please could somebody help, i am looking for a good source of sales scripts for our newly formed small call centre, any help would be appreciated

thanks

What kind of sales scripts are you looking for - obviously there are a great many different objectives and variations in the sales process. If you could give us all a better idea about what it is you want to achieve, maybe we can help...

John

Hi John, thanks for the reply. Basically, I have been given the job of setting up a small outbound sales call centre, and was looking for examples of sales scripts that we could use to make up our own one. we will be selling to joe public, so it would not be b2b, we have a few already that we did ourselves, but it would be nice to use a few more for comparison

thanks

shane

Shane

As someone who cares passionately about business success, may I offer you some words about the subject (whether they are wise or not is up to you to decide).

Instead of strick 'scripts' for your sales people as far as is parcticable try to include effects you are try to achieve. Let me explain.

One could imagine a script for a welcome, "Good morning/afternoon. Welcome to The Customer Experience Company, my name is David. How can I help you?"

Being so rigid it will only FEEL natural to the people calling around 10% of the time and more importantly will NOT set the agent up correctly for the rest of the interaction simply because there are forced to say something they would not normally say.

The alternative, which FEELS much more natural and relaxed to the people calling is to instead 'script' an effect your people need to achieve. In this instance it could be as simple as, "Greet the person calling however you wish, but ensure that you mention our company name (to confirm to our caller they have dialled the correct number) and do it in a way that makes them feel welcomed and cared for."

This then leaves people to use the words and phrases they feel most comfortable with and come most naturally. More importantly, it comes across as very natural and genuine to your callers and sets up the rest of the interaction.

Lastly, your MUST ensure that team leaders and supervisors actvely encourage diversity of the words phrases and tones used by listening out for them and reinforcing how nice the good ones sound. Otherwise people will settle into all doing the same eventually.

Have fun!

David

David

than kyou very much for the reply. as far as you words being wise, they most definitely are!!! i havwe always felt that a sales person has got to be able to do things in their own way, with their own "style", as i am sure you will agree, this is what sets the best apart from the rest! being new in the call centre industry (but not new in sales), i am finding it difficult to put everything together for our launch date of 1 june. i was thinking of starting the sales consultants off on a script, and then once i could guage their effectiveness, allow a free reign over their delivery of the sales pitch.
do you think this would be a good idea?, or should i just let them go ahead after they have been trained on uor products and services?

once again, thanks, thats a beer i owe you!

Lets face it Shane the most important role you have to play here is to deliver 'support' to the individuals who are your sales team. By doing this they become more confident and when they become more confident they are better placed to offer appropriate advice to your customers.

With this in mind, I would advise against a formulaic approach - i.e. doing the same for everyone. Some of your team will need more help than others and it may well be that they would benefit from a script as I have described whilst their coinfidence builds. However, others will not need it and it could well stifle them or make them feel as if they have to be the same as everyone else - so be careful.

In terms of what each of them needs, simply ask! They will obviously know what is expected of them and they will obviously know that it is up to them to achieve. YOur role is to 'support' and facilitate not do the job for them. Once it is clear to them what their responsibilities are ask what help they need to achieve their goals.

Hope that helps

David

I think David is talking a lot of sense. Scripts are usually pretty obvious and sometimes the needs of the customer may not fit in with the script too well. Some callers may offer 'out-of-order' information, which makes following a script quite difficult.

Saying that, scripts allow management to effectively control the presentational aspects of the call, and present to the customer a uniform and consistently professional 'transaction', if you will. As David rightly suggests, there is a fineline between consistency and constraint which means that you, as a supervisor, must assess each operator's ability to 'collect' the necessary information whilst retaining that element of professional efficiency.

If you decide to opt for the 'unscripted' approach, there are pitfalls there too - like the barber who cuts my (slightly receding, alas) hair, it's all too easy to be chatty but not listen to what the other person is saying.

Encourage your staff to listen - there are books and resources which are dedicated to this (I think I saw a couple in the resources section on this site, but I've no experience of them so can't say whether they'd help).

