{"id":45650,"date":"2021-08-14T04:35:42","date_gmt":"2021-08-14T08:35:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=45650"},"modified":"2021-08-20T04:11:14","modified_gmt":"2021-08-20T08:11:14","slug":"how-to-write-a-sales-script","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-write-a-sales-script\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Write a Sales Script: Tips and Roadmap"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Want to know how to write a sales script<\/a>? How important is a script in closing a deal<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his book about Straight Line selling, Jordan Belfort explains that a good salesman must have a script or he risks being unprepared and ruining his chance at a sale. An effective sales script (along with proper sales body language<\/a> and tone) increases your chance of closing exponentiallly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continue reading to learn how to build your sales script.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Always Use a Script<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you don’t know how to write a sales script, then you risk sounding unprepared or saying the wrong thing and ruining any chance of a sale; use a script to avoid such mistakes. Belfort argues that a good, well-practiced script can make a rookie salesperson sound like an expert, but that even the most experienced salespeople, himself included, should always use a script. When combined with the right tone and body language<\/a>, a Straight Line script functions as a template for a perfect sale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the benefits, salespeople may be reluctant to use a script because they think they\u2019ll sound unauthentic, like a bad telemarketer. However, Belfort notes that scripts, when well-written and delivered, can be memorable and convincing, as everyone knows who has seen a great movie or Netflix drama. Further, when it comes to selling, he says even an average script can greatly increase your closing rate\u2014and you\u2019ll continue to improve with practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elements of an Effective Script<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Belfort offers a set of principles that he claims make Straight Line scripts superior to all others:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1) Don\u2019t overload the script: <\/strong>Don\u2019t try to cram most of your product\u2019s benefits into the early part of the script, or you\u2019ll overwhelm the prospect and make her tune out. Hold some benefits in reserve for when the prospect raises objections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2) Focus on the product\u2019s benefits rather than its features: <\/strong>Features are generally characteristics or capabilities of a product, while benefits are ways the product will improve the user\u2019s life. Prospects want to know the benefits, although salespeople often focus on the features. (Shortform note: A downside, according to the authors of The Challenger Sale<\/em><\/a> and SPIN Selling<\/em><\/a>, is that emphasizing features increases the customer\u2019s price sensitivity, meaning that it encourages price objections.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Come up With Product Benefits<\/a><\/strong>

To come up with benefits, some marketing experts recommend that you consider your product\u2019s features and ask \u201cso what?\u201d about each one until you arrive at the true benefit\u2014for example: This washing machine handles bigger loads (feature). So what? You\u2019ll get your laundry done faster. So what? You\u2019ll have more time to de-stress or do things you enjoy (benefit). Value selling<\/a> is a similar idea: You sell from the perspective of what your product is worth to the customer. Focusing on value is also key in Challenger sales.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

3) Build pauses into your script<\/strong> where you can engage the prospect in conversation\u2014for example, after explaining a benefit, stop and ask, \u201cDo you see what I\u2019m saying?\u201d Regular pauses keep the prospect\u2019s attention and get them used to saying yes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

4) Make your script conversational<\/strong>: While you want to sound like an expert, also use contractions, conversational phrasing, and varied sentence lengths to create a natural flow and avoid sounding stilted or rehearsed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5) Don\u2019t exaggerate, omit, or lie<\/strong>: Make every statement 100% accurate and legal. Belfort acknowledges he was wrong to have written misleading scripts<\/a> in the past. He notes that if you own <\/strong>a business and approve a script that\u2019s unethical or dishonest, you\u2019re giving your sales staff permission to engage in further <\/strong>unethical behavior. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

6) Make clear that buying your product is easy: <\/strong>Prospects weigh the effort of buying something (it means change) against the benefits; the benefits must outweigh the effort required, or they won\u2019t buy. That\u2019s why Amazon\u2019s one-click buying process is so successful. Yet many sellers make buying too much of an ordeal with many hoops to jump through. Your script should make clear that when a prospect says yes, she\u2019ll get huge benefits for little effort because you\u2019ll handle all the paperwork for her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belfort recommends writing out a series of scripts for different aspects of the Straight Line sales process\u2014for example, the first four seconds<\/a> and the opening, your prospecting questions and transition to a pitch, scripts for typical objections, looping scripts for the three certainties<\/a>, and a closing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additional Script-Writing Tips and Templates<\/strong>

The marketing firm HubSpot offers this script development plan:

Identify the product or service determine your target audience
determine your benefits link the benefits to a customer pain point
ask questions about the pain points
Plan a close (a customer commitment you\u2019ll get) for every sales interaction

HubSpot<\/a> offers details on each step and sample scripts and templates for sales calls, emails, and voicemails. Some companies use sales script generator tools or apps.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Straight Line Script Roadmap<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Every word you utter in the sales conversation<\/a> should further your goals of qualifying the prospect, then increasing his certainty about your product, you, and your company. Belfort advises making the logical case first (to satisfy the prospect\u2019s BS detector, which will be on immediate alert), then making the emotional case by future pacing<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following are some guides for building scripts to accomplish this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n