June 29, 2016

4 Values You Should Communicate through Any Cold Calling Script

5 minutes

Each of us knows what it feels like to receive a cold call and know that the caller is reading questions from a uninspired script. While from a process standpoint it makes sense to have a standardized example of what you expect from your callers, for maximum effectiveness we should always be looking for new ways to innovate and improve cold calling scripts. What many people fail to realize, however, is that there is a key ingredient most companies completely overlook when writing a cold calling script.

Over and over again, we have heard the expression, “People follow other people,” but that statement is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to sales and marketing techniques. The very best salespeople and marketers understand the implications of the statement and how to apply that knowledge, which is that people will instinctively be attracted to and follow the values of other people. While it may not be feasible for a company looking to do telemarketing to allow callers to go completely off-script, it is absolutely feasible and effective to create a short bullet-pointed list of the values they want their callers to communicate through their cold calling script. While only you and your company are going to know the exact values you would like communicated, whenever you deliver a cold calling script to your telemarketing team or outsourced demand generation partner, it should always include a list of the values that you want your caller to communicate on your behalf. It is beneficial to add this list not a only as an addendum to your cold calling script, but also as a way to double-check the suitability of each of the suggested script statements and questions.

Below are four examples of values that “just sell well” when worked into a cold calling script.

Transparency and trustworthiness. These two values really are inseparable. Whenever your write a cold calling script, you should account for some element of transparency in the call. For example, who are you? Why are you calling? This first step can easily be accomplished in the initial point of contact by having callers quickly identifying themselves. A prospect will not trust without some element of transparency.

Respect. While respect can be demonstrated in several ways, one of the most important acknowledgements a caller can make when using a cold calling script is the understanding that prospects are giving their time when taking a call. It doesn’t matter whether this is accomplished by asking about the convenience of the time of the call—e.g., “Did I catch you at a good time?”—or by asking permission to continue the call. What matters is that you find a way to clearly demonstrate respect for the prospect.

Confidence in yourself and your product. What a cold calling script can do is help the caller differentiate the product or service. What the caller needs to be told is that how they communicate this information is crucial. What those who write tend to forget when writing a script is something similar to stage directions that you would give an actor. While a good script can ask leading questions and bullet-point relevant information, at the end of the day the caller needs to understand that they have a piece of important information that can help the prospect. A great example of how to incorporate this into your cold calling script is to add a leading question about the proposed value of your product or service—e.g., “Did you know that our company can probably save you 50% of what you are currently spending?”—but also add a statement in parenthesis: “(communicate this statement with excitement and confidence).” Don’t ever forget that how something is communicated can make or break any script.

Fun. Don’t we all really have enough to do? If you are going to spend a few minutes on something, wouldn’t it be great to be approached by someone who is jovial and who enjoys talking to other people? Some of the very best callers naturally will veer off script to tell a little joke or add a smile into the conversation. If you are writing a cold calling script, it can be very helpful to insert a lighthearted comment about how busy the prospect is that day. “I’m sure you are buried under piles of things that need to be done….”

Let’s face it, cold calling can work, but only if the cold calling scripts are taken to the next level. A good cold calling script writer will consistently be looking for ways to increase their effectiveness and improve the campaign ROI metrics. Communicating values through your script is the simplest and most underutilized way you can up your game.

For more information about demand generation services or cold calling efforts please visit ZINFI.com

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