Good luck!

Bob

Bob Wilson wrote:

"it's all too easy to be chatty but not listen to what the other person is saying"

How true!

Our book of the month may be a worthwhile recommendation for anyone whose staff need to 'communicate on their feet' without scripts, or where a loose script is followed. It's also full of common-sense tips, and I think at its bargain price no supervisor can afford to be without it.

A link for youall: Listening Skills by Ian MacKay

Hope this is of some use to you.

John

thank you for all the help and advice you have all put up, i am definitely going to put it all to good use! i have to say, this is the first time i have ever found so many people willing to give some advice without a guaranteed sale of some sort, so to all of you - THANK YOU!!!

No problem - the main objective of this site is to be able to help with this kind of thing.

I hope that you keep coming back, though; we value all contributions and ideas, and it would be great if you could perhaps post some updates about how you get on with the scripts and so on.

All the best,

John

outgoing scripts that sell work if you have a single item for sale like a newspaper subscription or tickets for an event. Your people do not have to be sales people to use a simple script and the sales will come in.
If you have a limited number of people that you can sell to you can not let your crew use your list up without you knowing that the offer was explained. The tendency is to find the easy ones the role over buyers which means all your prospects that are on the fence will be goodbyed quicklyand their goes your money.
For the most part having scripts available to your sales force is the best thing to do especially with an unproven room.

Its like shooting arrows at a target if the person shooting the arrows moves his position or the way he holds the bow or the way he releases the arrow it has the same effect as moving the target.
With sales the target is always moving and if your sales staff is always doing it defferent how are you going to make adjustments so that you can reach a point where you can hit the target a few times a day. How will your people ever be a sure shoot oh there are people who can sell anything to anyone but you will not find them in a call centre they are selling call centre equipment to dreamers and doers. Be a doer. Disaplen is hard but remember practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice make perfect.JM

To any fellow telemarketers,

Do any of you have any actual scripts that I can use regarding home loans? I'm really new to the business and it's difficult without a script to close and get people interested when I'm on the phone. I don't have much money to invest anymore, cause I'm broke.

Anyone can take a million classes and know most of the products, but until you can break the telemarket field, there is no way to make it.

Please, I need help!

Please include me in your list ... Just a generic, but an very effective Telemarketing Script would be helpful for my Ops.

Thank you!!!

May I be included as well please, thanks!

Scripts that sell don't just happen. You need to incorporate 'triggers' within scripts to motivate the client to 'listen' and then 'act' (buy). We consult for campaign providers and assist them in developing nlp scripts. Info on NLP Script Design is available with me and I can send it across on request.

NLP engineered telemarketing scripts get attention, get prospects to stay on the telephone and talk with you, to build and sustain rapport, and to influence buyers' decision-making. These telemarketing scripts do not sound exceptional. In fact, they are usually short and direct. Their power is subtle and often subliminal. For instance, instead of the "I'm calling on behalf of..." format, a NLP engineered telemarketing script would begin by emphasizing the embedded command "talk" to encourage the prospect to talk and allow the caller to continue with the presentation. Such a simple change can generate the more than 30% sales increases mentioned in the executive summary.

An engineered telemarketing script can also solve problems that occur later in a call. For instance, prospects often hang up at certain points in a presentation. The NLP engineered telemarketing script can track the problem cause and add transition questions using the NLP concept of predicate mixes to increase the likelihood that the prospect will relate to the conversation or question and respond.

Answering machines sometime frustrate CSR's. An engineered script can make voice-mail or answering machines powerful selling tools. Since the prospect will probably listen to the message, if it is well scripted, it can be at least as effective as a live interaction. Where our clients have incorporated engineered voice mail messages into their telemarketing strategy they report two results. First, when the messages were left on voice-mail, a marked increase in call-backs. Second, when they called a second time, a high number of people responded, "Oh, yes, I remember your voice mail message".

