Opening
Your opening should aim to bring together your purpose and the customer’s needs. You need to find/create the need and present a clear solution.
A great way to do this is by coming up with three common problems your customers experience that your product or service can help with. You can ask the customer if they’ve experienced any of these problems. This opens up an opportunity to show you have the solution.
Another way to find a need is to research the customer ahead of time. Look for potential trigger events using a tool like DiscoverOrg.
If the customer is a business, this may include new clients, new hires, new contracts, etc. If the customer is an individual this may include a new job, a move, big family changes, etc.
Open-ended questions will help keep the conversation flowing. Yes-or-no questions stop the flow and may end the conversation. Open-ended questions will also give you more information to use to personalize your pitch.
Finally, if this is a referral or you have a customer they would recognize, don’t be afraid to name drop. This is an easy way to build trust right off the bat.
Here’s an example of an opening script:
Are your cold call scripts costing you potential qualified leads?
Cold call scripts are not one-size-fits-all, so what works for one team may not work for the next. If you sell telecommunications, your cold calls could and should be different than a salesperson selling software. If you sell IT services, your cold calls could and should be different than a financial services consultant.
To tailor your cold scripts perfectly, it’s important to look at some of the best cold call scripts and determine why they work. You can use these scripts, tips, and tricks to up your cold call game. Continue scrolling or click a chapter in the below table of contents.
Structure Your Cold Calling Scripts
While you will inevitably stray from your script to personalize your pitch for each customer, having a script gives you the structure and guidance that will propel you to success. The key to the best cold calling scripts is a proper structure.
Introduction
Your introduction is likely the shortest part of your cold call, but it may be the most important. My intro is only 8 seconds. If you lose the customer here, you may not get another chance.
If you know the name of the person you’re calling, use it!
If you’re unsure if it’s them, give it a try. If it’s not them, you can ask to speak with them. You’ll start the conversation off with an air of confidence and familiarity.
It might go something like this:
Sales Rep: Hey—John?
Prospect: Hi, who’s this?
Sales Rep: This is Peter with Veloxy. Do you have a minute?
Prospect: I was just heading out the door…..
Sales Rep: Not a problem. When would be a better time to call?
When you ask if they have a minute, it does two important things. The first thing it does is tell the customer the amount of time you’re asking them to invest.
The second thing it does is tell the customer you value their time. This is a huge step towards gaining trust and building rapport. When the customer feels that you have their best interest at heart, they will feel less pressured and more receptive.
In some cases, the customer may respond to the last question in this script by asking what you’re calling about. In this case, you can proceed to your opening.
Opening
Your opening should aim to bring together your purpose and the customer’s needs. You need to find/create the need and present a clear solution.
A great way to do this is by coming up with three common problems your customers experience that your product or service can help with. You can ask the customer if they’ve experienced any of these problems. This opens up an opportunity to show you have the solution.
Another way to find a need is to research the customer ahead of time. Look for potential trigger events using a tool like DiscoverOrg.
If the customer is a business, this may include new clients, new hires, new contracts, etc. If the customer is an individual this may include a new job, a move, big family changes, etc.
Open-ended questions will help keep the conversation flowing. Yes-or-no questions stop the flow and may end the conversation. Open-ended questions will also give you more information to use to personalize your pitch.
Finally, if this is a referral or you have a customer they would recognize, don’t be afraid to name drop. This is an easy way to build trust right off the bat.
Here’s an example of an opening script:
Sales Rep: Mr. Nelson, thank you for taking my call. At Veloxy, we’ve helped hundreds of businesses eliminate non-selling activity. I believe your business uses Salesforce, is that correct?
Prospect: Yes! I’m not sure how much we “use” it, if you catch my drift.
Sales Rep: I completely understand—sales reps hate Salesforce data entry. We’ve been able to help sales reps eliminate 90%+ of their non-selling activity tied to Salesforce by automating and streamlining their sales activity. Are you interested in learning how we can help you maximize Salesforce adoption and sales activity?
Prospect: Most definitely!
Here is the perfect place to share the value you can bring to a customer.
Qualify the Lead
Your focus as a salesperson should always be to add value for a customer. If your focus is on meeting a quota or making the sale, you will likely come off as pushy and unfeeling. It’s important that the customer feels you’re sincere and empathetic.
This article talks more about characteristics and attitudes that will strengthen your sales approach.
To qualify a lead, you should sincerely determine if the customer truly needs your product/service. If so, your questions (and research ahead of time) will help you uncover this.
In the previous example, Mr. Nelson has a very clear need for help with Salesforce Automation. However, customers won’t always come right out and tell you their needs. Sometimes more questions are needed.
Here’s an example where the salesperson needs to dig a little deeper (we’ll back it up to the opening for context):
Sales Rep: Thank you for taking my call, Mr. Nelson. I’m calling to share with you our Sales AI solution for sales reps. Do you have a solution that delivers automated data-driven insights to your reps?
