My Appointment calling script-

Hi Richard

I like the opening part that's excellent and I shall be taking that on board immediately so thanks for that.

Honestly what success factor do you have with the appointment script?

Richard;

Did you post to in some way suggest you are an expert telephone prospector and that we should follow your script or something similar - or do you really want to improve results using some long proven skills and constructive criticism?

I leave you with that question but will say two more things; (1) according to the top telephone prospecting expert in the world, getting to the ultimate decision maker is a real skill that requires quite a bit more advice than what you provided, and; (2) in my opinion, once you get the decision maker on the phone, your final script is not bad. And, with one minor change in your process and wording - that will make a major impact - it would be considered by a top pro to be excellent.

I can draw on 57 years of experience with any suggestion I make (or 25 of my own), that coming from the man literally who invented telephone prospecting. Though I certainly do not need to!

I set 1 appointment for every 5 Decision Makers I talk to. Because my servics are so valuable to them I have a high rate of return when getting appointments. However you should be able to get 1 appointment out of 10 calls.

Richard;

... (1) according to the top telephone prospecting expert in the world, getting to the ultimate decision maker is a real skill that requires quite a bit more advice than what you provided, .

... the top telephone prospector in the world seems to think it takes a whole lot more to get to the true decision maker.

That's a fantastic return Richard. What product is it you sell? Mine is Pest Control so a difficult market as it's not really seen as a product that glistens and sparkles, just does exactly what is says on the tinxerm;

What I stated was as follows;



What you replied makes me think there is possibly a misunderstanding, which I may have inadvertently caused and will go ahead and apologize for. You see, I know that you, like everyone else … well, you are very busy and posting on a forum is naturally not your top priority. It is highly likely you over simplified your script due to time constraints or other pressures or even posting late at night when tired - not sure but I did not say or infer the following;



My statement was not a reference to the level of difficulty - it is (hopefully) indicative of your script either missing various steps or ... well? As you will see, this has made me think that you posted a sort of simplified version of what normally happens.

I find it somewhat confusing, perhaps even alarming, that after first asking for the DECISION MAKER (DM), then having the phone call intercepted by someone you did not ask for that we all generally refer to as the Gate Keeper (GK) or - described another way - the person who stops you from getting to the DM, that you would ask the GK if they are the DM ... !?!

If you handled steps prior to the connection to the GK correctly, you are already almost certain that they are not the DM, right?

Look, the GK exists to stop the DM from getting calls, that is their primary objective when you and other sales people call, PERIOD. They do not make decisions … sure, in big companies you can use the Personal Assistant to find the DM and save time - that is why we always ask for the CEO/President on all introductory calls when selling anything significant, just to get above middle management, but in mid sized companies or legal firms this is almost never the case. It is the owner or managing partner or President that usually makes this decision. Correct?

In my company no one else could decide to change an employee benefits program without my involvement and surveys/research have proven that almost every small company is the same. I am scratching my head here … !

Maybe you call small businesses, I am not sure, that would explain the simplification to some degree. But getting beyond the GK is what the drill is all about. We know the GK does not make decisions, which is why they are called the GK … they stand at the GATE and block your way, literally.

Are we having two conversations here? Anyway …

Your script with the decision maker is good except for the requirement for two minor but very important changes – then it would be excellent.

I uploaded a huge post in another thread about the reason for one of the changes … so I will link you to that later when I have more time, as well as mention what the two badly needed changes are (providing reasoning as well as the script).

By the way, the best in the world accomplishes one in three successful appointments per conversations with the ultimate decision maker (this is based on a volume of calls by and individual who now does nothing else). My odds are just over one in three, though I often explain my results as “between one in three and one in four” … the benefits from the change in what you are doing to what you are capable of accomplishing is dramatic.

Think of what you earn and what status you will achieve within your organization if can improve your results by 20% (the difference between 1 in 5 and 1 in 4) or 40% (the difference between 1 in 5 and 1 in 3) or even 33% (one appointment for every 3.3 connections with DM’s) but then multiply that by the increase you also would benefit from IF you get past a higher percentage of GK’s … !!!

It is clear that when we are screened, that most sales people do not make it past the GK and therefore miss many opportunities for quality sales appointments with highly qualified buyers that are also not sitting with the competition. However (and this advice is to any reader), in very few cases will you have spent your time well if you are speaking with middle management, let alone a GK, who though powerful in a certain way within big companies just because they work for the CEO, President or the EXEC V.P., is not even a middle manager!

Have no doubt, you can significantly improve your results, both in getting past the GK and with conversion of suspected prospects into qualified prospects (appointments).