how to build a cold call script that works
TRANSCRIPT
How to Build a Cold Call Script that Works
Michael Halper
Founder and CEO
SalesScripter
Core Concepts
Understand the Prospect
• Extremely busy
• Gets a lot of sales calls
• Likely not in buying mode
• Guard will be at a medium level
Core Concepts
Don’t Sound Like a Sales Person
• Sounding like a sales person will increase
guardedness
• More important early in a call
• Minimize product jargon
• Try to use real, conversational language
Core Concepts
Focus on the Right Goal
• Goal is not to sell the product
• Goal is to establish or schedule a first
conversation
*See Sales Prospecting 101 – Module 5: Mapping Out Your Ideal
Sales Process
Initial Contact
(First time to speak)
Cold Call
Inbound Call
Event
2 to 5 minutes
80% on prospect
20% on you
First Conversation
(Appointment/Meeting)
Phone Call
Face-to-Face
Discovery
20 to 30 minutes
50% on prospect
50% on you
First Meeting
(Presentation)
Discovery
Presentation
Demonstration
1 to 2 hours
20% on prospect
80% on you
Core Concepts
80 / 20 Rule
• 80% of conversation should be on the prospect,
20% on you
• Enables you to seems less sales-ish and helps
you to extract valuable information
• Use questions to get conversation focused on the
prospect
• Share enough about you to get to a first call
*See Sales Prospecting 101 – Module 5: Mapping Out Your Ideal
Sales Process
Initial Contact
(First time to speak)
Cold Call
Inbound Call
Event
2 to 5 minutes
80% on prospect
20% on you
First Conversation
(Appointment/Meeting)
Phone Call
Face-to-Face
Discovery
20 to 30 minutes
50% on prospect
50% on you
First Meeting
(Presentation)
Discovery
Presentation
Demonstration
1 to 2 hours
20% on prospect
80% on you
Core Concepts
Minimize Traditional Rapport
Building Tactics
• “How are you doing?” on first time speaking
• Minimize personal discussion
• You have not earned this opportunity yet
• This can start as early as the second time
speaking with someone
*See Sales Prospecting 101 – Module 8: How to Build Rapport (YouTube)
Core Concepts
Confirm Availability
• Determine if normal busy or crazy busy
• “Have I caught you in the middle of anything?”
• Pattern Interrupt
• Build rapport
Core Concepts
Soft Disqualify Statement
“I am not sure if we are a good fit for you.”
“I am not sure if you all need what we
provide.”
“I am not sure you are the right person to
speak with.”
• Decreases guardedness and builds rapport
and curiosity
*See Sales Prospecting 101 – Module 11: How to Perform the Perfect
Takeaway (YouTube)
Core Concepts
Name Dropping
• Internal contacts
– “I spoke with Tom White in accounting
and now I am trying to reach someone in
HR.”
– “I am planning on meeting with Tom
White in accounting and before I do that,
I would like to talk with someone in HR.”
• External clients
– “We work with LumberLift and helped
them to decrease inventory costs.”
*See Sales Prospecting 101 – Module 7: How to Get Around the
Gatekeeper (YouTube)
Core Concepts
Prepare for Objections
• A good script will include objection
responses
• There are only 10 objections that you will
consistently face
• Create an objections map that lists
anticipated objections with responses
*See Sales Prospecting 101 – Module 6: How to Deal With Prospect
Objections (YouTube)
Call Script Formats
Traditional Call Scripts
• Long list of paragraphs, statements, and
questions
• Hard to digest and use
• Intimidating
• Makes you sound scripted
• Not flexible
• Positions you to do most of the talking
Call Script Formats
Cold Call Blueprint
• Compartmentalizes a prospecting call
• Provides a flexible, yet structured approach
• Compartments can be filled with different content
for different scenarios
• Order of compartments can vary from call to call
• Sections to use
– Objective
– Introduction
– Attention Grabbing Statement
– Disqualify Statement
– Pre-Qualifying Questions
– Common Pain Examples
– Building Interest Points
– Close Attempt
Call Blueprint
Gatekeeper Introduction
“Hello, I am trying to connect with the person
that oversees sales. Can you point me in the
right direction?”
• Be direct
• Don’t say your name or who you are with if
not asked
Gatekeeper Introduction
Target Prospect Introduction
Attention Grabbing Statement
Qualifying Questions
Common Pain Examples
Building Interest Points
Close
Disqualify Statement
*See Sales Prospecting 101 – Module 7: How to Get Around the
Gatekeeper (YouTube)
Call Blueprint
Target Prospect Introduction
“Hello Mary, this is Michael Halper, from
SalesScripter. Have I caught you in the middle of
anything?”
• We include a question to determine level of
busyness in every target prospect
introduction
– Determines if normal busy or crazy busy
– Catches them off guard
– Shows respect and builds rapport
Gatekeeper Introduction
Target Prospect Introduction
Attention Grabbing Statement
Qualifying Questions
Common Pain Examples
Building Interest Points
Close
Disqualify Statement
Call Blueprint
Value Statement
“Purpose for my call is that we help sales managers to make it
easy for their sales resources to always know what to say and
ask.”
