One of the most memorable scenes in a lot of movies are, as revealed by the actors themselves, improvisations.
For example, Leonardo di Caprio’s scene where he shouted “I am the King of the World,” and Gerard Butler’s war cry, “This is Sparta”, were all improvisations. Just imagine if these scenes were deleted — those movies might have a different feel.
But what do these have to do with telemarketing spiels?
The point is improvisations worked amazingly with these movies and it does too in telemarketing spiels.
BUT…
Having a script makes your calls more focused and you sound confident. It does not necessarily mean that you follow it to the letter, but some sort of a guide to improve your calls.
How to Create a Telemarketing Spiel that Works
Most canned telemarketing spiels have been overused. So it comes as no surprise when your prospects hung up the phone on you. So if you want your call to be successful, here are some key pointers:
Research your prospects
What do they desire most? Once you know that, you can focus on that one desire and you’ll be able to lock them down.
Have the right goals in mind
The end goal of every telemarketer is to close the deal. However, you also need to consider the situation at hand. Is it your first time to contact the prospect? Then trying hard to close the deal at that point can be counter-productive.
Related: The 4 Main Lead Generation Goals: What Has Changed & How to Reach Them
Create a list of pre-qualifying questions
You already know who your prospects are and what their desires are. Make sure that your pre-qualifying questions are designed to understand their challenges and how exactly they fit in the buying process.
Related: Ways To Qualify Sales Leads Over The Phone
Include the benefits of your offer
The benefits should be about how your offer can solve their pain points. Focus on their needs. After all, it’s about them and not you.
5 Powerful Telemarketing Spiels for Any Situations
Go for Small Yeses First
A common mistake that most sales people make is they tend to overload their prospects with a lot of information. That can cause analysis paralysis where a lot of options and too much information stops them from making a purchase decision.
To avoid that, give the information in parts, allowing them to say yes to less important offers. It might take much longer before you get the big yes but you are leading them to emotionally invest in your message.
Here’s how the flow will look like:
Hi, this is Mary from XYZ. How are you today? Right now, XYZ is working on a new solution that will help IT companies get more high-qualified leads with a 95% conversion rate. Is it something you are interested in? [If your prospect say yes, continue] We have two approaches in doing this. We can get those leads, qualify them, and give them to your sales team, or we can teach your marketing and sales team the strategy. Which of these solutions fits you? [Prospect answers] Awesome. Can I ask you a few questions before we move forward? [Ask the qualifying questions you prepared based on that one desire you’ve researched beforehand.] I’ll tell you a little more about the solution you chose. Then , let’s schedule an appointment so you can further explore your options. Does that work for you?
That’s not yet the big yes you want but the small yeses they gave you, but it allows you to bring them closer to the goal you want to achieve.
Make a Rejection into an Opportunity
There are days when a prospect will turn down everything you offer. Each of them will have different reasons for saying no. That’s fine but even if they don’t make a purchase, you can still make that rejection into an opportunity by asking for a referral.
[The prospect said that he’s not interested or he’s already satisfied with the solution he has at the moment.] I understand and thank you for telling me. Can I ask you one question before we end the call? [If the answer is positive, continue.] Do you know any of your colleagues who might benefit from the solution I am offering? [If he said yes, you can ask for a referral]. Great. Is it okay if I ask for their name and contact number? [If they gave you the contact details, thank them and end the call.]
Related: How to Turn Outbound Call Rejection into a Success Call
Charming a Gatekeeper
Every company or organization has a gatekeeper. They are the decision maker’s last line of defense against sales reps. Gatekeepers are usually the administrative assistants, receptionists, or office managers.
Instead of treating them as an enemy, think of them as a bridge to the person you really want to connect to. So instead of being rude, let them feel important by asking for their help.
Your spiel would look something like this:
Hi [gatekeeper’s name]. It’s Mary from XYZ. I was hoping to speak with [decision maker name]. What’s the best way for me to connect with them?
By letting them feel you need their help, you are acknowledging their importance in the organization. As Maya Angelou wrote, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will not forget how you made them feel.”
Leverage common connections
People trust their peers. If they see that the solution you’re offering helped their peers, it will be much easier to connect with them.
When you research your prospect, look at their social profile and see if you have a common connection. Start with this:
Hi [prospect’s name], this is Mary from XYZ. [Connection’s/client’s company name] have been discussing the excellent results they’ve been experiencing. Your name came up during the conversation when we were talking about other businesses that might benefit from our lead generation solution. I’d love to show you how we did it with [connection’s name] and how you can have the same results. Is it something that interests you?
Address any questions or concerns they might have but don’t forget to mention that they can ask the common connection about their result. Once they confirm that, it is easier to schedule an appointment with them.
Related: 4 Ways to Get Past Gatekeepers and Reach Prospects Every Time
When You Have a Time Limit
Although you want to invest time into your conversation with prospects, there are situations where your time is very limited. And you cannot do anything except present your one-sentence value proposition. No matter how short your call is, you can still kill it by explicitly stating what you’re offering.
Your sentence might go something like this:
Hi [prospect’s name], this is Mary from XYZ. I'm calling high-tech companies to tell them about our new lead generation strategy that exponentially boosts your pipeline. I’ll keep it short. This solution is to show you how to create a passive lead generation tool using your LinkedIn profile. Is this something that interests you?
Putting Your Spiels to Work
No matter how seasoned or experienced you are as a salesperson, having a point of reference when calling prospects makes a lot of difference. Sales scripts give you peace of mind as you go from one call to another.