The cold-calling script is used as a guideline for the salesperson to follow on a call. It lays out who they are and why they’re calling, how they’ll introduce themselves and what their offer will be, etc.
In this article, we’ll discuss 10 key elements of high-close rate cold calling scripts, which you can use to guide your own cold calling scripts.
1. Research Everyone on Your Prospect List
Before you start writing your cold calling script, you should go through your prospect list and research each individual prospect.
With social media platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook, you can get some or verify basic details about your prospect — their name, place of work, job title or position, level of seniority, location, and even their interests.
Don’t just research the individual prospects you’ll be calling — do some extra digging to learn more about each business on the list, too. Even though some businesses may seem to offer very similar services or products, there might be some subtle differences that can be addressed in your cold calling script.
Getting as much information as you can about prospects will help you write the best possible cold calling script, leading to better conversations, higher close rates, and more new business for your company.
2. Write a Strong Introduction
When it comes to cold calling, first impressions matter.
How you introduce yourself will set the tone for your upcoming cold call. The information you include in your cold call script’s introduction matters.
At the bare minimum, a successful cold calling script (and the cold call itself) should include the following:
-A greeting (i.e., hi, hello, etc.)
-Your name
-The name of the company you’re working for
-The type of industry your company is in
-What product(s) or service(s) your company offers
Ideally, this introduction should be roughly one sentence in length. It shouldn’t be a 20-second elevator pitch. Here’s a sample of what a strong introduction could look like:
Hi, my name is David Crow and I am with B2B Only, a B2B lead generation company that specializes in cold calling, telemarketing, and appointment setting.
You can easily identify the greeting, the cold caller’s name, his company, industry, and the services offered, all wrapped up in one neat sentence.
3. Give the Prospect an Out
This might sound counterintuitive, but you should give the prospect an “out.” But why?
If the prospect doesn’t have time to sit down and listen to your pitch, they’re less likely to truly listen to what you’re saying. It shows prospects you care about their time and don’t want to waste it. Most importantly, giving your prospective an “out” gives you the opportunity to schedule a future call.
You can give the prospect the ability to drop the call by simply asking if they have a certain amount of time to spare. If they do not, ask them when is a better time to call.
Although many studies suggest cold calling during certain times may lead to better results, there is no one single “good time to call” for everyone. Everyone’s schedules are different, and this applies to prospects, too, of course.
4. Pique the Prospect’s Interest
Now that you’ve gotten your introduction in, it’s time to pique the prospect’s interest. There are several ways to do this, such as:
-Sharing a powerful statistic, testimonial, or review
-Identifying the business’s pain points
-Telling a brief but engaging story related to the prospect and their business as well as the service/product you’re selling
There’s more than one way to skin a cat. That saying has a direct application to how you can get the attention of your prospect.
These are only a handful of ways to pique their interest. You may also want to write multiple versions of the cold calling script that features some of these different attention-grabbing strategies, to see which works best.
5. Pitch Your Value-Based Proposition
Assuming you successfully captured the prospect’s attention, you’ve arrived at what is likely the most important part of your cold calling script: the pitch.
With the pitch, you need to remember you’re trying to do more than sell a product or service. You’re explaining to a prospect what is in it for them.
How is the product or service going to help their business? Why should it matter to them? These are the questions you need to keep in mind as you pitch to the prospect.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of me, me, me when selling your product or services, but you need to avoid that.
Your knowledge of the product or service needs to be as deep as the Mariana Trench. Now is your time to go in-depth about how this product or service will specifically help the company — not just about how great your offering is.
6. Keep it Conversational
When writing your cold calling script, make sure it’s written on a conversational level. You don’t want to be too casual, but you don’t want to come off as too high-level, either.
Keep the tone conversational and at a level that’s easy for just about anyone to understand. Avoid getting too technical about your service or product right off the bat.
7. Ask Open Ended Questions
Adding open ended questions to your script gives you 2 main advantages during the actual cold call:
A. More In-Depth Information About a Prospect
Since open ended questions go more in-depth than a “yes” or “no” question, it gives you the opportunity to learn more about a prospect on top of what you already know. This can be a big advantage for when you talk to the prospect again for a follow-up appointment or call.
B. More Time to Get the Prospect to Warm Up to You
Open ended questions give you more time to have a real conversation with a prospect. These are questions that allow both you and the prospect to think, reflect, and talk on a more personal level.
Most cold calls are not going to be successful on the first try. You need to get the prospect from cold to warm, and the ability to ask them in-depth questions will help you do that on later calls.
8. Be an Active Listener
The tricky thing about cold calling scripts is that they are often one-sided. You can’t go in knowing what the prospect is going to say. So you need to listen to what they say and listen closely.
One way to be a good active listener is to take notes as the person on the other end talks. These notes can be used for later follow-up calls as well.
9. Include a CTA
A great cold calling script should include a clear and concise CTA — a call to action.
Your CTA is a closing statement with the intent of getting a prospect to take action. Examples of CTAs include:
-Scheduling a meeting or appointment
-Signing up for a free trial of a service
-Free samples of products
-Making a phone call or email to request more information
-Registering for an email list
-Downloading a free ebook
Be sure to have a call to action ready to go in all cold call scripts. Your prospect needs to know what it is you want them to do, so make it clear what that action is. The easiest way is to just ask them.
10. Prepare for Multiple Scenarios — and Going Off-Script
Your cold call is definitely not going to go exactly as your cold calling script will direct you. That’s why one of the most important elements of a strong cold call script is to be ready to adapt to different scenarios.
Think of cold calling scripts like a flow chart or a “choose your own adventure” type novel. There are many different routes the conversation can take, and it’s good to be prepared for as many as you can be.
At the end of the day, no flow chart is going to fit all situations you’ll experience on a cold call. So you need to be ready to go off-script.
Contact B2B Only for Cold Calling Expertise
Cold calling scripts are powerful tools for warming up prospects, generating new leads, and growing sales for your business.
But successful cold calls really need an experienced salesperson or prospector on your end of the call.
Unfortunately, developing cold calling skills and experience doesn’t happen overnight. It takes years before anyone can truly be an expert at cold calling.
At B2B Only, our prospecting and cold calling sales team have at least 15 years of experience in the industry. Our expertise and experience can help you navigate the ins and outs of cold calling — without you needing to write a cold calling script.
For more information, contact us today.