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"Phone Scripts: The Winning Structure"Get the structure of your phone scripts right and you will be surprised to find that you have considerably more ability to control call than you ever knew you had. Successful phone scripts have three distinct sections: an opener; a body; and a close. A good opener puts you in the driver’s seat and establishes you as the one in control of the call – better you than your prospect! The well-crafted body engages you in relevant conversation with your prospect – conversation that keeps the call on track for an appointment and does not take you down a rabbit trail of irrelevant conversation. The ideal close results in one of three outcomes: An appointment; an agreed upon time for you to call back; or a crystal clear reason that this is not a viable prospect for your business. These three sections are supported with a structure of sentences and questions that allow the successful cold caller to take each call where the caller wants to go as a matter of skill not a matter of chance. Want valuable knowledge that very few cold callers have? Use this page as your guide through the process of examining your opener, body and close and to evaluate the stability of the structure of your cold calling script. Ask these questions: 1. What sentences/questions do you use to break the ice … does your opener move you toward your goal or risk taking the call down a rabbit trail? 2. What sentences/questions do you use to keep each call moving … does the body of your script move you toward your goal or risk taking the call down a rabbit trail? 3. If an objective party looked at your script what would he/she say is the apparent goal of your cold call script … how effective is your close? Next, check out the structure of your script. Structure has to do with the nuts and bolts of the conversational patterns. You want patterns allow you, the caller, to direct the call toward scheduling an appointment. That desirable outcome is accomplished with the following structural pattern. Caller: Makes a statement, followed with a question. Prospect: Makes a statement and asks a question Caller: Makes a statement, followed with a question. Prospect: Makes a statement and asks a question
Now, examine the structure of your current phone scripts. Do you see sentences followed by questions? Have lots of sentences with very few or no questions or all questions? Remember, the one who asks the most questions is the one who is in control of the call. Most cold callers who follow through with this exercise are surprised to see they are not the ones in control of their own cold calls. Sure it’s embarrassing to realize control has been forfeited to the prospect. But the good news is – as soon as you see what is happening – you can regain control by incorporating relevant questions into your script. Warning: making changes will not feel natural or comfortable at first. Know, this is part of learning. Rest assured that with a bit of practice you will feel right at home with your new structure. The close of strong phone scripts gives you one of three desirable outcomes: an appointment, a mutually convenient callback time or in a rare, rare circumstance a clear reason this is not a viable prospect for you. Now, look at your cold call stats and answer these questions: What percentage of your cold calls result in appointments? What percentage of your calls end with a call back time? What changes can you now make to your cold calling script to increase these percentages? Your steps for building killer phone scripts: 1. Gain valuable knowledge … with a ruthless examination of your current script 2. Identify your opener, body and close … or lack thereof 3. Scrutinize your structure of your current script for sentences and questions ... ask who controls you calls, you or your prospects 4. Rewrite your cold calling script as needed Yes, this is work. Invest a couple of hours in your cold calling scripts and watch that time pay you back with predictable, reliable results from effective cold calls. Recommended ResourcesCold Calling Techniques: That Really Work Related ArticlesSample Cold Calling Script: Closing Lines That Work
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