I hate sales scripts. Of course you need to be prepared for a sales call, but preparation doesn't mean you map out every single word you say. That's way too unnatural!
Staying flexible is extremely important, whether the call is in person or over the phone. In fact, if you're doing the sales call the right way, you can't know ahead of time what will come out of it!
Sure, you may have a general idea, and you may be right sometimes. But if you're asking really good questions, there will be plenty of times where you end up with an unexpected result.
And if you're just reading from a script, that won't happen. Plus, everyone knows when you're just reading!
There's a joke I've heard for years. A young salesperson goes to his manager and says, "Well, I went on the sales call, and I did great!"
"That's fantastic," the manager responds. "How did the prospect react?"
"Well," the salesperson answers, "I knew my part of the script, but they didn't know theirs!"
That happens all too often in real life. We get prepared for a phone call or an in-person sales meeting, then it doesn't go how we anticipated. And if we're not flexible enough, we panic!
Instead, when you first schedule a sales call, establish some common expectations. In Sandler, we call that an Up Front Contract. You want to agree upon five things:
- The purpose of the sales call.
- The prospect's agenda.
- Your agenda.
- The logistics, including date, location, and how long the call will be.
- The expected outcome of the sales call.
Then once you actually meet with the prospect, make sure you're still on the same page for all five of those things.
If you can establish a mutually agreed upon framework, you'll be prepared, while still allowing yourself the flexibility you need to succeed.
