Many salespeople turn to cold call scripts when contacting prospects. Using a script helps them sound more knowledgeable, polished and prepared, and helps reduce the stress of making a cold call. Whether you regularly use cold call scripts, or you feel that scripts are impersonal and unnatural, there are some ways to personalize cold call scripts so you sound like your natural, authentic self.
Ari Galper, a global authority on trust-based selling, encourages salespeople to contemplate how they feel when they use a script, how prospects feel when they know a script is involved, and how many sales are lost because salespeople are using a script.

In this issue of Promotional Consultant Today, we share Galper's tips to replace your linear selling script and be yourself again.

Admit that scripts make you sound scripted. When you begin your sales script, have you ever noticed the subtle change from your natural voice to your unnatural scripted voice? Galper says even if you try to work on making yourself sound natural, it presents a conflict. Rather than working on being natural, let go of your script as a crutch. You can learn other ways to make calls without relying on a linear, step-by-step script.

Start a conversation, not a one-way pitch. If you wonder about what you'll say without referring to a script, it's a sign you're basing your call on what you have to offer and not on what's important to the prospect. Galper says pitching your solution as soon as you begin a call is one of the biggest problems of linear sales scripts. You trigger sales pressure and cause prospects to react defensively. Instead, jot down a couple core issues and problems you can solve. Take that problem and put it into words your prospect can understand. This shows that your mental focus is on helping your prospect solve a problem.

Create openings rather than force a yes. A sales script is designed to move calls in the direction you want them to go. The problem is that they give you only one path to follow. Galper advises salespeople to start a conversation that prompts prospects to ask for more information. This allows salespeople to explain themselves in a natural, two-way dialogue.

Record yourself reading your script. Have you ever listened to yourself calling a prospect and reading your script? Most salespeople haven't, which is why they think they sound natural. When you record yourself and take time to listen, you'll notice distinct differences.

Focus on opening the conversation rather than trying to control it. If you worry about giving up your sales script, try the alternative and see how it feels. Aim to target their issue and create a conversation around it. When you eliminate the sales pressure, prospects are more likely to share their truth with you.

Remember that in relationships, people want to get to know and communicate with others. When you let go of a linear script, you can engage with prospects as though they are old friends.

Source: Ari Galper is a global authority on trust-based selling and the creator of Unlock The Game®, a revolutionary sales approach that overturns the traditional notion of selling.