Five Steps to a Successful Sales Script

Win clients and crush the competition with effective, well-written sales scripts.

A winning sales script is the key weapon in your company’s promotional arsenal. It gives your sales team valuable tools in the form of questions and responses to guide prospects along the path to purchase. The ideal sales script is a guidebook, not a rulebook. It should be flexible, not rigid. Your team members shouldn’t feel like they have to repeat it word-for-word. Every successful sales interaction involves a certain amount of improvisation. The script is there to point your team in the right direction.

Below, we will provide a solid foundation of knowledge on writing and delivering effective, compelling sales scripts, no matter if you’re a business owner, a middle manager, or a chief marketing officer.

Know your audience

A prospect in one industry is going to have different wants and needs than one in another industry, and this is often true even of prospects in the same industry. Rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all script that won’t be truly effective for any audience, customize your statements and questions to fit more specific categories of potential buyers. Research each new client and learn the unique challenges of their particular job, the larger concerns facing their company, their competition, and anything else that might help shape a narrative.

Make sure your script covers the entire sales process, as well. Someone who’s just entering your pipeline requires a different approach than someone who’s on the verge of closing a deal. It’s not a good look if a rep uses the same introductory script for a prospect who’s previously met with other staff members, so it’s crucial to track every touch point a prospect has with your team and meet them where they are in the process.

You’ll also want to familiarize yourself with your audience’s pain points and focus on how your product or service can help alleviate them. Do your research and use this valuable data to develop your script.

Start with a strong opening

There are multiple components to a strong opening of your sales script.

• Give your elevator pitch. The first step to a strong opening of a sales script is a killer elevator pitch. This is a crucial opportunity to provide a quick snapshot of your business and what you’re offering. Many sales live or die on the strength of this pitch. Start by explaining the problem your company is trying to solve. A well-articulated problem will bring a prospect to the table; a solution is what seals the deal. At that point, the prospect knows why they need your help. Be sure to mention your value proposition – how you can solve their problem better than anyone else and why they should use you instead of a more affordable competitor.

• Stay focused when offering that beginning pitch to a new prospect. Don’t get too bogged down in the details just yet. Instead, zero in on a key way (or ways) your product or service can solve their problem and project the confidence needed to make it happen.

• Build trust and rapport. If you know nothing about the prospect, there’s little chance you can build a productive relationship. So it pays to put the time in and do the legwork to research potential clients. The more familiar you are with them before you sit down for that first conversation, the better it will go.
• Be curious. Ask lots of questions. The more you understand a prospect and their work, the stronger your connection will be, and the more likely they will be to want to work with you. 

While all of these elements are designed to help you win new business, well-crafted sales scripts have the added benefit of allowing you to quickly onboard new team members. By standardizing the learning process with sales scripts, you can provide quick answers to the basic questions every fresh employee brings to the table, leaving them more time to learn the fine details of your business.

Master the sales script structure

A well-produced script is a key tool to grow your pool of leads, build rapport with potential customers, and, eventually, convert more sales. They can also boost employee morale and lower stress. So how do you actually put together a winning sales script?

• Time it right. A good script has beats written into it that dictate when to start a hard pitch and when to wait until the time is right. If you turn on the sales language before even hearing the client’s pain points, you risk losing them. It also depends on who’s on the other end of the call – an entry-level worker may want to learn about basic features while a senior-level executive wants hard data about results.

• Focus on one thing. The best sales scripts are specific. They don’t try to sell every product or service you have. Remember, you’re not trying to close a deal with the first call. You’re trying to establish a relationship. Think about your prospect’s needs and which of your products or services can specifically address them. If they agree to a meeting or say yes to a free trial, that in itself is a marker of success.

• Use positioning statements. This establishes a rep’s credibility by demonstrating that they understand the client’s struggles and that they’ve helped other clients with similar issues. This is also a good time to bring up competitors in the space, which can spark a prospect’s interest if they feel they can get a leg up on similar businesses.

• Talk up the benefits. What will your company’s expertise do for this potential client? Lower costs? Boost productivity? Improve morale and reduce employee stress? Rather than spend time in the weeds on every little feature, stick to the larger benefits.

• Have a strong closing. This may be as simple as politely thanking the caller for their time and asking if they’re interested in scheduling a follow-up. Or it may be a final pitch that convinces a top-level official to make a major investment. Either way, it’s important to finish strong.

Build credibility

Most prospects aren’t going to do business with someone they don’t trust, so establishing credibility is one of the most important elements of your sales script. A credible salesperson comes across as sensible and competent with a pleasant demeanor and demonstrably good judgment. These qualities help forge a connection with your audience and build the foundations of a deeper relationship. The more your reps can demonstrate their knowledge and experience, the easier it will be to establish credibility.

Write a powerful CTA

The best sales call can fall flat if it ends with a lousy call to action (CTA). Go back to your objective – whatever intent you came in with – and do your best to bring the prospect there with you. The best clients are often the busiest, so the easier you make it for them to take the next step, the better. That keeps you in control and makes them feel like they’re in good hands.

Let the script do the work

It doesn’t matter if you’re new to the sales game or a veteran with decades of experience, you need a library of powerful, effective scripts to bring prospects in, no matter where they are in the sales cycle. The best sales scripts are organic, living documents, constantly being analyzed, tweaked, and improved to match the needs of new clients.

While this may seem like a daunting task, there are experienced professionals out there who can help. With thousands of hours of sales consulting experience, the team at MetaGrowth Ventures stands ready to help transform your staff into the world-class sales team of your dreams. Contact us now to find out more.