How to Structure a Successful Sales Call – A 10 Step Roadmap to Close
Sales scripts are like road maps.?
I know, you’ve probably never used a road map. How about a GPS? The point is, if you're looking to go somewhere it’s important to know where you’re starting, a few important landmarks you want to hit along the way, and ultimately and where you want to end up.
This roadmap needs to be structured and outlined before you make a sales call, send an email, or a text message.
That’s right this structuring process applies to emails and text messages too.
Sales conversations, like a good road trip, can lead you to wander down some side roads or even take the back roads. You can stop along the way and sightsee a bit. But you’ll never get lost if you have a good map.
Your sales script helps you get right back to that main road, the perfect route, to your destination - a closed deal.
Let’s chat a little bit about designing sales scripts.
My 10 Step Structure for Successful Sales Calls
When I sit down to design a sales script or email sequence, this is the checklist I pull out. Each step has a purpose and builds on itself. I may let the prospect wander from time to time, but we won’t skip a step, and rarely will we get out of order.
Get out your legal pad and let’s start building your sales script – roadmap.
1. Gather intelligence
We want to open every call, email, or text message with a little intelligence gathering. That can be anything from “how did you find us?” to “what do you do for a living?”?
That second one is a gem.
People love to talk about themselves and that is the goal of this part of the script - get them talking before you ever think about pitching.
No one hangs up or deletes an email that starts with, “Tell me about yourself?”
2. Actively listen
We all think we’re listening, but we aren’t.?
Most of us are pre-judging the call or conversation. We all have the tendency to be thinking ahead, crafting what WE will say next.?
Trust me, you’re going to have to use a few tricks to stay focused on your prospect’s dialogue.
Active listening is key.
You can help yourself stay focused and at the same time send signals that you’re intently listening by interjecting verbal and visual cues that you’re listening. Say things, like:?
Of course, questions are powerful as well. But, even better is having that legal pad out and taking the occasional note (or even making a doodle - no one’s checking your paper) to remind you of things you want to ask or circle back to later.
Notetaking is a great visual cue and also dumps these nagging thoughts, getting your brain back on the prospect.
3. Start with logic
A lot of us have been taught that emotion sells.?
That’s kind of true. I actually like to say, “emotion buys, logic sells.”
In my experience, you have to start very mechanically and logically.?
Much like an attorney, I like to start creating a fact pattern that is hard to push back against. I don’t want my prospect to invest in any hyperbole or fantastical claim. These become misaligned expectations later.
Instead, I want them to start listening to my story. It’s human nature for them to begin building that emotion and fantastical possibly in their own mind.
4. Create enthusiasm
As they begin to build that ideal solution in their mind, in their specific context you will notice them getting excited.
When you start to see this enthusiasm, it’s time to fan the flame.
Assist them in imaging use cases and scenarios of your product or service. Ask them what solving these problems or achieving successful outcomes will mean for them.?
Notice I focus on their personal motivations.?
Business objectives are important, but they are talking to you because they have personal motivations – personal aspirations, career advancement, a bonus, or commission – for figuring out how to hit those goals.
Flush out these motivations and align them with your product to create enthusiasm.
5. Establish the why
As the customer gets more and more excited and their enthusiasm builds, don’t forget to start listening closely for the Why.
Test and affirm what you think the why is. Make sure that you have a clear and positive understanding of why they want to buy.
Then use that why to begin turning that emotion into commitment.
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6. Transfer emotion
Like I mentioned earlier, in most cases, you need emotion to close the deal.?
So, begin transferring that emotion by getting the prospect to begin storytelling. Get them to tell you how they’re thinking about using your solution and how it will change their current situation.
Get that emotion channeling into an “I can’t miss this opportunity” mindset.
7. Create a forward vision
Help the prospect begin to build a vision of the future with your product or service.
I like to do this by asking questions.?
Ideally, you have heard and built a few of these visions with your other prospects. Keep a list and use these experiences to help other customers build exciting new stories for their future.
8. Close
Practice your closes and build several different ones.?
You never really know what will trigger the emotion that takes you to the close - so build your close from several different angles.
These don’t have to be fancy or forceful. Just learn to close the loop, listen for the commitment, stop selling, and move to the next steps - getting them what they want.
9. Clarify and get commitment
Okay, this part is so important.
Too many deals float away because the salesperson doesn’t clarify the deal and confirm the commitment. In your script, document how you’ll recap. Cover how your solution works and set expectations for your customer.
Outline to the prospect a clear path to implementing your solution and getting what they want.?
Then get a commitment.
Once I have that commitment, I close with the next steps. My transition typically sounds something like this:?
“Okay, then let’s get you started…”
10. Next steps
Once you close with commitment and have clearly outlined the next steps, memorialize it in an email. Send them a brief summary of the deal and a simple checklist of the next steps. Be clear on what will you be doing and what do you need from them.
What did you think? Make sense?
A little different from your average cookie-cutter, copy and paste sales script, huh??
Each step has a clear objective and builds on itself to create confidence in yourself and the prospect.
I encourage you to use this framework as you write sales scripts and practice with them. This simple structure will help build confidence and credibility in all of your sales scripts.
Putting it to work
Most sales conversations break down in either the first or final few minutes.
This fumble is the result of not having a clear roadmap for our sale:
We're not going to suffer this anymore.
I encourage you to do the following simple exercises this week...
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2 年Terrific insights in this one Bill! Step by step. Great guide!!