The 8 Parts of a Fail-Proof Sales Script
Published: Feb 14, 2024
When you’re on a sales call or in a meeting with a client, the last thing you want to do is “wing it.”
Anybody who has tried to sell knows: it's easy for the conversation to veer wildly off track.
That’s why having a sales script to guide the conversation is so helpful.
A great sales script can help you feel more confident and prepared, and it will also serve your prospect by setting up a clear and effective conversation.
But a sales script is not meant to make the conversation feel “scripted.” You want your sales calls and conversations to feel organic and natural. You want to see the elements of a sales script more like talking points – a flow of conversation.
If you want a tool to help you script your sales calls, check out our free online SalesScript tool where you can create what we call a “million-dollar sales pitch.”
Now, let’s dig into the 8 parts of an effective sales script.
1. Build Rapport
Before you get on a sales call or engage in a sales conversation, you want to do some research on who you’re going to be talking to. It’s much easier to build a connection quickly when you’ve done some homework.
During this first stage of the conversation, you want to build some trust and relatability. This will set the rest of your sales call up for success.
2. Set the Stage
After you’ve built some rapport, it’s time to “set the stage” for the call. You want to let your prospect know what to expect.
For example, setting the stage could sound something like this:
“Here are the 3 things we’re going to do on this call. First, I want to understand more about how you heard about us and why you’re taking time to explore this. Second, I want to learn more about you/your business, what you’re struggling with and where you want to go. Finally, I’ll share a little bit about our product and how it could help you. Does that sound like a good game plan?”
That’s a great way to transition from rapport to talking business.
3. Question Asking and Active Listening
Instead of jumping right in and talking about your product, you want to ask good questions and listen to your customer
I suggest taking notes and letting the customer know that you’re going to be taking notes as they share.
The type of questions you ask will depend on the product you’re selling, but the idea is to uncover the problem or pain points your prospect is struggling with.
4. Mirror Back the Customer’s Pain/Situation
I believe the next part of the sales script is one of the most important things that a salesperson can learn to do.
This is where you mirror back to the customer what they just told you. That’s why asking great questions and being a good listener is so important.
If you weren’t actively listening, you can’t articulate their problem effectively and then show how your product solves that problem.
5. Share About the Product
Now that you’ve understood their problem and articulated it back to them, you’re ready to introduce the solution: your product.
But instead of blasting your prospect with all the benefits and features of your product, it’s best to give them 3 really clear benefits, ideally ones that are directly tied to the problem they just shared with you.
Your product may do more than those 3 things, but if you share too much, they won’t remember any of it.
6. Transition to the Offer and Handle Objections
Now that you’ve established the problem at hand and presented the solution, you want to start to transition to making the offer.
You want to come up with a really simple and lighthearted soundbite, like: “Okay, I just shared a lot of information. I’m going to shut up now and see if you have any questions.”
Keeping things light and inviting questions is very disarming and makes things feel less “salesy.” It also gives you the opportunity to address any objections before you ask for the sale.
A great way to handle objections is to paint the stakes. What is the positive impact on your client's life if they buy from you? What are the negative consequences they'll experience if they don't?
7. Ask For The Sale
At this point in the sales script, you’re ready to clearly and directly ask for the sale.
You want to practice asking for the sale and making it short, sweet, and clear.
For example: “You’re struggling with [problem], and our product [3 benefits]. Would you like to buy [product] so you can [benefit] today?”
8. Clarity About Next Steps
Finally, you want to care for your customer by letting them know what to expect next.
Depending on your industry and product, that might include signing a contract, getting a link to purchase sent to their email, etc.
Don’t make your customer question their decision to buy from you by getting clumsy at this point in the sale. Make the next steps easy and clear.
Your Turn: Create Your Sales Script
If you want to feel confident on your sales calls and close more deals, use our online SalesScript to create your talking points! Click here to download it for free.