Can you please rate my cold calling script? Negative/positive comments welcome!

[Weltenbummler]

Hello fellow BHWers. I want to start cold calling people for web design. Due to recent events I need funds badly so I picked up the phone today and started calling. I must say it's tougher than I thought so I've decided to ask more experienced sellers for help.

This script is mostly based on Allan Pease script (thank you oxonbeef for sharing that!).

Because I had to adjust it to my language (I am not calling people in English) I deleted the line with "has my name been mentioned to you recently) because it sounds veeery bad for me (I myself feel like an annoying seller) and I feel very uncomfortably saying it (I may be wrong as I am inexperienced!). The rest is translated to english version of my script (there may be slight differences due to translation):

This is base version when I know the owners name:

Me: Hello, may I speak with John Smith?
X: It's me
Me: Hello John, This is Jack xxx, I am a web designer. I am calling you today, John because I would like to talk about online presence of your office/company and I think that such a professional business/office/whatever as yours could gain more clients thanks to a solution I would like to present to you. I will be in your area John, tommorow around three. Will you be there for 7 minutes?
X: Yes
Me: Thanks for your time John. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow around three. Good bye.
X:What is it all about?
Me: I would simply like to present you the opportunity of using internet by your company to increase the number of clients
X: NO/NOT INTERESTED/WHATEVER.
Me: That's OK, John, we find that this is the case for most people. The call today, John, is simply to ask the courtesy of 7 minutes to outline the idea, so if you are interested in the future, you'll know it's available. I'll be in your area tomorrow, around three and wondered, would you be in then for around 7 minutes?


If I meet Gatekeeper and know owners name

Me: Hello, may I speak with John Smith?
G: He's not here. May I pass some info to him?
Me: (If I don't know the Gatekeeper name I ask for her name first!)
Gatekeeper: Tells her name
Me: Thank you, Mrs Gatekeeper. Could you please tell me the mobile phone to mr John or when would it be the best time to contact him?
Gatekeeper: What is it all about?
Me: Mrs Gatekeeper, I would like to speak to mr owner about online presence of your company and posibilities that come with it.


If I don't know owners name:

Me: Hello, may I speak to the owner?
Gatekeeper: He's not here. May I pass some info to him?
Me: (If I don't know the Gatekeeper name I ask for her name first!)
Gatekeeper: Tells her name
Me: Thank you, Mrs Gatekeeper. Could you please tell me the mobile phone to owner or when would it be the best time to contact him?
Gatekeeper: What is it all about?
Me: Mrs Gatekeeper, I would like to speak to mr owner about online presence of your company and possibilities that come with it.

All I got today after conversations with gatekeeper was to send the info on email. Crap.


Should I on any stage:
- Say that this is regarding to web design and I would like to offer them web design?
- Say that I've found their number on yellow pages and that's why I would like offer them web design?


In case anyone is curious why I don't:
Ask if they have time (so they can't say no)
Ask how they are (because it only takes time plus in my country it's kind of rude to ask that questions to strangers)


Thanks for any feedback

 

[lipton80205]

I commend you for taking the first step and picking up the phone and dialing, most people don't do that. Cold calling is not easy and it is mentally draining.

There are many schools of thought when it comes to cold calling and there is no silver bullet which is going to get you to "yes" faster. I'm in the US so there maybe some business culture nuances.

If someone said 7 minutes to me, I would laugh. Most sales meetings last at least 30 minutes and business owners know this. Can you really pitch the guy in 7 minutes?

My school of thought is to briefly outline a problem the owner has. Maybe he doesn't have a website, thus he is not visible to potential customers. Is the website is outdated, technically unsound and/or isn't mobile friendly? Basically, a reason he is missing sales opportunities and then you have a fix for his problem.

Depending on the lifetime value (LV) of a prospect, I will send them information, because its one more touch and a reason to call back. If your are just churning out websites and then moving on, then I am guessing the LV is low and it wouldn't be worth the time to send more information.

A script is good, but you only want it as a guideline. Cold calling should be a fluid conversation, which sounds natural, but gets you to the goal of setting the appointment.

Also, write down the objections you come across, then come up with a response to each objection. Most likely, there will be 5-7 common objections you come across. If you have answers to those, then your success rate should increase.

