Article 101

A PROVEN SCRIPT FORMAT TO SET SALES APPOINTMENTS

IN THIS ISSUE:
1. A Proven Script Format To Set Sales Appointments.
2. The Pro and Con of This Script Format.

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1. A PROVEN SCRIPT TO SET SALES APPOINTMENTS

At the risk of simplifying, let me share with you a structure for a telemarketing
script which has proven successful at obtaining sales appointments with hard to
reach decision makers in a variety of industries. Before I share this script with you,
let me warn you that there is much that is done prior to this phone call, to maximize
your chance of success on the phone. Selecting your target, organizing yourself for
efficiency and effectiveness, all are important if your prospecting program is to
have a chance of cost-effectively generating new business for you. They are not dealt with here.

A Sample Script:
"This is Scott Channell from breakaway growth strategies. We help companies to
implement sales strategies that generate leads, set more sales appointments and
increase return on money invested to produce new accounts. I don't know where you are at with your sales process, but if you are looking for some new ideas, I would like the opportunity to introduce myself and tell you about some programs that have worked for other companies. Down the road, if you hear something you like, we hope you think of us. Would you have any time in the next week or two?"

Analysis of the Script:
" This is Scott Channell from Breakaway Growth Strategies."

Get to the point. Don't waste valuable time asking them how they are (who cares?), or whether this is a convenient time to speak to you for a moment (why should anyone give even a minute of their time if they have no clue how you might help them?)

"We help companies to implement sales strategies that generate leads, set more sales appointments and increase return on money invested to produce new accounts."

Immediately slay them with benefits. They will not talk to you or agree to give you
45 to 60 minutes of their time if they do not know clearly and concisely what benefits may accrue to them. Tell them immediately. Your target decides within the first 3 to 5 seconds whether they want to listen to you a bit longer. Give them reasons to listen to your full pitch. Tell them what you do. Then give them three specific benefits (not one or two) you deliver they may want.

"I don't know where you are at with your sales process, but if you are looking for
some new ideas I would like the opportunity to introduce myself and describe some
programs that have worked for other companies."

Why not state the obvious? You don't know, so admit it. They rarely hear that from a
sales person. Be different. New ideas? Who isn't interested in them if they are from
a credible source? "Introduce myself" is a low-pressure way of asking for a sales
appointment. It is a bit softer than telling someone you want to meet to try to sell
them something.

"Describe some programs that have worked for others."

Now we are giving them some information that may be valuable to them. These ideas have worked for others, so maybe they will work for me.

"Down the road, if you hear something you like, we hope you might think of us."

Take away the pressure. People are afraid you are going to attempt to sell them. Tell them up front that you will be thrilled if "down the road" they think of you. Remember, you are trying to get a face-to-face meeting. Be good at getting meetings and you have a chance to sell. Start to sell too early and you'll never get a chance to meet.

"Would you have any time in the next week or two?"

Tell them specifically what it is you want from them. Do they have any time in the
next week or two? They can say "yes", "no" or talk to you about it, but it is
absolutely clear what you want from them. If there is doubt in their mind as to what
you want them to do, they will be confused and the answer will always be "no".

Do not ask them if it is more convenient to meet "next Tuesday at 10:00 or Wednesday at 2:00". This tactic is so overly used that you immediately allow yourself to be lumped in with all those other uneducated salespeople who have preceded you and wasted your prospect's time with immediately obvious manipulative sales techniques. Prospect's flee from such salespeople. Don't let it be you.

Notice that this script takes only 30 seconds to deliver. If your script takes longer
than 30 seconds to get to the punch line, it is doomed to fail. After 30 seconds minds start to wander. People think 10 times faster than they can listen. Talk too long and they think of reasons why you aren't worth their time.

This script is modified to fit your specific circumstances, but the core has proven
effective for me again and again, in a variety of industries.

PRO AND CON OF SCRIPT FORMAT ABOVE.

The script format relayed above has proven successful and been used to generate tens of thousands of sales appointments in a variety of industries. However, there is a danger to using this format that you should be aware of.

First, let's state the obvious. The purpose of generating sales appointments is not
to just set meetings. The purpose is to ultimately generate more revenue and profits cost-effectively. Some people forget this and think that all they have to do is
generate appointments and they are on easy street. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Prospecting effectively and setting the appointment is only one step of an overall
effective sales process. The script above is very soft. Meaning that there is very
little disqualification going on. If you are not very careful about which companies
you choose to call, you could lose your shirt with such a script. You could spend a
lot of time and money meeting with prospects who won't buy or would be unprofitable to sell.

If you use a script like this you may (or may not) choose to ask some qualifying
questions to screen out the no profit time wasters. Or, you may choose to use a harder script more calculated to connect you only with prospects likely to buy in the near future.

The script format and qualifying questions appropriate to best meet your sales,
revenue and profit goals are determined after considering your revenue goals, gross margins, cost of inquiry, cost of sale and the length of your sales cycle.

Best wishes for good selling,
Scott Channell

copyright 2005-2009 Scott Channell

Article 39	Proven Script to Set Sales Appointments
	by Scott Channell