Almost everything in selling can be controversial. Does cold calling work or not? What’s the best sales process to use? Should you even use a sales process? Are referrals and word of mouth marketing related or are they totally unrelated marketing concepts? Is the way buyers buy changing? Are salespeople becoming irrelevant?
I could name dozens of other areas where there’s currently debate occurring.
I’m dealing with one of those areas today: using scripts..
Do you think scripts are useful and necessary?
Do you think scripts create a “canned” presentation that is hokey and makes the salesperson come across as amateurish and unprofessional?
Although there are many who subscribe to the latter—that scripts are unprofessional and do more harm than good–the fact is that we all use scripts, even the most ardent anti-script arguers use scripts.
What is a script? A script is nothing more than a standardized presentation or answer. A script can be written and memorized but that certainly isn’t necessary. If I start every cold call I make with, “Hi, Ms. Prospect, I’m Paul McCord with McCord Training,” I’m using a standardized script, whether I’ve committed those words to writing or not.
If I always answer a price objection early in the sale with, “I understand that cost is important. The investment can range anywhere from a low of X to XX or more, depending upon your needs which at this point we haven’t discussed. What would you say is your sales teams most pressing issue?” Again, I’m using a standardized script whether I’ve put that answer to the objection in writing or not.
A script is simply the standard wording we’ve developed to make our presentations and to answer the questions we are asked on a regular basis.
So the question isn’t whether or not we use scripts, the question is does it make sense to think through our standard presentations and the typical questions and objections we get and develop well thought-out words to address them?
If we don’t have a well thought-out script, we’re using an off the cuff script. Either way we’re using a script.
Unfortunately, creating a high impact, effective script isn’t easy. Rather than spending a great amount of time and frustration with a hit or miss script that you have to constantly refine until, if you’re lucky, you get it right, why not get professional help upfront?
Mike Brooks has just released The Ultimate Book of Phone Scripts (Sales Gravy Press: 2011), the book that will help you construct the scripts you’ll need to handle your phone and non-phone presentations and overcoming objections.
Brooks will help you create well thought-out wording that will help you:
- Overcome initial objections like, “We’re not interested” and “I’m too busy,” and “We already have a company/supplier for that,” and many, many more;
- Learn how to build crucial rapport in the first 5 seconds;
- Connect with gatekeepers and getting through to the decision maker;
- Know what to do and what NOT to do when prospecting and qualifying;
- Deal with smokescreen objections like “The price is too high”;
- Get your prospects to return your emails and voice mails;
- Overcome common objections like, “We just need to think about it,” and “I can get it for less money,” and many more.
Let’s face it – you get the same objections 90% of the time, so why not be prepared in advance with the absolute best scripts and techniques that really work. Brooks’ scripts are focused on helping you connect with and engage your prospects instead of talking and pitching at them.
As a bonus, Brooks has a special section to help overcome common objections for mortgage brokers, insurance agents, Realtors, and credit card processing salespeople. Even if your product or service isn’t included in the “Top 10 Objections” section, reviewing how the specific industry objections are addressed will help you develop answers to the objections you constantly run across.
If you sell, The Ultimate Book of Phone Scripts has something for you.—no matter your experience level. Buy it and then spend some time crafting your scripts—you’ll find that making the phone calls and overcoming objections becomes a lot easier and lot more enjoyable.
