Tweet

How To Throw Out Your Cold Calling Scripts

Guest post by: Ari Galper

Article Overview: Five Ways to Be Yourself Again in Cold Calling!

How To Throw Out Your Cold Calling Scripts

Recently you may have received a cold call from someone using an old-style linear sales script. You probably recognized it as a cold call because the person sounded a bit robotic and kept talking without allowing the conversation to “breathe.”

If you’ve been selling for a while, chances are you’ve been asked to use sales scripts yourself. Consequently, you’ve probably used them because they were the only way you knew to start a cold calling conversation.

Here are some questions you need to ask yourself:

• How do you really feel when you use a script?
• How do your potential clients feel when they know you’re using a script? (And they do know.)
• How many sales are you losing because you’re using a script?

When people call me and ask how they can throw out their scripts and cold call the natural way, the first thing I do is ask them whether they’re willing to role-play with me using their script.

After a few moments of listening, I gently stop them and tell them they’re sounding like a totally different person from the one who called me and talked with me so naturally about their sales issues. You know what they always say. “Ari, you are so right. When I use a script, I feel as if I can’t be myself. I feel like a robot or an actor, and it’s awkward and uncomfortable. Is there any way I can be myself again?”

Here are five ways to throw out your linear selling script and be yourself again:

1. Admit that Scripts Make You Sound “Scripted”

When you begin your sales script, potential clients detect the very subtle change from your natural voice to your unnatural scripted voice within seconds.

“Fine,” you might say, “I’ll just work on making myself sound natural.” However, that in itself creates a conflict. You can’t “work at” being natural. Really, you either are or aren’t.

2. Start your Cold Call as a Conversation, not a One-Way Pitch

If you’re used to scripts, you’re probably wondering, “How the heck will I know what to say without a script?”

You might want to ask yourself why you think you won’t know what to say, because the reason for that is important. It means you’re basing your cold call on what you have to offer, and not on what’s important to the prospect.

Pitching your solution as soon as you begin a cold call is one of the biggest problems with linear sales scripts. That’s because you trigger sales pressure by doing that. This causes potential clients to react with defensiveness or immediate rejection.

3. Create Openings Rather than Forcing a “Yes”

Selling scripts are designed to be linear and step-by-step so you can move cold calls in the direction you want them to go. From the traditional cold calling point of view, that direction is toward a “yes.” The belief is if you don’t get a “yes” at the beginning of the cold call, you’re not “selling.” However, that’s the biggest problem with scripts. They give you only one path to follow.

If you can start a conversation that triggers a “What do you mean?” response from your potential client, then you’ll find you can explain yourself in a natural way. It creates a two-way dialogue, which in turn lets you learn what you need to find out. You flow with the conversation without feeling you’re getting off-track.

4. Tape-Record yourself talking with someone you know. Then Record yourself Reading your Script.

Have you ever heard yourself calling a potential client and reading your script? The answer is probably not. Most people who use scripts think they sound natural because they’ve never actually heard themselves before. If you do this simple exercise, you’ll hear the same kinds of differences I hear when people role-play with me.

In our day-to-day relationships, we simply want to get to know and communicate with others. However, when we go into cold calling using scripts, we have an agenda, which is to make the sale. People sense this immediately and put up their guard. Between our hidden agenda and their reaction, there’s no chance to build trust through communication.

5. Set a New Goal for your Cold Calls

Focus on simply opening the conversation rather than trying to control it, so that potential clients feel comfortable telling you the truth about their situation. We've been taught for too long that we have to control the process. We never stop to think that scripts make it impossible for us to be flexible in how we communicate.

Surrendering your use of a script probably seems scary. Nevertheless, when you are able do this, you can begin to engage total strangers on the phone in ways that feel as comfortable as calling a friend. Yes, it’s possible, and don’t let anyone tell you that it’s not.

To your success,

Related Articles
  How to Cold Call without a Script
  What to avoid when cold calling – words to avoid
  Cold Calls - A New Way to Open
  Stop By All That Business Your Are Driving By If You Want to Increase Sales
  4 Advanced Cold-Calling Techniques

Article Tags: cold call, conflict, few moments, heck, natural voice, pitch, robot, role play, sales script, sales scripts, scripted voice, subtle change



Related Forum Posts
Re: How to develop sales contacts? - Everyone has the right idea here. Depending on your business, there are different techniques that you could use. For consultants and sales heavy businesses, there are three tactics that I have found especially useful in my business: 1. Attend Networking Events 2. Cold Calling 3. Referral Program 4. Affiliate Program (most successful) The affiliate program was successful for me, as I hooked up with a franchise consultant, and he gave multiple unit businesses that needed my credit card processing services. I highly suggest you hook up with a sales partner, and give him a cut of the monthly revenue.
Re: Direct Mail Postcards - Post cards would be really expensive to send from Japan...but one way to advertise that is not expensive from overseas is by Cold Calling using cheap VoIP equipment. I know Japan has a really good internet connection, so as long as you are willing to stay up late, it might be an option. I cold call from Thailand far, far away from any city using a CDMA wireless internet connection and have had pretty good results. I find tho, that cold calling works best for business 2 business (b2b), rather than b2c products. --matt
Re: Cold Calling - As long as people are out of jobs, you'll probably have a lot of people who say they want to work for straight commission, but if they don't get paid fairly quickly, they usually move on. We've run into that and went through about 500 people (whose resumes looked really good) until we found about 3 good resellers. People just don't want to work for anything. Or they do a good job getting the business but don't do the follow up necessary to make the sale......so they move on thinking they need money NOW. Our business requires all cold calling as well. It's really tough for people to perfect that but there are a lot of good books out there. On is Cold Calling Techniques, by Stephan Schiffman
Re: how do I get started with Wordpress blog? - I agree that anybody thinking about starting a Wordpress blog should buy a domain name and set up a hosting account. When choosing a hosting account, make sure it is one that is set up for Wordpress and includes an easy installation script such as "Simple Scripts". Two web hosts I'd particularly recommend for Wordpress are Bluehost and Hostgator.
Need help on some crazy ideas... - Hi guys, We are bidding on a viral marketing video for a US based company (selling over the phone can be a challenge!) and I need your help. Can you please give me some crazy ideas - picture yourself being really really really angry with a website - what would you do to your computer if you were really mad... would you throw it against a wall... hit it with a baseball bat? Throw it off a building? Please let me know ASAP. Appreciate your help! Mark


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Quick Tips on Buying a Business

The Value of Small Businesses

Here's a great ROI

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.