Your going to hear a lot of "no's", that just part of cold calling. An old saying that has helped me; You are one more "no" closer to a "yes".

 

[innosoft]

premade scripts dont work.. just go out and speak and use your presence of mind.. its fine if you dont take off at first but you get experience and will know better way! So Go on!

 

[Aluminium]

Hello fellow BHWers. I want to start cold calling people for web design. Due to recent events I need funds badly so I picked up the phone today and started calling. I must say it's tougher than I thought so I've decided to ask more experienced sellers for help.

This script is mostly based on Allan Pease script (thank you oxonbeef for sharing that!).

Because I had to adjust it to my language (I am not calling people in English) I deleted the line with "has my name been mentioned to you recently) because it sounds veeery bad for me (I myself feel like an annoying seller) and I feel very uncomfortably saying it (I may be wrong as I am inexperienced!). The rest is translated to english version of my script (there may be slight differences due to translation):

This is base version when I know the owners name:

Me: Hello, may I speak with John Smith?
X: It's me
Me: Hello John, This is Jack xxx, I am a web designer. I am calling you today, John because I would like to talk about online presence of your office/company and I think that such a professional business/office/whatever as yours could gain more clients thanks to a solution I would like to present to you. I will be in your area John, tommorow around three. Will you be there for 7 minutes?
X: Yes
Me: Thanks for your time John. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow around three. Good bye.
X:What is it all about?
Me: I would simply like to present you the opportunity of using internet by your company to increase the number of clients
X: NO/NOT INTERESTED/WHATEVER.
Me: That's OK, John, we find that this is the case for most people. The call today, John, is simply to ask the courtesy of 7 minutes to outline the idea, so if you are interested in the future, you'll know it's available. I'll be in your area tomorrow, around three and wondered, would you be in then for around 7 minutes?


If I meet Gatekeeper and know owners name

Me: Hello, may I speak with John Smith?
G: He's not here. May I pass some info to him?
Me: (If I don't know the Gatekeeper name I ask for her name first!)
Gatekeeper: Tells her name
Me: Thank you, Mrs Gatekeeper. Could you please tell me the mobile phone to mr John or when would it be the best time to contact him?
Gatekeeper: What is it all about?
Me: Mrs Gatekeeper, I would like to speak to mr owner about online presence of your company and posibilities that come with it.


If I don't know owners name:

Me: Hello, may I speak to the owner?
Gatekeeper: He's not here. May I pass some info to him?
Me: (If I don't know the Gatekeeper name I ask for her name first!)
Gatekeeper: Tells her name
Me: Thank you, Mrs Gatekeeper. Could you please tell me the mobile phone to owner or when would it be the best time to contact him?
Gatekeeper: What is it all about?
Me: Mrs Gatekeeper, I would like to speak to mr owner about online presence of your company and possibilities that come with it.

All I got today after conversations with gatekeeper was to send the info on email. Crap.


Should I on any stage:
- Say that this is regarding to web design and I would like to offer them web design?
- Say that I've found their number on yellow pages and that's why I would like offer them web design?


In case anyone is curious why I don't:
Ask if they have time (so they can't say no)
Ask how they are (because it only takes time plus in my country it's kind of rude to ask that questions to strangers)


Thanks for any feedback

I would wonder why a robot is contacting me and trying to meet me in my area for 7 minutes .

Just let your mind speak for itself OP.

 

[Weltenbummler]

My school of thought is to briefly outline a problem the owner has. Maybe he doesn't have a website, thus he is not visible to potential customers. Is the website is outdated, technically unsound and/or isn't mobile friendly? Basically, a reason he is missing sales opportunities and then you have a fix for his problem.

Thank you for your answer lipton80205. For me the hardest part was how to outline the problem they had without really telling them that it is all about a web design - because when I did I usually lost them immediately.

If someone said 7 minutes to me, I would laugh. Most sales meetings last at least 30 minutes and business owners know this. Can you really pitch the guy in 7 minutes?

I am following Allan Pease's script and he says that it is good to say some number which is not like 10, 15 or 20 so that people are more likely to met you - because if you use such number as "7" it's unusual and they won't think you will take them half the day.

premade scripts dont work.. just go out and speak and use your presence of mind.. its fine if you dont take off at first but you get experience and will know better way! So Go on!

