Why Cold Calling Scripts Don't Work

DALLAS - Sept. 17, 2013 - PRLog -- Cold calling scripts don't work. That's the word from New York Times best-selling author Frank Rumbauskas, who explains:

In training and working with thousands of salespeople over the past several years, the feedback I’ve gotten on cold calling scripts has been very consistent: They generally don’t work.

I say “generally” because there are people out there using the so-called “Cold Calling 2.0″ scripts where you lie your way in, which of course backfires in the end when you meet with the prospect, they realize you lied to get to them, then they throw you out with no sale.

In this case the scripts “work” as far as getting you an appointment, but those people will never BUY.

What About Sales Scripts?

What about the idea of following a script in a sales appointment? Or on the phone, if your sales cycle is such that you work entirely on the phone without meeting prospects in person? (The latter was the case with my first ‘real’ sales job, selling business credit reporting services to business owners over the phone.)

Sales scripts seem like a good idea on the surface. After all, at the point you’d begin using them, you’re already in an appointment with a prospect who has been identified as a lead. What’s wrong with following a script at this point?

There’s plenty wrong with it…

Scripts Make You Seem Phony

The problem with following a scripted appointment is that you come across as phony. You’re not being genuine, and thanks to the 93% of our communication that is non-verbal, the prospect knows this no matter how good your script may be.

People Buy from Real People

It’s true that your price, your reputation, the value of your offering, and many other factors come into play when a prospect chooses to buy. But they are not the biggest factors.

For example, it’s a known fact that among the top life insurance companies, prices are about the same and the companies are equally solid and financially sound. Despite this, only a handful hold the overwhelming majority of the market share.

Why?

People! Most life insurance policy owners have no idea what’s in their policies, and even more astounding, they don’t seem to care. The real reason they bought is because of the genuineness and pleasing personality of the salesperson they bought from.

And you know what a script does to a personality?

IT KILLS IT!

You can’t have a genuinely pleasing personality if your sales presentation is scripted and is not actually coming from YOU!

Politicians know this. Here in Texas we know our governor, Rick Perry, as a loud, back-slapping type of guy with a very magnetic personality. We were astounded to see his poor performance in the presidential debates.

And the reason for his poor performance is simple: For the first time in his life, he’s operating from a script and from pre-rehearsed sound bites, instead of BEING HIMSELF like he always had in the past.

So if you want to be a really successful salesperson, one of the very top of the top performers, throw away the scripts – no, better yet, BURN THEM – and learn how to convey your own personality in a genuine way while also controlling the sales process to the desired end: A sale!

For more articles like this, and to learn more about cold calling scripts, please see http://coldcallingscripts.net