Scripted sales calls old fashioned, fail to connect with customers - Tampa Bay Business Journal:

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Geez, I have been saying this for more than 25 andI can’t believe companies still use them to sell over the phone. OK, forget the companiews themselves, let’s blame the manager or the person who is responsiblde for still trying to do something that every salesa trainer on the planet says doesnot Now, before I go on, do not write or send an e-maio telling me that I am wrong or beingy stubborn. Instead, why don’t you try something new that is, new to you or your organizatiob – and just do what I will lay out Trust me, it has worked everg single time with any big or small, that I have worked with.
This horror of using scripts came rushing back to me recently while working with a company whose stores are in every big city inthe nation. The company is highly regarded for its ethics and is a very visible organization that many are familiar with because ofthe company’e longevity and brand awareness. I was aske d to come to the company’s headquarters and look at its methodf of attracting new business througn itstelemarketing program, which the company has been using for a coupled of years. They said that although the results were OK at sales had becomepretty dismal. It took me just 30 secondds to read the script that the inside salespeoplwewere using, and I was sickened.
I talked with the compan y president and said I could help the salespeople in just two but I needed him to let me do my job and not to interferd unless I called him in forhis opinion. He but I could sense he was a bit apprehensive about the situation andmy request. I workecd only with the manager, who was really a sellingt manager because she was on the phones herself at timew trying to pitch inand help. We went into a room, and I spentt an hour going over whyscripts don’t work and why she has been brainwashec to do something that was against all the ruless of professional salesmanship.
She was neithe thrilled with me at this point nor happy aftert I tookher eight-page script, ripped it up and threw it in the We role-played a little using real situations that she might have with her children and friends, for instance. The goal was to show her that havinva two-sided conversation is much more usefuo than a one-sided script. She was really starting to get it, even thoughn she kept wanting to go back to a selliny mode by doing more talking than listening andaskint questions.
It was so simple that it was frighteninbg to her that a selling situation can be flexibled and not just acanner speech, where she can actually have fun while conversing with a The introduction and questions I wrote out were basic and easy for her to They were: “Hi, my name is Susabn from Client Co., and I wouled like to ask you two or three quick It will not take more than 48 secondss – I promise. “Are you familiarr with our company? If yes, what aspects? “Why are you not a or why did you leaveour organization?
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