Thanks innosoft! Hope I will start getting appointments soon... I started cold calling today and it was really stressful for me, couldn't really use my imagination that easily on the first few calls

I would wonder why a robot is contacting me and trying to meet me in my area for 7 minutes .

Just let your mind speak for itself OP.

Thanks for your feedback Aluminium Again as I said to lipton80205, I took the time part from Allan Pease's script. I tried to talk to them as natural as I could, and manipulate the script with my voice. But no results so far, maybe tommorow it will be better, will look for changes I should make


For anyone who would also like to start I can only say that all in all it wasn't that bad. The first one that I got to was the nicest person I was talking to today, the second one was the rudest and what is even funnier I know she has recently graduated from my uni

 

[mosey]

Kudos for having the stones to do cold calling. As some others have mentioned, it's not easy.

Here's some hopefully constructive criticism.

Try saying this out loud:

Me: Hello John, This is Jack xxx, I am a web designer. I am calling you today, John because I would like to talk about online presence of your office/company and I think that such a professional business/office/whatever as yours could gain more clients thanks to a solution I would like to present to you. I will be in your area John, tommorow around three. Will you be there for 7 minutes?

You'll realize that it's awkwardly worded and takes a long time to actually spit it out. If I had to guess, I'd say you'd get a lot of hang ups.

But the most important thing is that nothing in that statement is interesting.

You want to capture the person's interest IMMEDIATELY.

If you were a (non-tech savvy) business owner, ask yourself if something like this would captivate your attention:

Hi John, I'm a local web designer and I noticed that your business has three negative reviews on Google. One of them is really nasty!

Since it's unclear what you're trying to sell, that example is more for reputation management, but use your imagination. Find a problem that the person probably isn't even aware of (or doesn't know how to fix), point it out to them, and offer to fix it.

Me: Hi John, I'm a local web designer. Are you familiar with [COMPETING BUSINESS]?
John: Yes, why?
Me: Did you know that they show up way above you in Google when someone searches for blue widgets?

 

[lipton80205]

Thank you for your answer lipton80205. For me the hardest part was how to outline the problem they had without really telling them that it is all about a web design - because when I did I usually lost them immediately.

If you lose them immediately then your not be compelling enough, or the problem you mention just doesn't resinate with them. Some people will get it and some won't.

I wouldn't hide that you are a web designer. Good web design is important to businesses. The US market is saturated with web designers. You need to differentiate yourself from other designers.

I am following Allan Pease's script and he says that it is good to say some number which is not like 10, 15 or 20 so that people are more likely to met you - because if you use such number as "7" it's unusual and they won't think you will take them half the day.

I am not familiar with Allan Pease. It sounds like an old school sales tactic, but I could be wrong. You might want to check the copyright on that book.

A little bit about scripts. People can tell in 3-4 words that you are reading from a script. This will kill a sale. Do not write out a script word for word. Make bullet points for the information that you want to cover and as a road map of where you want the conversation to head. Use the bullet points when you get stuck.

As mentioned before and Aluminium pointed out, you need to have a fluid conversation. People like to have fun, so have fun with it. Don't let a script dictate the conversation.

 

[partymarty4870]

You repeat his name a few too many times for my liking. It would get a hang up from me for that reason alone.

 

[2spoons]

You need to establish yourself as an authority in your opening line. He doesn't care about your name but he might care that you have X years experience and have been involved old in building websites for Company Y & Z. Impress him early on to get his attention.

I genuinely wish you luck with this.

 

[Weltenbummler]

You repeat his name a few too many times for my liking. It would get a hang up from me for that reason alone.

Thank you for your feedback partymarty4870, I will try to reduce the quantity of times I say his name I am currently working on rewriting the script.

You need to establish yourself as an authority in your opening line. He doesn't care about your name but he might care that you have X years experience and have been involved old in building websites for Company Y & Z. Impress him early on to get his attention.

I genuinely wish you luck with this.

Thanks for the hint and kind words 2spoons! I wish you too good luck with your IM endeavours!

 

[zanesta]

Well, I've studied Jordan Belfort's system of selling on the phone.

