Did you know cold calling can be as much as 10 times more effective than cold emailing? Did you know that organizations whose sales process lacks a cold calling element experience 42% less growth than their cold calling competitors? Plenty of evidence suggests that cold sales calls are still a valuable tool in a marketing team’s arsenal.
Not all cold calls are created equally, however. Therefore, effective cold calling scripts are necessary to ensure sales reps are making the most of this valuable tactic. Sales managers can boost their teams’ conversion rates by creating effective cold calling templates to guide each sales rep.
How to Write a Cold Call Script
Developing an effective cold call script is a vital part of the sales pitch. Without a script, sales reps might sound unsure or lack authority during the cold calling process. How do you write a cold call script to improve every sales call? The following cold calling tips should set you on your way:
- Quickly identify yourself and the reason for your call – Your prospects are busy people, and you only have about 10 seconds to establish the introduction of your call. Get to the point, and let them know who you are and why you’re calling.
- Confirm availability – Because your prospect is a busy business person, it’s important to make sure they have a few minutes to take the call. You won’t close any sales if the person is servicing a customer or putting out a fire in the background. Plus, you’ll show respect for the prospect by asking permission to continue. You can also confirm you’re speaking with the decision maker at the business.
- Touch on prospects’ pain points – As soon as you’ve identified yourself on a cold call, you need to let your prospect know why they should care about what you have to say. What problem that they experience can you solve if they continue the phone call?
- Deliver a value proposition early – Most sales tactics require a value proposition, and a cold sales script is not exception. Some cold callers will mistakenly save their value proposition for the end of a call, losing listeners in the process.
- Personalize the experience – Your sales prospect isn’t interested in talking to yet another pushy salesperson. Make the call unique and have a personal conversation with the cold call. You might be using a script, but you don’t want to sound like you’re reading the entire interaction.
- Engage in two-way conversation – Be sure your script leaves room for the call recipient to respond and provide feedback. Nobody wants to accept a cold phone call only to be preached at and lectured by a salesperson. Ask the cold call open-ended questions to help personalize the experience and build rapport with the prospect.
- Drive toward the goal – It can be easy to get carried away with a responsive prospect on a cold call, but it’s important to remember the goal of the call. In many cases, a cold call doesn’t result in a sales but in an in-person meeting where the conversation can continue. Be sure and move the direction of the call toward that goal.
- Permit script deviation – The best sales calls don’t follow a script, and you never know what response you might get from a cold call prospect. Therefore, when creating a cold call template, leave room for the conversation to deviate from what’s written, providing various responses and transitions to redirect the discussion.
How Long Should a Script for Cold Calls be?
While the goal is a lengthier conversation, the average length of a cold call is just 80 seconds, according to data analyzed by Chorus.ai. The average successful cold call which resulted in a follow up meeting, however, lasted more than 7 minutes. If the average American speaks about 150 words per minute, then a script for a cold call introduction should be at least 200 words to cover the first 80 seconds of the brief phone call. Sales teams that want their scripts to be thorough, however, should plan for lengthier, successful cold calls.
Best Cold Call Script Examples
Successful salespeople can provide a business with continuous cash flow, and cold calling is essential to that level of success. But how do you provide your sales rep with the best cold calling script? Consider the following best cold call script examples when writing your own:
1. Basic Cold Call Script Template
In this example of an effective cold calling script, Cience provides the structure for an initial cold call. In the script, the caller creates a two-way conversation, providing for and anticipating the prospect’s response, building rapport in the process.
2. Basic Follow Up Call Template
Successful sales teams often make cold calls to follow up on cold emails. While the process of the call is the same, it’s important to reference the earlier connection in the structure of the cold call template. In this script example, Call Porter references a prior phone call in its introduction.
3. Real Estate Cold Calling Script
Successful realtors often find new clients by making phone calls to advertise their services. A cold call script can help a realtor create new leads and even create competitive differentiation. In this cold calling script example, Indeed highlights a method of overcoming objections.
4. Wholesaling Cold Calling Script
Wholesalers can cold call qualified leads with the help of a script, as well. The cold call template can outline the conversation a wholesale realtor wants to have with the right person, and what questions they want to ask to establish a successful connection. In this script example, Real Estate Skills details a potential conversation with a lead searching for a target property.
5. Insurance Cold Call Script
Insuranace sales reps also frequently rely on cold calling scripts to optimize their contacts with leads. In this cold call template example, Novocall outlines a conversation with a prospect that overcomes an initial objection.
6. b2b Cold Calling Script
Cold calling is a leading method of initiating sales contacts in the B2B sector. One way to build rapport with business owners and decision makers is by establishing a shared connection. In this cold calling script example, Lead Squared includes a mention of LinkedIn, social proof that the caller and the prospect share a connection.
Cold Calling Opening Lines
The opening line is a pivotal element of making cold calls, and this initial greeting can make or break a sales rep. While it’s also important to introduce yourself as the caller, build rapport and establish value, none of that will matter without an effective opening line. For best results, keep your sentences short, sweet and to the point.
Consider the following cold calling opening lines when writing a script for your next call:
1. Hi! This is [NAME] with [COMPANY]. Have a reached you at a good time?
2. Hello! This is [NAME] with [COMPANY]. Do you have 30 seconds to hear why [PRODUCT] could benefit your business?
3. Hi, [PROSPECT NAME], this is [NAME] with [COMPANY]. Have I caught you at a bad time? (The sales rep can then set up an appointment for a better time.)
4. Good evening, this is [NAME] with [COMPANY], and we’re committed to saving people like you time and money.
5. Hi [PROSPECT NAME], it’s [NAME] over at [COMPANY]. How are you? (Pause for response.) I know you’re busy, but the reason for my call is…
6. Hello, [PROSPECT NAME], it’s [NAME] from [COMPANY]. I was wondering if you could help me out for a moment. (If receiving an affirmative response) Great, I really appreciate it.
7. Hi, this is [NAME] from [COMPANY]. I’m calling because [MUTUAL CONNECTION] from [COMPANY] mentioned you might be interested in [PRODUCT].
8. Good afternoon, is this [PROSPECT NAME] with [PROSPECT’S COMPANY]? This is [NAME] from [COMPANY], and I’m calling to see if you’d be interested in learning more about how [PRODUCT] can benefit your small business.
Use these Cold Call Templates to Create Your Own Cold Calling Scripts
If you want your sales team to deliver a great cold call, it’s important to provide effective sales scripts for both an initial contact and follow up calls. Prospects might not be expecting the call, but with the right information they will find that the cold call was a welcome step in their buying process. Remember, the more calls your team makes, the more leads will become appointments, which can be converted to sales. The cold call, and the scripts used in it, are a vital part of any successful sales game.
Image: Depositphotos
This article, "6 Cold Calling Scripts" was first published on Small Business Trends
via https://www.aiupnow.com
Samantha Lile, Khareem Sudlow