Pain Examples
“Purpose for my call is that we help sales managers and they are
often having challenges getting their sales reps ramped up and
always saying the right stuff.”
Name Drop
“Purpose for my call is that we worked with StrikeTech and help
them to increase quota attainment by 40% for the sales reps.”
Gatekeeper Introduction
Target Prospect Introduction
Attention Grabbing Statement
Qualifying Questions
Common Pain Examples
Building Interest Points
Close
Disqualify Statement
*See Sales Prospecting 101 – Module 1: How to Build Your Value Prop
(YouTube)
Call Blueprint
Disqualify Statement
“I actually do not know if you need what we
provide so I had just a couple of questions.”
“I am not sure we can help you in the same way.”
“I am not sure you are the right person to speak
with or not.”
Gatekeeper Introduction
Target Prospect Introduction
Attention Grabbing Statement
Qualifying Questions
Common Pain Examples
Building Interest Points
Close
Disqualify Statement
*See Sales Prospecting 101 – Module 11: How to Perform the Perfect
Takeaway (YouTube)
Call Blueprint
Qualifying Questions
1. Do you feel like it is challenging to get new sales hires
ramped up and performing?
2. Are your resources using any type of script or sales
tools that help them with what to say and ask? How do
you feel that those are working to help get your team to
perform at a high level?
3. Are you concerned about the amount of under-
performing sales resources that you regularly have?
• A couple of questions that help to determine the
level of fit
– Identifies whether it makes sense to keep talking
– Decreases the prospect’s guard
– Makes the call more conversational
Gatekeeper Introduction
Target Prospect Introduction
Attention Grabbing Statement
Qualifying Questions
Common Pain Examples
Building Interest Points
Close
Disqualify Statement
*See Sales Prospecting 101 – Module 4: How to Effectively Qualify a
Prospect (YouTube)
Call Blueprint
Common Pain Points
“Oh I see. Well a lot of sales managers that I
work with are concerned about:
• it takes a long time and is difficult to get new
sales resources trained and ramped up
• if the sales resources are saying the right stuff
when talking with prospects
• always have too many under-performing sales
resources
• not real sure how to get all sales resources
trained and saying the right pitch when
prospecting”
Gatekeeper Introduction
Target Prospect Introduction
Attention Grabbing Statement
Qualifying Questions
Common Pain Examples
Building Interest Points
Close
Disqualify Statement
*See Sales Prospecting 101 – Module 2: How to use Prospect Pain to
Generate Leads (YouTube)
Call Blueprint
Building Interest
• Product details
• ROI
• Name drip
• Differentiation
• Threats of doing nothing
Gatekeeper Introduction
Target Prospect Introduction
Attention Grabbing Statement
Qualifying Questions
Common Pain Examples
Building Interest Points
Close
Disqualify Statement
*See Sales Prospecting 101 – Module 8: How to Build Interest (YouTube)
Call Blueprint
Close
“But I have actually called you out of the blue so
I do not want to take any more of your time right
now.
Trial Close:
• What do you think about what we have discussed so far?
• Is this something that you are interested in discussing in more
detail?
Soft Close:
• A great next step would be for us to schedule a/an brief 15 to 20
minute meeting where we can discuss your goals and challenges
and share any value and insight that we have to offer.
• Is that something that you would like to put on the calendar?
Hard Close:
• How does your calendar look next Tuesday or Thursday morning
for us to schedule a/an brief 15 to 20 minute meeting where we
can discuss your goals and challenges and share any value and
insight that we have to offer.
Gatekeeper Introduction
Target Prospect Introduction
Attention Grabbing Statement
Qualifying Questions
Common Pain Examples
Building Interest Points
Close
Disqualify Statement
What You Need to Do
• Identify you value / value statement
• Identify the pain points that you resolve
• Build some building interest point
• Optional: Develop a name drop example
*See Sales Prospecting 101 – Module 1: How to Build Your Value Prop
(YouTube)
*See Sales Prospecting 101 – Module 8: How to Build Interest (YouTube)
*See Sales Prospecting 101 – Module 2: How to use Prospect Pain to
Generate Leads (YouTube)
SalesScripter
www.salesscripter.com
What do you sell? ___________
How does it help? ___________
What problems do you fix? ___________
What questions should you ask? ___________
1. Asks all the key questions 2. Maps answers to document library
If You Want More Help
• Books / Ebooks– The Cold Calling Equation – Problem Solved
– Do’s and Don’ts of Cold Calling
– How to Get around Cold Call Objections
– How to Build a Value Proposition that Generates Leads
– How to Build Sales Campaigns that Sell
– How to Build Email Drip Campaigns that Convert Sales
• Videos – Dozens of how to videos and slide decks
• 10 week web-based training program
• One-on-one sales coaching and consulting
• SalesScripter– www.salesscripter.com
– Walk-through services available
Contact Us
Michael Halper
Founder and CEO
SalesScripter
@salesscripter