Basically, YOU HAVE 4 SECONDS TO IMPRESS THE PERSON. In those 4 seconds, you have to sound really energetic, figure of authority and enthusiastic. And you do this by having really good tonality. Being loud and raising your voice at the end of your sentence (For e.g. got a minute???" raise your voice) and then whispering to him as if you're sharing something scarce.

I can tell you a lot about this but it's too much info. This should get you going, Good luck!

 

[Weltenbummler]

Well, I've studied Jordan Belfort's system of selling on the phone.

Basically, YOU HAVE 4 SECONDS TO IMPRESS THE PERSON. In those 4 seconds, you have to sound really energetic, figure of authority and enthusiastic. And you do this by having really good tonality. Being loud and raising your voice at the end of your sentence (For e.g. got a minute???" raise your voice) and then whispering to him as if you're sharing something scarce.

I can tell you a lot about this but it's too much info. This should get you going, Good luck!

Thanks zanesta After seeing all the feedback here, I started studying SPIN selling today as I've found some info about it on the forum, got myself 2 books, spin selling by neil rackham and a fieldbook to it. Unfortunately had no time to cold call today and tommorow I am moving to another flat so I will have to postpone everything till monday.

 

[Tom Baker]

I cold call for a living, honestly dont focus on scripts too much, anytime I had a new job or anything I would outlife something. Make bullet points, something to look at if there is an awkward pause or you need toss out some facts. Part of it is trying to have a conversation, Also dont be afaird to say I was trying to get in touch with the person who handles the ____. They will respond, I do or ___ does, then you can say great, and ask them a question. Have a conversation to build on, find pain points, cost, time, something, then you can say well I have a solution for that, would love to setup a time to meet you, when would be a good time for a quick 10-15 min conversation. I think the in the area thing is dumb personally, unless you say I have a meeting at 10am in (near by town), would 1pm work?

Sorry for grammer I am typing in between cold calls.

Again scripts are dumb, but I understand using them at first, in the end you will only know what works is by making the calls.

 

[thisismymp3]

sound too robot like repeating the name

 

[Jubv]

(I myself feel like an annoying seller)

Firstly, you have to believe in what you are selling. Act as if you are providing the company/individual with a solution to one of their most major problems and thus either saving them a lot of money or providing them with the potential to increase sales - which you are.

You should know all the benefits of web design, if you're site looks nice visitors are more likely to convert into sales. It's been proven time and time again that attractive people get treated better than ugly people, a site is no different. Remind yourself of the benefits of your service prior to making a call and make sure to convey these benefits across to the person on the other end of the phone.

Me: Hello John, This is Jack xxx, I am a web designer. I am calling you today, John because I would like to talk about online presence of your office/company and I think that such a professional business/office/whatever as yours could gain more clients thanks to a solution I would like to present to you. I will be in your area John, tommorow around three. Will you be there for 7 minutes?

There are a few things wrong with your opening line (in my opinion)..

It's good that you know the importance of calling someone by their name, there is a quote by Dale Carnegie which I haven't forgot since the first day I read it.
"Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language". However, I think you're mentioning the person's name way too much and it could come across as condescending.

Also there's no 'authority' behind your name. When you introduce yourself it might be a good idea to say something like "My name is Jack xxx and I provide web design solutions for small/medium/large businesses" if you have done work for previous clients then throw their names in there maybe, especially if the person on the other end of the phone would recognize the name.

Last thing, don't try to close in your opening line, you're coming on too strong. First tell him about the benefits he will receive by working with you, up to this point you haven't gave him enough information to decide whether he should meet you or not.

would you be in then for around 7 minutes?

If you are going to ask a second time, make sure to rephrase the question. Failing to do so will cause the person to revert back to their old answer "no" because that is what they're comfortable with, remember they are still unsure about your proposal.

If I meet Gatekeeper and know owners name

Not sure what a gatekeeper is but I'm assuming some sort of security? If this is the case I can't really give advice as the best option would vary depending on the circumstances. But I guess in a broad sense you might want to explain to the gatekeeper that you would like to put forth a business proposal to the owner/manager that you believe would be of great benefit to the business. Make them feel as if they would be harming the business by not letting you speak to the owner/manager.

