
Imagine this, a script that utilizes customer psychology to guide your interactions with prospects. Rather than deadpan recitals of uninteresting information, you can engage in warm conversations having prepared the best lines and even responses. Keep reading this sales script guide to learn how scripts can help you turn leads into customers.
Table of Contents:
What is a Sales Script?
A sales script is a conversational guide sales representatives use when speaking with prospects. The script could comprise broad talking points, forming the bones of a strategic conversation. It could also feature questions and responses to potential questions from leads. A sales script could even be a detailed word-for-word guide a sales rep can follow faithfully.
Sales scripts provide direction, allowing reps to work efficiently and present a professional front. They also prepare salespeople to answer difficult questions prospects might throw their way. If you want to use sales scripts, it’s important to know how to construct them. So here’s a breakdown of some sales script techniques you should know.
Top Sales Script Tips
Sales scripts vary based on several factors. If you offer an extremely technical product, your sales script should be clear and detailed about its use. It should address a range of concerns prospects might bring up. A less technical product on the other hand may call for a more flexible conversational script. However, there are general guidelines that apply to all scripts. Here are some steps you can follow to create effective sales scripts.
1. Have a Clear Focus
Your sales script should reflect a distinct focal point. You should know what you are trying to achieve with each conversation and incorporate your goal into the strategy of your script. For example, if it was your first conversation with a lead, your goal may simply be to establish contact. In this case, the script may feature talking points that draw out information about the customer.
When writing sales scripts, you should also be clear about which product or service you want to promote. Trying to push every offer at once can make a sales rep and ultimately the company look sloppy and unprofessional. So settle for the solution that speaks to specific contexts as you craft scripts for fitting prospects.
2. Introduce & Position Yourself
An effective sales script should include an introduction from the sales representative. They should be forthcoming by sharing their name and the company they work for. Here’s an example of what that looks like:
“Hi I’m Ryan and I’m from XYZ”
An introduction instantly brings the lead up to speed on what’s going on. Positioning on the other hand entails defining their perception of you. It means to break down your solution, what it does, and who it does it for.
By including a positioning statement in your script, you present yourself as the go-to solution for a prospect’s problem. With good positioning, you establish yourself as the authority. Use it to show your understanding of their situation and your experience in handling it.
3. Know Your Audience
This is a spillover from having a clear focus. Your products probably cater to a wide pool of people and variations in their situations will mean different preferences. Furthermore, they may be at different stages in the sales pipeline. Knowing exactly who you’re dealing with can help you figure out how to structure conversations with them.
4. Develop a Connection
This step takes a bit of prior groundwork in the form of lead qualification. You have to be familiar with your target audience. Know their pain points, their goals, and whatever other information would make for a more robust conversation. Customer interactions should address challenges that matter to leads and how the company can provide help.
This helps the sales representative show genuine interest in the prospect and appear as more than just a pushy salesperson. Second, some information can serve as talking points which can in turn ease the transition into discussion about the company’s offerings. Sales reps can use tools like Signalhire to uncover useful data about prospects.
5. Ask Important Questions & Listen Carefully
Buyers want more than to be sold to, they want to feel seen. The best way to make this happen is to ask questions. The stereotype around salespeople paints them as the primary speakers in any conversation. However, salespeople need to listen more than they speak.
A good script infuses subtle cues and questions that open the floor for prospects to express themselves. This not only establishes that the company cares about its challenges but can also help you learn more about them.
6. Include a CTA
Leads are unlikely to independently take the next step or even keep you in mind. Thus, it falls to the salesperson to steer the process in your desired direction. Fortunately, a good sales script can be a massive help. Always include a call-to-action in your sales script. This is the moment where you nudge the prospect in a certain direction based on your original goal.
Examples of Sales Call Scripts
Customer interactions vary greatly depending on factors such as the aim of the all or the stage of the sales pipeline. Scripts have to adjust to the unique requirements of the different types of sales calls. Let’s examine two broad categories of sales calls that exist.
Inbound Call Scripts
These scripts come into play when leads contact the company, a reversal of the status quo. Due to this, companies generally don’t recognize the value of an inbound call. The standard response to a customer call is “How can I help you?”
This question helps the company ascertain the prospect’s reason for calling. However, a good sales script should also steer the conversation towards learning more about the caller. Depending on why they called, it could be a great sales opportunity.
An inbound call script should feature questions about the prospect. Use cues such as “tell me more about…” “would you mind elaborating on…” etcetera.
Outbound Call Scripts
Outbound sales calls are the most common, as such, the same is true for outbound call scripts. Salespeople use these scripts when they initiate contact with prospects. This occurs at different phases in the sales cycle, hence it is important to create different scripts for different stages. Some relevant scripts to consider include:
- Cold calls
- Followup
- Promotional
- Referral
- Final offer, etcetera
Sales Script Templates
When writing sales scripts, it is essential to consider what stage of the sales cycle the target is in. Then, be sure to incorporate this knowledge into the script. Let’s look at a few sales script templates.
1. The Sales Pitch Script Template
You can adapt this script for prospects throughout the pipeline. The goal of the sales pitch is to showcase your company’s offerings. Generally, it can look somewhat like this;
- Introduction: “Hello, [Prospect’s Name], I’m Ryan from XYZ. How are you doing today?”
- Positioning Statement: “I’m calling because at XYZ we help businesses like yours [tailored solution].”
- Leading Question: “Do you have a few minutes to discuss how we might be able to help you with [insert pain point]?”
- Further Engagement: “Would you mind telling me about how you’re currently handling [specific challenge]?”
- Present Solution: “I think our [product/service] could help. It [how it solves their problem]. For example, [quick success story].”
- Question: “Does this sound helpful to you?”
- CTA: “I’d love to show you how our solution can help you. Can we schedule a more detailed call or meeting for…?”
For the sales pitch script, be sure to have information on hand such as details of the target demographics. You should also make notes of their goals and pain points plus common objections.
2. The Follow-Up Call Script Template
- Introduction: “Hi [Name], this is Ryan from XYZ. How have you been since we last spoke?”
- Bring up the Last Conversation: “We had a quick talk on [date] about [brief recap of main point or topic].”
- Check-In + Address Concerns: “Did you get a chance to review the info I sent? I noticed you have [common objection]. Would you like me to clarify that?”
- Engage Further: Yes I also noticed [relevant company event], I was hoping to find out if there are any openings to engage with you and help with your [relevant challenge]?”
- Next Steps: “Shall we schedule a time to discuss further? What works for you?”
- Confirm and Close: “Excellent! I’ll send over a calendar invite for [time]. Thank you for your time, [Name].
Conclusion
Done right, sales scripts can be an invaluable lead generation and conversion tool. They allow for smoother more effective interactions between companies and potential customers. It all comes down to really understanding what you want to achieve with each call and being in tune with your prospects’ needs.
Need a hand with that? You can use Signal Hire’s extensive database to look up prospects from over 400 million profiles. Learn more about prospects to build a complete picture of what your audience is like. From there, you can craft a script that truly speaks to them.
