Consider many of the most successful and renowned salespeople in the world, and what their secret may be. Is it drive or determination? Organisational skills? Persistence? Those are all important qualities, but there is one essential trait that has helped them to the top of their game – personality.
But how do you teach personality? It’s not something that’s easily quantified or instructed on. Becoming successful at sales involves a strong, outgoing and memorable personality, and if it isn’t something that comes naturally to you it can take considerable education and personal growth.
The other key that all successful sales people must possess is an effective system. Simple steps to follow that attract attention, generate leads and make conversions. Sales scripts are one element of this system that are proven to produce incredible results. They contribute greatly to increasing the sales of top performers and give them a starting point from which to measure, manage and grow. After all, the best test of a good salesperson is how consistent their results are.
Sales scripts are also an excellent starting point for new team members. They give them a solid basis from which they can learn, hone their abilities and start tracking their results. Sales scripts provide for the measuring of conversions on a daily basis and are virtually guaranteed to increase sales right away. Of course, initially it all comes down to exactly what should be written into them and just how they’re best used.
Sales scripts are methodical, detailed, well documented, teachable and highly effective. They are absolutely essential for selling any type of goods or services. Written down beforehand, they are a simple and useful reference point to give any salesperson control of the call, while the customer feels he or she is being listened to. Best of all, they create the ultimate result – the make deals happen.
While all sales scripts will differ depending on what industry the salesperson works in, general concepts tend to remain the same. Sales scripts will also differ depending on whether the calls they are used for are incoming or outgoing. A few great examples of universally effective sales scripting include the following:
- Opening statement: “May I outline the reason for my call?”
- Permission seeking: “Would it be alright if we go through the call this way?”
- Rapport building: “What is your biggest challenge at this time, in that area?”
- Fact finding: “What is most important to you in this area?”
- Paraphrasing: “Based on what you’ve just told me, it sounds as though…”
- Temperature checking: “How does that fit with what you had in mind?”
- Securing the sale: “Would it be ok for me to give you the steps for getting that process underway?”
- Concluding the encounter: “Congratulations on your purchase and good bye for now.”
Scripts are there to be read, but they must be learned, practiced, used, measured and improved – it’s an ongoing process. Doing so will help you continue to increase your conversion rate and number of prospects for all team members. With an effective script, you can make selling far less of a guessing game and enact a system that helps your entire sales team feel more empowered and confident.
