30-Mar-07 4:00 PM CST

Script Writing to Prospect for Sales Leads & Appointment Setting

A calling script is incredibly necessary if you plan to make prospecting phone calls, especially if new sales people or other staff are involved in making the calls. The reality is that once you are in a conversation with a prospect, the call may drift away from the script; the script still remains as a source of guidance for the caller.

The focus of this article is based on early stage cold calls, looking for lead opportunities or appointments with businesses who may need your product or service.

A Telemarketing script needs to be straight forward and to the point. Words should be used very efficiently.

Example Telemarketing Script for Calling

Step One: Introduction

Give an introduction to whoever answers the call; introduce yourself and your company name
Ask for the person you need to speak with. If you do not know the name, then ask for the name of the person who is responsible for your product or service.

Step Two: Right person

You now know whom you need to speak with. Ask to be transferred and when you get this person on the phone, briefly (with a smile on your face) introduce yourself.
The reality is the receptionist or assistant will try to screen your call, if this is the case be friendly and ask what is the best way to reach the Decision-Maker. Then, prospect to the person you are speaking with – who knows, you may identify an opportunity by asking.
Expect to be transferred into voice mail, here you need to make a decision on whether to leave a short message or not. If you do leave a voice message with the Decision-Maker, be brief with an explanation of your call and leave a call back number if you want.

Step Three: Body

Once you have introduced yourself get to the reason for your call. Be succinct and to the point with your “purpose” and then quickly ask a qualifying question. This needs to be a simple question asking if they anticipate upcoming changes that may require your products or services.
If yes – You have probably succeeded at generating a prospect; you may want to ask a few more questions, to better qualify the opportunity. Then close the call by defining next steps…. maybe setting an appointment, sending some company information or agreeing to make a follow up call at a later date.
If no – Be prepared to ask a follow-up type question, one that changes the direction of the call in an effort to identify an opportunity. If you are unable to generate interest, close the call by asking a time frame for when changes might occur.

Make sure you are documenting all the information that you’re capturing. Enter the information into a good sales tracing software. Use the information at a later date when doing other marketing efforts. Prepare yourself with a list of most common rebuttals and FAQ’s. Have effective responses for the rebuttals and FAQ’s.

The goal of a script is to ask good questions. The best results occur when you are a good listener. Keep the conversation simple and don’t feel like you have to know answers to every question. If someone asks you a question that you don’t have an answer to, tell them that you will get the answer and call them back. Remember good questions asked by the person may indicate that you have uncovered a selling opportunity.

Contact information: Mike Dunlap at 281-496-9870 x140, email miked@dunlapmarketing.com or Contact Us today!