Irish golfer Padraig Harrington was on the verge of winning the prestigious British Open when disaster struck.
On the 17th hole, clinging to a one-shot lead, self-doubt crept in. And Harrington sliced the ball into the Barry Burn River.
Hole 18 was no better. He sent another ball – and his confidence – sailing into the Barry Burn.
Naturally, Harrington thought he had thrown the tournament away. But his caddy, Ronan Flood, didn’t give up.
As the two trudged up the fairway for the penalty shot, Flood repeatedly assured Harrington that he was the best chip and putter in the world. All he had to do was focus on one shot at a time.
What Made the Difference?
Flood said the right thing at the right time. He funneled Harrington’s thinking away from failure and toward positive action. His words shaped the golfer’s confidence, guiding him into a winning mindset.
During sales calls, your reps need to feel confident. Well-written call scripts contain powerful copy lines they can use or adapt. Having the right words at your fingertips makes it much easier to keep prospects on the right track.
Tip #1. Use silence to your advantage
After you’ve introduced yourself at the beginning of a sales call, pause for a few seconds before saying another word.
Pausing calms your nerves. It gives you time to breathe in and exhale out. If you don’t allow yourself a deep breath, your words will come out rushed and feel forced.
Rushing sets you up for failure. When your body is tense, you focus more on your discomfort and less on your prospect.
Beyond that, fear is palpable. When prospects sense fear and uncertainty, they tune out. And that sets off a chain reaction.
Fear causes blood to flow away from your brain’s frontal lobe, the part that controls logical thinking.
And the reptilian part of your brain, which helps you fight or flee, takes over, impairing your cognitive ability.
As a result, you can’t think and respond quickly. It’s a vicious cycle that erodes confidence and creates more anxiety.
So use that tiny window of silence to pause. Then ask a non-salesy question, such as:
“Congratulations on your new promotion. How are you finding the new role?”
A question like that lets prospects know you’re not just calling them at random. You’re interested in them and their accomplishments.
Meanwhile, you’re getting a chance to learn more about them as individuals.
Tip #2. Demonstrate your unique value upfront
Realizing self-worth is key to maintaining confidence throughout a sales call. Offering something of value is less stressful than asking for something.
If your prospect has downloaded information about one of your products, that’s a perfect opportunity to open up the conversation.
“The reason for my call…I noticed that you requested a spec sheet on our new commercial dishwasher.
“Many of our clients have found that information helpful in comparing our dishwasher to the competition, especially when presenting to purchasing decision-makers.
“Did you also find that information helpful?”
If your prospect says yes, you can reply with:
“That’s great. I’m sure you have questions about some of the details outlined in the spec sheet. May I answer those now?”
If your prospect says no, say:
“I understand. There’s a lot to consider. Buying the right appliance can take some time.
“There is one section that seems to help our clients understand exactly why our dishwasher is more reliable than any others on the market. Would you like me to walk you through that now?”
Tip #3. Modify with another offer that’s less of a step
Now that we’ve examined two tips for your sales call script openings, let’s look at a tip for your close.
And that is, go for a small win. Small wins build confidence too. They motivate you to keep trying.
Let’s say your primary goal is to get the prospect to agree to an in-person demo of your product at their place of business.
But they say that they don’t have the time right now for an in-person demo. Or they’re just not ready for that yet.
Any way you can get the conversation moving forward is a success. What offer(s) do you have that you can fall back on?
- Ask if you can schedule an online demo via Zoom
- Ask if there’s someone else in the company you should be speaking to
- Offer to send them a helpful article, blog post, or case study
Another option is to say:
“I realize you’re busy. Let me email you a link to our sales manager’s scheduling app. You can pick a time that’s best for you. The app can schedule appointments for up to 8 weeks ahead.”
When it comes to sales call scripts, every word counts
Remember Padraig Harrington’s caddy, Ronan Flood? He spoon-fed Harrington the exact words he needed to hear, reminding him to focus on one step at a time.
Similarly, a well-crafted call script will feed your reps winning words in pivotal situations.
Because they have a good script to rely on, they’ll feel more confident. More focused. And more likely to get a prospect to take the next step.
Need help writing compelling call scripts? I’d be delighted to help. Contact me here.