Prospect: Yes.
Sales Rep: That’s great! How well does that solution meet your reps’ needs?
Prospect: It’s fine, I guess.
Sales Rep: That’s good. But I’d love to share with you how we can turn fine into great to give you more revenue and a greater customer experience. Would you be interested in hearing more?
Prospect: Sure.
Sales Rep: Thank you. Clients have shared their past troubles with similar competitive solutions—low adoption, low ROI. Do either of these problems apply to your current Sales AI solution?
Prospect: Yes. Our CEO is demanding us to prove its ROI.
Sales Rep: Our Sales AI can prove its ROI in only 3 months. Would you like to know more?
With just a few questions and a one-sentence pitch, this salesperson has found a need and provided a solution for Mr. Nelson. This will make him much more likely to commit to the closing request, likely a meeting to discuss details of the package. If you’re looking for more tips on how to create a sales pitch, check out Fit Small Business’s article here.
Close the Sale
For a good close, it’s essential to have a goal right from the start. Whether you want to set up a meeting or demo, or you’re ready to sell the product right at the end of the call, have a clear next step. Don’t leave the customer wondering what comes next.
Having a clear next step will provide more qualified leads and ensure that there’s less drop-off between now and the next meeting. Something you can also do to boost the likelihood that your follow-up appointment will actually happen is to send a calendar invite. This will ensure that you’re on their calendar, just as they’re on yours.
You should communicate your invitation clearly and concisely.
It may help to have a date and time (or a couple of options) in mind to suggest. Otherwise, you may have clients slip through the excuse of “let me check my schedule and get back to you” or “I’m not sure when I’m available.” These may still come up, but they’re more likely when you give them a vague timeframe to think about.
Handling Objections
Inevitably, you will get plenty of “No’s” in your cold calling experience. It’s important to recognize the stage at which you receive the rejection and analyze possible reasons for the rejection.
Rejection in the Intro
If a prospect shuts you down in the intro, they often haven’t yet learned what it is they’re saying “No” to.
If they are still on the phone, you might rephrase your intro by asking if they have a minute to talk about X,Y, and Z, which at least lets them know the reason you called. This way, they can make a more informed decision if they still want to decline to talk.
If they stick around, make sure you are concise and get to the point so that they don’t feel like you lied just to get them to stay on the phone longer.
If they hang up, you have a couple of options.
In any case, don’t give up. Finances Online shared, “60% of customers reject offers four times before they say yes.”
Rejection in the Opener
A lot of rejection in the opener comes when someone is in a hurry to get off the phone (for various reasons) or when they feel uncomfortable with your approach. Instead of taking this as a personal attack, you can use this to help adjust your cold call script.
An important part of resilience in sales is learning not to get defensive or take rejection personally. It will resonate through the phone. When you put a lot of work into a pitch and cold call script, it can be hard navigating through the sea of rejections to find strong leads.
If someone seems uncomfortable or makes the situation awkward, maintain your cool. Awkwardness is not your enemy. It’s your job to stay consistently helpful, warm, and friendly. Redirect and break up the awkwardness by kindly restating your purpose for calling. See a good example in this video.
Objections as You Qualify the Lead
If there are real objections that disqualify your lead at this time, don’t give up. Look for a future opportunity.
For example, a Veloxy sales rep might hear the objection that a prospect is not looking to buy anytime soon.
The conversation might go like this (full method and explanation found in this video):
Sales Rep: I understand. Let me ask you a question. When you are ready to switch, would you allow me to be the first person in line to speak to you about generating more revenue?
Prospect: Sure.
Sales Rep: Thank you so much, Mr. Doe. Can I send you an email with my information so when you’re ready, you know how to get in touch?
Prospect: Yes, that’d be fine.
Sales Rep: Thank you. Before I get off the phone, what might have to happen in your role before you’re ready to move?
Prospect: We… well actually, wait, how can you help us generate more revenue?
Now, you have a future opportunity to follow up on and the personalization to follow up with. You can decide how frequently to check in with these back-pocket leads. Don’t let too much time go by, or they’ll forget you. But don’t spam them with too much contact either, or they’ll become annoyed.
Remember, focus on the customer’s needs.
Rejection in the Close
If they’ve listened to your pitch, but they don’t want to move on to the next step, you may have missed something. Think back over your call to find where you lost the flow of communication.
Sometimes you can do everything right and they still say “No”.
Again, don’t give up. If a lot of rejection in a row is getting you down, take a walk or have a snack.
Don’t let that rejection carry over into your next calls.
The Next Step
Once you’ve found the right cold script that works for you, you’re ready to find qualified leads. Then, when you’ve turned them into new clients, the next step is client retention. It’s important to keep customer information and orders organized, analyze results, and identify successful practices.
Veloxy offers products and services that will take your sales game to the next level. Keep in touch with customers, shrink your sales cycles, and bolster your sales team. We have the tools to transform your sales efforts into big wins!