If there is 1 missing link in losing scripts, 1 mistake I see commonly that absolutely cripples your ability to sell over the phone, it is this:
The lack of an effective credibility statement.
In fact, the lack of any credibility statement at all.
How do they know you are more worthwhile than the other 20 people who call them every week to waste their time?
How are people supposed to know that you are not some schmuck working out of their parents’ basement?
How do people know you are unique and more valuable than others they might find with a few keystrokes online?
They don’t.
They don’t unless you tell them.
Why should they invest even a few moments on the phone with a stranger of unknown qualifications and experience when the identity of qualified vendors and experts are just a few keystrokes away?
They won’t. Unless you give them reason to do so.
Example: I once received a call from a very accomplished sales leader in a niche industry. She was now consulting, and she could not understand why people were hesitant to meet with her and why so many appointments scheduled were canceled.
Here is a clue. People who blow you off obviously don’t “get” your credibility or value.
In this case I knew a lot about the results that this salesperson had achieved for organizations. She had a stellar record of achievement helping companies solve common and costly problems. Prior to her consulting career she had been in the field and had consistently ranked within the top three of a 15,000+ sales organization.
Did the person she scheduled the phone appointments with know anything about the results she had achieved for other organizations?
No.
Did the person she scheduled the phone appointments with know anything about her extraordinary record of personal achievement in the industry before she started consulting?
No.
Should we really be surprised that decision makers blew her off or no-showed her appointments?
No.
Take a look at the credibility statements in the front half of the script that changed her life.
“Hi. This is Liz from Mega Industries. We help companies to _____________ and those that have worked with us have achieved major benefit A, monster result B and significant achievement C. Before I started consulting I was a top performer in this industry achieving stellar result A, Super result B and unbelievable result C. … continuing.”
Conveying credibility makes a huge difference and if you do not do so right up front, you are toast.
Let’s take a look at some credibility statement options to get you thinking.
• Work with 3,000 businesses…
• 500 Kalamazoo area businesses…
• 18,000 customers…
• 98.5% of customers purchase again…
• Companies like Mega Industries, I.B. Sorry and Bob’s Burgers selected us…
• We are a preferred X org vendor…
• 63% of Massachusetts ABC industry companies use us…
• 22,000 installations in 10 states…
• #1 in the tri-state area…
• Do more business than our next 5 competitors combined…
• We typically achieve specific result X…
• One account achieved a 22% increase in ________….
• 3 projects in the last 6 months resulted in a $50,000 or more cost savings…
What do you notice about the above options?
No generalities. Full of specifics.
There are no… we are great, we are swell, we are full-service, superior, we really care for our customers…meaningless generality non-specific garbage. There is none of that.
Write down all possible credibility statements.
This is an excerpt from my book ” 7 Steps to Sales Scripts for B2B Appointment Setting.” There are many more sample sales scripts and language suggestions that can stimulate ideas for your own scripts that will work. You can take a look at the book on Amazon here.
