Sell The Meeting: Set Discovery Calls & Sales Appointments To Close New Accounts: A Lead Generation Process With Phone Script Samples For B2B Appointment Setting & Cold Calling

by Scott Channell

The goal is to enable buyers, those who recognize a need on some level, to think “whoa. They do X. I want to improve that or make a change. I’ll listen for a moment.” That’s

The biggest hole I commonly see in scripts that are not working is the lack of a credibility statement.

You must signal that you are top tier and worth their time.

Numbers matter here. Has your company worked with 3,000 businesses?

Name drops are very powerful. Combine name drops with specific numbers of those who have selected you, and you have a powerful combination.

Include name drops in pitch

Don’t approach it from “we have worked with companies A, B, and C….” That emphasizes you. Approach it like this: “companies such as A, B and C have selected us…”

You must quickly, clearly, and concisely communicate 3 benefits they want.

The best appointment setters speak softly and relaxed, yet their words have a great impact on buyers.

When crafting your benefits (or your whole script for that matter) do not give 1 second of thought to pleasing non-buyers. Many water down their impact so that they can have more comfortable conversations with those who will never buy. Do not do that. Craft words and relate benefits directly that will have an impact on buyers.

Two Super Words You Should Include. Options. Strategies.

Decision-makers love to hear about them, and the idea that there may be a selection lets them have a sense of control. Decision-makers want to choose and be in control. Use those words.

Never lead with saving money as a benefit. If you feel compelled to mention cost savings at all, it should be the last benefit you mention.

Remember, you set a meeting or discovery call by offering an exchange. Their time for information or knowledge that would be helpful to them, to be delivered at the meeting

You want them thinking “hey, I probably won’t work with them, but it sounds like they have a ton of experience and I can learn some things worth the time.” The meeting or discovery call should be worth their time, even if they don’t hire you. To achieve that you need to describe what they will get at the meeting worth their time.

You must end your 30-second initial “set the appointment” pitch with “would you have some time in the next week or two?” Why? You need to know whether the suspect has agreed with your substance and concluded that you are worth their time. If they say “sure,” you know they have concluded you are worth their time, and now all you have to do is park them into a mutually agreeable date and time.

But what if you ask like many? “would you have time on Tuesday at 10 or Wednesday at 2?” If they say “no,” you don’t know whether they are rejecting your request or merely objecting to the time.

You want all your key “go to” info you might use during the sales process in one place.

You want to list out what I call “proofs.” This is simply anything that proves or validates what you say: Industry statistics Quotes from experts Quotes from studies or industry journals Stories of companies you have worked with Before and after stories or statistics Statements of previous clients Reference statements Regulatory or government regulations 3rd party rankings or endorsements Awards or recognitions Anything that proves or supports what you say should be written down.

Need to write a proofs list

Remember the goal here is to create a “pile of words” document that is your go-to place for all the most powerful words, phrases, examples, statistics, yada yada which that be used in a script or might lead to something you would use in a script. Your “pile” is used not only for scripting but a resource you reach for when crafting emails, objections, preparing for meetings, or crafting proposals. All your impact words and stats should be in here.

Fact. People think 10X faster than you can talk.

Simple short verbiage that does not activate preconceptions, bias, or previous negative experiences is what you want.

When you use words like best, superior, top rated, you are asking them to make a judgment.

Stick to solid, straightforward statements of fact.

What Are The Important Issues In The First 3 Seconds?

First, your presence. Do you sound like a peer? Do you sound like someone capable of helping them? Are you perceived to be cool and confident? Or, has just the slightest hesitation, lack of confidence, or touch of confusion crept into the first few seconds of your interaction? If so, you are toast right from the beginning.

These are the building blocks you must communicate within 30 seconds to maximize your shot at selling the next step.

Who you are and where are you calling from. What you do. That you are credible. 3 benefits clients/accounts get from working with you. What they will get at the first meeting with you. (Worth their time even if they don’t buy.) Ask to meet.

Cold call structure

Your goal is to earn the next step: To sell a meeting. That is your sole objective, and you must stay locked onto

In my opinion, you show respect for those you are purposely interrupting when you are prepared and take the least amount of their time possible. Say what you need to say, then let them respond “yes” or “no.” Done.

You are interrupting them. Nothing you say can change that. Once you decide to call you have decided that interrupting busy people is acceptable. That being the case, why not make that interruption worthwhile for those you can help. For those who have needs you can fill, who would love to speak to a top-shelf credible, experienced provider. Make the interruption worthwhile for them.

You earn the next step by saying things that enable buyers to conclude that you are worth more of their time — nothing else.

Reality is that our calls are rarely slam dunks. It would be lottery ticket luck to hear “wow, am I glad you called. You sound just right. Come on down.” Not happening.

It is far more likely that the decision to meet, speak, or communicate again teeters between “Ahhhhhh, well…. Ummmm… I think we are all set” and “Ahhhhh, well….. ummmm…. Okay.” That is the space where success or failure on the phone is determined.

I always envisioned my suspect balancing on a fence. On one side was “Ahhhh, well, I think we are all set” and on the other was “Ahhhh, well….. Okay.” They were balancing on that fence, and a sl...

You only have two things to work with on the phones: your brain and the words you use. I envisioned the words I chose to use as the breeze. If my words had enough impact, they would be moved onto the “Ahhhhh, well…. Ok...

The most skilled and successful lead generators speak softly and have understated laid back phone personas.

Cool, calm, collected

Here is another vision of mine. I imagined the phone was 3D and when a decision-maker uttered “hello,” I would reach through the phone and start clubbing them with a 2 x 4. I’m not kidding. My “club” were words I had carefully chosen and delivered.

If you tiptoe up to your suspect while lightly tapping them on the shoulder and whispering “excuse me,” that does not have sufficient impact to overcome the environmental and gravitational forces conspiring to thwart your success on the phone.

Always professional. Always softly communicated. But every word is calculated to have an impact and enable buyers to conclude that you are worth more of their time.

If it takes you 50 seconds to say things you could say in 30 seconds, you will lose opportunities.

You will lose great opportunities if your opening is not good enough.

Because you sounded like all the rest and said nothing sufficient for them to conclude you were worth listening to.

You will lose great opportunities. Not because you were not the best option. Not because you lacked the experience or know-how. But because you didn’t say the things in the first 3 and 30 seconds of your prospecting call to enable a buyer to conclude that you were worth more time.

Assume There Is A Buyer Behind Every “Hello.”

When crafting your scripts, you must assume that every person you speak to has a need you can fill.

Ya, I know. Most of the people you speak to will not be buyers. Meaning that they don’t have needs you can fill. They won’t be writing checks to your competitors within the next 3-15 months. So what? Forget about them.

Most of the people we choose to prospect and will have conversations with do not have needs we can fill.

If you water down the words you choose to say in the first 3 and 30 seconds of your conversation so that you can have more comfortable conversations with those that will never buy, your words will have much less impact on the buyers, when you happen to bump into them.

Dont change message for non buyers

Within a few seconds, that future buyer will decide if you are worth listening to for a few more moments. If you use up those precious seconds with “hi, this is Harry from Mega Corp. Did I catch you at a bad time? Do you have a few moments? I know you are busy, so I’ll be quick…”

What are you going to do to avoid the possibility that a great future account for you, someone who wants and needs what you provide, will choke on the words “we are all set.” They choke on their automatic reject blow off words because you communicated credibility and value that may help them.