Engineered scripts offer a powerful advantage to telemarketers. Yet they are not widely used. Sometimes people resist using them because they are psychologically and linguistically different yet structurally similar to typical telemarketing scripts. They are not radically different, but the results they deliver are. Telemarketers and potential customers are accustomed to a standard set of words and a standard rhythm to a script. The telemarketers can recite the script without thinking. The polite potential customers hear the familiar words and wait for the familiar pause to hang up. An engineered telemarketing script does not match the familiar pattern. Message engineering, in fact, provides breathing marks in script openings to prevent breathing in expected places. This is one way to keep a person on line and, thereby, increase the chances of getting the whole message delivered.

Training in script delivery also strengthens the callers' skills in responding to non-scripted interactions. Callers learn to listen as well as read the script. Often, a campaign may have several "mini-scripts", and the caller chooses the telemarketing script based on the prospects use of words (visual, auditory, or kinaesthetic). In addition, callers learn to adjust their vocal tone and speed to match the prospects. Once the prospect responds to the opening ("talk"), the caller is able to hear the prospect and adapt the presentation to match the person on the other end of the phone. Increased rapport leads to increased responsiveness to the message.

Call Centers should try this out!

Whilst I understand Raj's enthusiasm on the subject it is typical of those who have studied NLP, many converts display a fervent zeal when talking about the subject.
The call centre industry in the UK and USA is mature and NLP as a training method is not new, so why havent we all embraced it with open arms?

1. Learning and development is always full of trendy new theories and techniques, training specialists are well aware of this, NLP, e-learning, web based learning, they come and go all the time and all are measured by evaluating them against existing training techniques.
2. NLP does not acknowledge the part that a skilled well recruited agent brings to the interaction. It gives the impression that the agent skills are not even secondary but minor - the technique is ALL.
3. There are directives about sales methods employed, the reason "I'm calling on behalf of" is used in an outsourced operation in the UK is that it is demanded by the Direct Marketing Association (and probably the European Directive on Distance selling).
4. Empirichal evidence of its sales successes are hard to come by. Whilst there is a lot of talk, hype and enthusiasm there are few studies/figures and those that are, are hotly contested in learning and development circles with both sides polarised as to the effectiveness of the method.
5. Clearly if the method had mileage it would already be massively adopted and there wouldnt be so much opposition to the technique.
6. NLP does not suit some agents preferred learning styles.

I am new to this meeting ground.

However I find that most of the work as I could figure out from the various themes & discussions, are pretty closely related to what I do.

I have been training Sales People & Telemarketing Teams in India building Sales Scripts.

So, any body interested in taking this discussion further can please keep it going.

Building the right Script for Calls is not merely Product Dependent, but is also Caller Dependent.

So one thing that I can suggest is that if you want a Script Certified I could assist you in tailoring the scripts to be well tailored to the caller - or do I say the agent.

If friends and members of this forum are interested we could do a short discussion on this topic.

Much water seems to have already flown under this bridge - so let me have an acknowledgement on the interest factor.

Mahidhar

Hi I am new to this forum and I realise that I might be a little late for this post, however, I am a call centre trainer who is moonlighting as a TAFE teacher in telecommunications (call centres). My problem is that the call centre that I work at is a government centre - soley service based (no scripts) and the course I will be teaching covers telemarketing and sales. I need to show my students how to put together scripts and how to use them effectively.

I was wondering whether anyone could give me some hints on scripts, basic script writing or even some sample scripts. I would greatly appreciate any help.

Thanks very much.
Dee

Dee,

Good luck in your new venture. Speaking personally and from a training best practice point of view the optimum way to train sales is to train sales theory alongside scripts. Furthermore the approach/attitude and positioning all differ between inbound and outbound.

One of the most popular books currently on the subject of selling is Spin Selling by Neil Rackham:


http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0566076896/qid=1058368649/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_2_1/202-7746957-8019827

As for sample scripts, you may have difficulty with that as frequently they are owned by the client.