[eBook Code] Power Phone Scripts (eBook Code, 1st)

Foreword xvii

Introduction xix

Why You Need Phone Scripts xxii

How to Get the Most from This Book xxvii

Part I Laying the Groundwork for Success 1

Chapter 1 What It Takes to Be a Top Producer: Ten Characteristics of Top Sales Producers 3

Top Characteristic #1: Make a Commitment 5

Top Characteristic #2: Be Prepared for Recurring Selling Situations 8

Top Characteristic #3: Record & Critique Your Calls For 90 Days 11

Top Characteristic #4: Thoroughly Qualify Each Prospect 14

Top Characteristic #5: Re-qualify Prospects at the Beginning of your Close 17

Top Characteristic #6: Build Rapport Before, during, and After a Sale 19

Top Characteristic #7: Ask for the Sales Multiple Times 22

Top Characteristic #8: Treat Gatekeepers with Courtesy and Respect 25

Top Characteristic #9: Resign from the Company Club 28

Top Characteristic #10: Invest Daily in Your Attitude 30

Part II Prospecting Techniques and Scripts 35

Chapter 2 Better, Smarter Prospecting Techniques: New Cold Calling Techniques That Work 37

A Fresh Prospecting Approach for You 41

A Better Approach Than “How Are You Today?” 43

Don’t Say That, Say This! 45

How to Develop an Effective Elevator Pitch 50

Four Ways to Get Past the Gatekeeper 52

Why Asking for Help is a Great Way to Get Information 55

Stop Pitching the Gatekeeper—and What to Do Instead 57

What to Do if the Prospect Takes Only Emails 60

Chapter 3 Dealing with Resistance When Prospecting: How to Overcome Initial Resistance While Cold Calling 65

Eighteen New Ways to Handle “I’m Not Interested” 67

Five New Ways to Handle “Just Email Me Something” 71

Five (Nine, Really!) New Ways to Handle “I’m Too Busy” 74

Five New Ways to Handle “We’re Currently Working with Someone” 77

Ten New Ways to Handle “We’re All Set” 79

How to Overcome “We Handle That in House” 82

How to Handle the “We’re happy with Status Quo” Objection 83

Chapter 4 You Can’t Sell an Unqualified Lead: Qualifying Scripts to Identify Real Buyers 87

Fifteen Ways to Handle the Competition Objection 89

How to Question for Budget 94

How to Qualify for Interest 98

How to Qualify an Influencer 101

The Only Qualifying Question You May Need 104

How to Requalify Existing Prospects and Clients 107

The Two Most Important Qualifiers (and How to Ask for Them) 110

How to Qualify Prospects without Interrogating Them 114

Chapter 5 Other Prospecting Situations—and How to Handle Them 121

The Proper Way to Handle a Call-In Lead 121

Features and Benefits versus Knowing How to Sell 124

How to Build Instant Rapport with C-Level Executives 126

Chapter 6 Voice Mail and Email Strategies 131

Voice Mail: Five Proven Techniques That Get Your Calls Returned 131

The Touch-Point Plan: How to Turn Cold Leads into Warm Leads 137

Conclusion to Prospecting Techniques and Scripts 141

Part III Closing Techniques and Scripts 143

Chapter 7 How to Close the Sale 145

Opening a Closing Call 147

Five Ways to Get Better at Handling Objections 150

How to Use Assumptive Statements 152

The Importance of Confirming Your Answers 154

Seven Things to Say When Prospects Don’t Have the Time for Your Presentation 155

How to Stay Organized (and Efficient!) 158

How to Get Your Prospect Talking 161

Softening Statements That Keep Prospects Talking 163

Positive Statements That Help You Sell 167

Handling Objections When Requalifying 170

Always Have This Close Handy 174

The Three Times to Handle an Objection 176

Chapter 8 How to Deal with Specific Objections 179

How to Handle “I Haven’t Looked at the Information Yet” 179

Eleven New Ways to Handle “The Price is Too High” 182

Six New Ways to Handle: “I Need to Talk to My Boss” 186

Ten New Ways to Handle the “I Need to Think About It” Objection 190

“I Want to Think About It”—Another 10 New Ways to Handle It! 193

How to Deal Effectively with the Influencer 197

Closing Questions to Isolate the Objection 199

How to Overcome the “We Tried It Before and It Didn’t Work” Objection 204

How to Handle “I’ll Have to Speak with. . . .” 206

How to Handle the References Stall 210

How to Handle “My Supplier is My Friend” 212

How to Overcome the “You Expect Me to Make a Decision Now?” and “I Need to Do More Research” Objections 215

How to Overcome the “Market/Industry/Economy is Bad” Objection 218

How to Overcome the “My Relative Handles That for Me” Objection and the “I Have a Longstanding Relationship with My Vendor” Objection 220

Chapter 9 Winning Closing Techniques 223

How to Use Tie-Downs to Build Momentum 223

Too Many Options? Narrow It Down to Get the Sale Now 229

Boost Your Sales by Using This One Word 231

Ten Ways to Soften the Price Objection and Keep Pitching 233

In Sales, the Most Important Thing to Say is. . . . 236

Ask for the Sale Five Times—at Least! 238

Chapter 10 Follow-Up Strategies 241

The Proper Way to Set a Call Back 241

How to Follow Up with Prospects and Win Business 244

Staying Top of Mind Across a Longer Time Frame 248

Conclusion 250

Acknowledgments 255

Connect with Mike Brooks 257

About the Author 259

Index 261