Should I on any stage:
- Say that this is regarding to web design and I would like to offer them web design?
- Say that I've found their number on yellow pages and that's why I would like offer them web design?

Of course you should tell them it's about web design! If someone contacted your company and wasn't specific about what they are offering you then you will more than likely hang up the phone as you don't understand what they're offering.

If you have found them on yellow pages and they currently don't have a website, your job is to tell them how great it would be for their company to be online. Perhaps even state some case studies of similar businesses that have benefited from taking their business online.

----

I apologise if any of my advice seems harsh, I rushed this message since I don't usually make replies this long so some of it might be poorly worded. I know it can be difficult but just keep calling, eventually you'll get used to rejection and you'll be able to be more comfortable on the phone. I was also planning to rewrite your script for you but didn't want to make this message too long. Let me know if you want me to do that and I will

Also your username name reminds me of Germany for some reason, is this where you're based because that would probably affect your success rate?

 

[Jubv]

the second one was the rudest and what is even funnier I know she has recently graduated from my uni

Make sure you call her back tomorrow (seriously)

 

[Panther28]

Me: A very good morning, is that you John?
X: It's me
Me: John, a little birdie told me that you wanted your website to bring in more clients and business, and i am in your area next week, what is the best day to meet you in person and finalise your seo strategy ?

That should help you. Get them excited. Rub them up the right way.

 

[Weltenbummler]

would be a good time for a quick 10-15 min conversation. I think the in the area thing is dumb personally, unless you say I have a meeting at 10am (...)

Thanks for the hint Tom!

believe in what you are selling. Act as if you are providing the company/individual with a solution to one of their most major problems and thus either saving them a lot of money or providing them with the potential to increase sales - which you are.

Thanks for your looong post and all the hints Juubv! I do believe in what I am selling, I am mostly focusing on selling responsive web designs, so they are ready for the increasing number of mobile devices in use

dont be afaird to say I was trying to get in touch with the person who handles the ____. They will respond, I do or ___ does, then you can say great, and ask them a question. Have a conversation to build on, find pain points, cost, time, something, then you can say well I have a solution for that, would love to setup a time to meet you, when

Of course you should tell them it's about web design! If someone contacted your company and wasn't specific about what they are offering you then you will more than likely hang up the phone as you don't understand what they're offering.

Sometimes I read that I should be specific and sometimes that I should try to hype them first with benefits without saying what exactly do I have in mind - so that they don't hang up immediately.

If you have found them on yellow pages and they currently don't have a website, your job is to tell them how great it would be for their company to be online. Perhaps even state some case studies of similar businesses that have benefited from taking their business online.

I planned to do this but someone told me it may show them something like "but you've got our number, this means yellow pages work & are enough"

I was also planning to rewrite your script for you but didn't want to make this message too long. Let me know if you want me to do that and I will

If you have some spare time I would be very very grateful Maybe others who come across this thread would benefit too

Not sure what a gatekeeper is but I'm assuming some sort of security?

By gatekeeper I mean a secretary etc., anyone who is in charge of answering the telephone but has no decision power. I've learned this word here on BHW

Also your username name reminds me of Germany for some reason, is this where you're based because that would probably affect your success rate?

You are right about the username - it is a German word for globetrotter - I am not German but I've been living and working there for 7 months, I am from Poland.

"

Make sure you call her back tomorrow (seriously)

I am not sure what would be more humiliating - running naked around town or calling her back

That should help you. Get them excited. Rub them up the right way.

I just can't imagine a serious business owner reacting positively to the "little birdie" thing over the phone.

 

[Jubv]

If you have some spare time I would be very very grateful Maybe others who come across this thread would benefit too

Forgot about this thread. I'll update this post later with a script, I don't do this professionally though so I can't guarantee the effectiveness of it

 

[astor11]

I wish you luck. But website design sales over the phone are tough sell. you have our friends from India banging phones using call centers day and night and their quote will be better than yours.

My advice is to try to develop refferals and get at least first client. better walking local businesses talk to them. start with something small trip wire. you can do local coupon book mailer first.

As for the script, try to eliminate people by calling them. dont go for a meeting with everyone. you will waste your time a lot.
In the script offer something small to test and mail it to them, then follow up. dont meet everyone, time is money!

all the best