Power Phone Scripts

MIKE BROOKS, “Mr. Inside Sales”, is a master phone script writer and author of The Ultimate Book of Phone Scripts. That book has been endorsed by the President of the American Association of Inside Sales Professionals (AA-ISP). Mike is the recognized authority on inside sales training and phone script development. In 2017, he was awarded the “Top Service Provider” designation for training and development, and has also been voted one of the most influential inside sales professionals by the AA-ISP for seven years running. For more information, visit his website: mrinsidesales.com.

• Foreword xviiIntroduction xixWhy You Need Phone Scripts xxiiHow to Get the Most from This Book xxviiPart I Laying the Groundwork for Success 1Chapter 1 What It Takes to Be a Top Producer: Ten Characteristics of Top Sales Producers 3Top Characteristic #1: Make a Commitment 5Top Characteristic #2: Be Prepared for Recurring Selling Situations 8Top Characteristic #3: Record & Critique Your Calls For 90 Days 11Top Characteristic #4: Thoroughly Qualify Each Prospect 14Top Characteristic #5: Re-qualify Prospects at the Beginning of your Close 17Top Characteristic #6: Build Rapport Before, during, and After a Sale 19Top Characteristic #7: Ask for the Sales Multiple Times 22Top Characteristic #8: Treat Gatekeepers with Courtesy and Respect 25Top Characteristic #9: Resign from the Company Club 28Top Characteristic #10: Invest Daily in Your Attitude 30Part II Prospecting Techniques and Scripts 35Chapter 2 Better, Smarter Prospecting Techniques: New Cold Calling Techniques That Work 37A Fresh Prospecting Approach for You 41A Better Approach Than “How Are You Today?” 43Don’t Say That, Say This! 45How to Develop an Effective Elevator Pitch 50Four Ways to Get Past the Gatekeeper 52Why Asking for Help is a Great Way to Get Information 55Stop Pitching the Gatekeeper—and What to Do Instead 57What to Do if the Prospect Takes Only Emails 60Chapter 3 Dealing with Resistance When Prospecting: How to Overcome Initial Resistance While Cold Calling 65Eighteen New Ways to Handle “I’m Not Interested” 67Five New Ways to Handle “Just Email Me Something” 71Five (Nine, Really!) New Ways to Handle “I’m Too Busy” 74Five New Ways to Handle “We’re Currently Working with Someone” 77Ten New Ways to Handle “We’re All Set” 79How to Overcome “We Handle That in House” 82How to Handle the “We’re happy with Status Quo” Objection 83Chapter 4 You Can’t Sell an Unqualified Lead: Qualifying Scripts to Identify Real Buyers 87Fifteen Ways to Handle the Competition Objection 89How to Question for Budget 94How to Qualify for Interest 98How to Qualify an Influencer 101The Only Qualifying Question You May Need 104How to Requalify Existing Prospects and Clients 107The Two Most Important Qualifiers (and How to Ask for Them) 110How to Qualify Prospects without Interrogating Them 114Chapter 5 Other Prospecting Situations—and How to Handle Them 121The Proper Way to Handle a Call-In Lead 121Features and Benefits versus Knowing How to Sell 124How to Build Instant Rapport with C-Level Executives 126Chapter 6 Voice Mail and Email Strategies 131Voice Mail: Five Proven Techniques That Get Your Calls Returned 131The Touch-Point Plan: How to Turn Cold Leads into Warm Leads 137Conclusion to Prospecting Techniques and Scripts 141Part III Closing Techniques and Scripts 143Chapter 7 How to Close the Sale 145Opening a Closing Call 147Five Ways to Get Better at Handling Objections 150How to Use Assumptive Statements 152The Importance of Confirming Your Answers 154Seven Things to Say When Prospects Don’t Have the Time for Your Presentation 155How to Stay Organized (and Efficient!) 158How to Get Your Prospect Talking 161Softening Statements That Keep Prospects Talking 163Positive Statements That Help You Sell 167Handling Objections When Requalifying 170Always Have This Close Handy 174The Three Times to Handle an Objection 176Chapter 8 How to Deal with Specific Objections 179How to Handle “I Haven’t Looked at the Information Yet” 179Eleven New Ways to Handle “The Price is Too High” 182Six New Ways to Handle: “I Need to Talk to My Boss” 186Ten New Ways to Handle the “I Need to Think About It” Objection 190“I Want to Think About It”—Another 10 New Ways to Handle It! 193How to Deal Effectively with the Influencer 197Closing Questions to Isolate the Objection 199How to Overcome the “We Tried It Before and It Didn’t Work” Objection 204How to Handle “I’ll Have to Speak with. . . .” 206How to Handle the References Stall 210How to Handle “My Supplier is My Friend” 212How to Overcome the “You Expect Me to Make a Decision Now?” and “I Need to Do More Research” Objections 215How to Overcome the “Market/Industry/Economy is Bad” Objection 218How to Overcome the “My Relative Handles That for Me” Objection and the “I Have a Longstanding Relationship with My Vendor” Objection 220Chapter 9 Winning Closing Techniques 223How to Use Tie-Downs to Build Momentum 223Too Many Options? Narrow It Down to Get the Sale Now 229Boost Your Sales by Using This One Word 231Ten Ways to Soften the Price Objection and Keep Pitching 233In Sales, the Most Important Thing to Say is. . . . 236Ask for the Sale Five Times—at Least! 238Chapter 10 Follow-Up Strategies 241The Proper Way to Set a Call Back 241How to Follow Up with Prospects and Win Business 244Staying Top of Mind Across a Longer Time Frame 248Conclusion 250Acknowledgments 255Connect with Mike Brooks 257About the Author 259Index 261