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

Stay locked on communicating what buyers need to hear to trade you 30-60 minutes of their time — waste not one syllable on anything other than that objective.

Stop worrying about the clear majority of people you will contact who have no needs you can fill. Worry only about communicating effectively with those who do have a need.

You Are Not Trying To Implant Something; You Are Seeking To Activate Something.

A lot of callers stress themselves out suffering from the illusion that they are trying to convince people of something. You are not trying to do that.

Cold calling is not convincing

Buyers are those that on some level already recognize a need and are likely to write a check to you or one of your competitors within 3-15 months if you are not there.

If you think of it that way, it takes a lot of pressure off you. So long as you know that your verbiage is powerful enough to intrigue those who already have issues, a problem or an itch, you can stop pressing.

So the scripts you craft are calculated to compel action among those who already recognize they have an issue.

The bumping into the most buyers possible part has to do with your list, your setup, your call process, and how efficiently you work. The not screwing it up part is about your scripting.

You Will Need Four Core Scripts.

An identify the decision-maker script - A set the meeting script - Your voicemail script - Responses to resistance ( 3 variations) - An email touch

Don’t even think about crafting these scripts until you have fully brainstormed your “pile of words.”

It will take 6 major rewrites before you conclude that you have scripts that work. Those major rewrites occur after you start calling. If we could predict human response, we would not have to work. Start by creating the best script you can using your pile of words. It won’t be perfect, and you will feel uncomfortable with it. Start using it anyway. As you engage your suspects, you will smooth things out and punch up the wording to improve results. Expect to work through 6 major rewrites after you start calling, before you have comfort and confidence with your scripts.

As a practical matter, today, with tools such as Linkedin and various databases available, this step has been largely eliminated. For a very high percentage of your initial calls, you will start with a high degree of confidence that you know who you need to contact.

If you do not have a name, it is not your intent with this first call to identify them and speak to them.

Now, let’s ponder this a moment. Most sales reps call companies to speak to the decision-maker. It is the receptionist’s responsibility to protect those decision-makers from time-wasters. But you are not asking to speak to them. You merely want to send them some information.

Id like to send some info

It is also helpful if you come across as bored or nonchalant. You are less of a threat. They may even take pity on you.

You immediately act to obtain a few more nuggets of info. What info? Info that will help you to determine worth and info to increase the chance you will get them to pick up the phone at a later date.

In The Beginning, It Is Far More Important To Identify The Time-Wasters And Not Call Them Again, Than It Is To Identify Those Most Worthy Of Your Time.

Think of it this way. Once you lock onto a decision-maker, you will work a process that has you making 9-12 dials to that decision-maker. If you can determine on call #1 that the potential worth is too low to be a good client, you won’t be making those follow-up calls. You just saved yourself from making 8-11 future calls to a low-value or no-value prospect.

Notice that we did not identify ourselves or our company in our “Identify the decision-maker scripts.”

Don’t red flag yourself. Be simple. Be direct. Be nonchalant. Get your info. Hang up. Next.

Your objective is to obtain a commitment for that person to spend more time with you or a representative of your company.

You are seeking to enable them to conclude that more time spent with you would be worthwhile. That the risk of you wasting their time is pretty low.

Script Number One: Suspect: “Hello, Busy Bobby here.” Lead generator: “Hi, this is Paula from Super Service Group, specializing in widgets, wadgets, and custom services. More than 600 companies such as Mega Corp, Brito and I. B. Sorry have worked with us to reduce production cycles by 12%, downtime, and unplanned expense. If you are open to reviewing options regarding widget production and customization, we would like to introduce ourselves and share case histories, strategies, and some things we do differently that companies appreciate. No clue if we might be a fit some time, but willing to share our experiences. Would you have any time in the next week or two?”

Script Number Two: Slight Variation. Suspect: “Hi, Distracted Dan here.” Lead generator: “Hi, this is Scott from Super Services. We specialize in employee relocations. Companies like L. L. Beanstock, Microsquishy, and 500 others selected us to manage the move process for 30,000 employees last year, as they get a single point of contact, 98% transferee satisfaction and competitive pricing. No idea if you might be open to reviewing options to improve your employee move process. If so, would like to share some examples of strategies used to improve satisfaction and cost efficiencies. If you hear something you like and think of us in the future that would be great. Do you have any time in the next week or two?”

I would recommend you adopt the following mindset.

1. The buyers are out there.

2. You have a worthy offering.

3. It is the most normal and natural thing in the world for you to be calling those who are most likely to benefit from your offering.

4. It would be the most normal and natural thing in the world for them to conclude that you are worth their time.

5. You are doing buyer...

6. On this call, you are a peer. You may not be a CEO, VP of Sales, or Exec VP of HR, but on this call and at this stage you have information that is valuable to them. Communicate with them at their level.

7. Be professional and direct

8. Resist the temptation to water down your upfront verbiage to have more comfortable conversations with non-buyers.

You do a disservice to those you can help and would welcome interaction with a provider of your caliber when you water down your verbiage. It is less likely they will conclude you are worthwhile.

To gain a commitment for the next step, you must convey confidence that your prospect would agree to invest more time with you.

Within the first 3-5 seconds after hello, assuming you are talking to a buyer, you must enable them to conclude that you would be worth listening to just a bit longer.

You lost them at hello.

If they are not buyers, if they do not recognize a need you can fill, or they would not be willing to act, fuhgeddaboutem.

Dont matter!

The opening is: “hi, this is Scott from Super Services. We specialize in employee relocations.”

Need to modify my script

Get into the habit of eliminating every syllable that does not communicate value.

If that person has a need, you must give them “cause for pause” ASAP. Insert not one extra word between hello and giving them “cause for pause.”

In this part of the script, we move on to describing bottom-line benefits. You want to relate 3 buckets of benefits that would have an impact on buyers.

Try to work in specifics. Numbers. Percentages. Specifics matter.

By mentioning 3 buckets of benefits, you increase the odds of hitting something that matters to your suspects.

But if you are talking a major sale or service delivery that entails quality assurance, dependability, knowledge, judgment, customization, delivery, transition issues, troubleshooting, compatibility, and myriad other considerations of satisfaction, the price is only one piece of the equation. For many, it is a small chunk, and the lowest price is not close to the determining factor.

Lower price does not mean lower cost. Not by a long shot.

Cost comes in other places

“competitive pricing.” And when you use that phrase, make it the third of your 3 buckets of benefits. Don’t lead with it, end with it.

Not the most important

First Few Seconds Script No No’s

Footballs Are Not Square; The Sun Will Rise In The Morning And Executives That Can Authorize Big Checks Are Busy.