5 Best Practices to Ensure Your Call
Script Gets You An Appointment
A successful sales
process is a crucial element of enrolling new business. Challenger’s process is
easier since these are “hot” leads and they have already expressed interest.
You are not making “cold” calls. These best practices though should help us in getting
more clients and generating revenue.
How do I actually get that successful appointment?
is the issue.
Walk for a bit in the
shoes of your prospective customers.
No matter who they
really are, one thing is certain: they are busy. Even if they pick up the
phone, their time may be limited. So instead of listening to your call, they
may prefer to hurry to attend their own schedules and responsibilities. If you
can’t immediately present how Challenger can benefit them, then don’t expect
they’ll be willing to continue talking to you.
It should then come as
no surprise that, if you fail to grab your prospects’ attention, they will be
leery of taking meetings with you. It happens all too often then that educators
aren’t comfortable demonstrating the value of their offering for their prospects
during the precious first moments of contact.
Having your script well-thought-out in advance
will certainly help. In any case, you will be prepared for the times when
resistance does happen.
How a call script improves your sales process
There are several reasons
why devising a sales call script can help you to be more effective in your
efforts.
First of all, it will
let you keep your conversation organized, so you can hit all the key points of
the call. In this way you can focus on the key factors, without having to worry
what you need to say next. As a result, you’ll be able to stay focused on what
matters most, i.e., getting the lead’s agreement to make an appointment with
you.
So in other words,
having everything organized and well-thought-out in advance will help you to be
more confident and persuasive during your call.
Remember that your
call script is a living document; you’ll have to keep adjusting it, so it can
evolve over time and gradually bring better results.
With that in mind,
let’s now focus on some of the top practices to make sure your call script
helps you land that appointment.
Rule #1: Introduce
yourself and ask if the person can talk
We know you want this
meeting but never forget your manners. Being unmannerly can be a real put-off.
Always say who you are, what your reason is for calling and check if this is
the right moment for talking. Say: “Is this a good time to talk?”
Don’t panic if the
timing is not right, just try to reschedule for a more convenient time. And,
then follow-up as you promised. Remember the old adage, “Good things come to
those who wait…” and don’t rush or pressure your prospects.
Rule #2: Have that
hook ready
I already mentioned how important it is to
immediately grab the attention of your prospects. And yes, it works.
A successful sales
process or negotiation always starts by looking at the customers and what they
need and want, rather than just what you’re selling or what you aim to get from
your prospects.
Make sure that you can
explain in less than 15 seconds what value Challenger provides and prove that
giving you that appointment will benefit your prospect. Do it in a way that
will draw and keep your lead’s interest. It’s not as easy as it sounds to do,
so always take time to prepare and test what you are saying in advance.
Having ‘the hook’ section
included in your call script is essential when training as it ensures that
every team member is on the same page.
Rule #3: Accept
rejection as a part of sales process
Of course, even if you
have the best hook prepared, your prospects can still be uninterested. They may
not need what you offer, or they could simply lack the time or willingness to
make an appointment with you. Perhaps they already made a decision on another
school. That is why it is critical to follow the Challenger Manual and follow
up right after they expressed interest.
Rejection hurts, but
it’s a part of the sales game. It can be difficult not to take it personally,
especially if you’ve invested a lot of time and effort to prepare. As the
saying goes: every rejection brings you closer to a ‘yes’.
Rule #4: Offer a
choice of times when setting an appointment
When your prospect
agrees to arrange an appointment, try to ensure that they are happy with the
day and hour you offer them to meet. This is especially important, if the
meeting will have to involve multiple decision makers.
Go the extra mile to
get them the right timeslot, as this will help to prevent cancellations or
potential no-shows. Offer your prospects a choice of meeting times to cater to
their availability. Of course, do that within reason and avoid leaving it
open-ended. For instance, you could ask your prospects which day of the week
would work best for them and then suggest the best slot accordingly.
Rule #5: Confirm
appointment details and schedule
Be sure to ask if there
is another decision maker (Mom, Dad, grandparents) who should be involved. Always
book a tour regardless but bear in mind this may result in a subsequent tour
and more delay.
Once you agree on a
time and date for the next call, send a meeting request or a calendar invite to
confirm the details. Do it as soon as possible to avoid your appointment
getting forgotten or buried among all the lead’s other agenda items.
Done? Congrats!
But it’s not yet the
time to sit back and relax. You may perhaps want to arrange a courtesy call or
schedule an email to confirm that your prospect is still able to attend. You
could do it at some moment closer to the appointment day, so you remind your
prospect about your meeting. This could also potentially save you disappointment
in case your prospect forgets and never shows up.
Conclusion
Getting an appointment is crucial if you’re
serious about enrolling more prospects. It’s easier said than done, though.
To maximize your
chances, make sure you prepare in advance and be ready to immediately
demonstrate the value of your offering for your leads. Every second counts, so
having it well-thought-out script is crucial!
Remember that your
call script is a living document, so test what works and refine your ideas as
you go along.