What is a sales script?

A sales script is a set of talking points that help your sales reps structure their customer-facing conversations.

It is the ultimate guide to help your sales reps handle cold calls by covering the essential points, sticking to your sales pitch, and handling objections.

Why should you use a sales script?

The sales call script helps you filter your sales strategy into the words your reps can use to communicate with prospects. Equipped with a sales script, your sales reps are:

1. Less stressed
   
2. More efficient
3. Capable of communicating better with your prospects
   
4. Able to maintain a consistent tone in line with your company’s messaging
   

As a result, you can help your sales reps feel more confident during their customer-facing conversations and boost your overall conversion rates.

How to write a sales script

Here are six steps to follow to write sales scripts that work:

1. Focus on one thing: Every sales script should have an objective. So, you should decide what you want your prospects to do after listening to you and make sure that the script drives the conversation toward that outcome. This outcome could be signing up for a demo, scheduling a call with the prospect’s entire team, and so on.
2. Introduce yourself: You should introduce yourself as soon as you get a chance to speak. Here’s an example – "Hello [prospect’s name], this is Tracy from Sales Analytics Ltd. Is this a good time to talk?"
3. Set the agenda: Mention the purpose of the conversation right away. This is also a great moment to offer background on your brand story and establish some common ground.
   Here’s an example – “I am calling to share a few insights into how we can help you boost your sales by analyzing your sales calls."
4. Ask questions about your prospect’s pain points: Ask insightful questions that establish sincere interest and show that you’ve done your homework. This is also where you can qualify your prospect to know whether they’re a good fit.
   Here’s an example – “Well, we know that businesses like yours face [pain points]. Do these areas concern you? If yes, what tools are you currently using to help you overcome these challenges?"
5. Introduce the value proposition: This is where you weave in the pain points, introduce your product or service, and explain how it solves them.
   Here’s an example – "I understand that you are currently concerned about these three [pain points]. Our product offers [product feature] that can help you drive [product benefit] to boost your [required business metric].”
6. Close with a CTA (call to action): Prospects rarely show initiative in taking things forward, especially after a single interaction with sales reps. The onus is on your sales team to drive the interaction forward. So, your sales script should always end with a CTA that reflects the objective of your sales conversation.
   Here’s an example – “Since I called out of the blue, I wouldn’t want to take up any more of your time. Are you available on [date and time] for a 20-30 minute meeting? I can tell you more about how we can employ [product’s feature] to help you solve [pain point]."

Tips for creating effective sales call scripts

There are six aspects to consider when creating a sales call script. You should:

While generic sales scripts are a great place to start, you must create some that are specific to the prospects you are dealing with and tailored to suit specific buyer personas. This requires thorough research of your prospect’s pain points, competitive landscape, and goals.

Rather than merely listing features, your sales script should allude to the bigger picture – how will your solution help the prospect cut costs, increase revenue, or optimize efficiency?

Have a personalized conversation with the prospect by making sure you research their roles and responsibilities, the company they work for, and the challenges they face.

Your prospects become leads when your solution or service solves a problem plaguing their organizations. So, ensure that each benefit is linked to a customer pain point so that your prospects see your value.

Just because it’s your sales script doesn’t mean you have to speak forever. When you're done presenting, allocate some time to help the prospect share their pain points, ask questions, and leave comments. This makes your leads feel heard.

B2B professionals have busy schedules, so it’s a good idea to send a confirmation for your scheduled call. They might ask you to reschedule, but this is a great way to ensure that you have your prospect's full attention.

Sales call script examples

It’s important to remember that examples of sales call scripts are just guidelines, and you should develop a script that reflects your organization’s sales process, brand story, and value proposition.

Here are some sales call script examples that you can use for situations, such as discovery calls and objection handling.

Discovery call script

Discovery calls qualify your prospects quickly and move them further down your sales funnel. So, the script should include essential qualifying questions,

Here’s a sales call script template for discovery calls:

“Hello there [prospect name], I'm [your name] from [your company’s name]. I hope I haven’t caught you in the middle of anything.

I called to let you know that we specialize in [your product USPs that tie with the prospect’s pain points].

I actually don't know if you're a good fit for our services, so I have a question or two. Are you okay giving me 3-4 minutes to better understand your goals and pain points?

"If the prospect is interested in continuing the conversation, then you can ask them qualifying questions, such as:

1. “Are you using a similar product/ service?”
2. “If not, how do you manage your (related goals/related pain points)?”
3. “If yes, do you have any complaints about your current product or service?”
4. “What are the top three problems with your existing service or product that you wish to fix as soon as possible?”
5. “Do these problems have an impact on your company? If yes, how so?”

Objection handling

Objections such as “I’m not sure if we need this right now” or “I’m not authorized to sign off on this” are common and a part of nearly every sales process.
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So, here are some sales call templates to deal with the most common objections.

We don't need this right now.

"I understand that this isn't high on your list of priorities right now. However, we would like to request a short discussion with you.

This will help you understand more about what we do and effectively assess whether it matches your needs. I'd like to request five minutes of your time to explain this further."

But this is the first I've heard of your company.

“I understand you may not want to jump into business with a stranger.

Let me help you by sharing some testimonials, case studies, and reviews from existing customers. Also, [names of companies/ people they may know] are on our list of happy customers if you want to find out more about us independently.”

It’s too expensive.

“I totally understand your reservations. Can we offer a more flexible payment schedule/can I also bundle in (mention freebies) to sweeten the deal?

I feel like this could be a worthy investment that saves you more in the long run (explain how it impacts profitability positively in the long run).”