Fifty-seven percent of B2B executives prefer to be contacted by phone
That’s a good thing! If you make ten outbound sales calls daily, 5-6 of your prospects will be receptive to your call. To take advantage of this data, you must ensure you say the right thing, in the right tone of voice, and create value for your prospects.
The worst thing you can do is launch into talking about yourself or your product. Instead, you want the right outbound scripts to entice your prospects to accept a meeting with you. Once you have an appointment booked, you can start a relationship, build trust, and, ultimately, close the sale.
This article features five of my best outbound sales call script samples you can copy, practice, and make your own to crush your sales targets.
Outbound Sales Call Script Samples: Why You Need Them
Before we get into our examples, let’s discuss the importance of solid outbound sales scripts in your processes. Sales scripts are crucial to your team’s success. Why are they so vital? Simple.
The salesperson who best articulates the value they will bring to the meeting will most likely get the meeting. The surest way to book more meetings and create more opportunities is to use better language than your competition.
Would you rather leave that language up to chance or work using a proven script as a base?
RELATED READ: Why You Should Script the Sales Conversation
Powerful language can help you advance the sale, feel more confident, and offer more value to your prospects at every stage of the process. Poor language choices can make you sound like you have commission breath, or worse, like you’re unprepared.
Some sales reps are nervous about using scripts. You or your team may be hesitant for reasons ranging from a fear of sounding scripted to pride and overconfidence (or the “I don’t need a script” argument). However, these arguments miss the point of modern talk tracks and sales scripts.
Using a outbound script doesn’t take away from your natural ability to connect with prospects and advance your sales. In fact, it’s the opposite. A outbound call script gives you a framework for your sales conversations so you always know what you need to say next to advance the sale.
Having a script takes the mental burden of trying to think about what to say next, so you can focus on your delivery and relationship building instead. Using scripts successfully can help you maneuver the sales funnel and move your prospect toward closing the deal.
Scripts can help you with objection handling, improving active listening skills, and more. Let’s take a look at five proven scripts you can use when planning and executing your sales calls.
1. Script Sample for Appointment Setting
If you’re working in B2B sales, you’re likely not trying to close a whole deal on a cold call. Instead, you’re probably trying to book a meeting—that’s why my first script sample for outbound sales calls is a script to help you book an appointment.
The goal of booking an appointment is, of course, to help your prospect learn more about your solution and move them through the sales funnel. If you want your prospect to agree to this meeting, you need to demonstrate that you’re capable of offering them something of value. The last thing your contact wants is someone to waste their time.
The key in an appointment-setting call is to get straight to the point and ask for a meeting rather than trying to squeeze a pitch into the cold call. You also need to ensure you provide value by telling them exactly what you plan to offer them in the call, and indicating how it will benefit them.
Here’s some sample language you can use to book more appointments:
“Good morning. This is Anthony Iannarino with XYZ Widgets. I am calling you today to ask you for a twenty-minute meeting where I can share with you an executive briefing about four trends that will have the most significant impact on manufacturers in the next eighteen to twenty-four months.
I’ll also provide you with the questions we are asking and answering with our clients so that you can share them with your management team. Even if there is no next step, you’ll know what you might start exploring and what you might need your team to start putting in place.”
2. Script Sample for a Voicemail
One of the biggest missed opportunities in outbound sales is voicemail. Many sales reps don’t leave a voicemail when a cold call doesn’t answer. Of the reps who do leave a message, many of them aren’t leaving a voicemail the right way.
So, what is the right way to leave a voicemail in sales?
You need to use your voicemail to indicate your knowledge and position yourself as an advisor capable of providing value. You should also begin building trust by promising a follow-up call and then delivering on that follow-up.
For example, you may say:
“Hi ___, this is Anthony from XYZ. I’m sorry I missed you today. I’m calling to ask to book a twenty-minute meeting with you where I’ll share our executive briefing about ___ that will benefit you in XYZ ways. I will call you back in X days. I’ll leave my phone number anyway. It’s _____."
3. Script Sample for a Referral Call
Business-to-business companies with referrals have a seventy percent higher conversion rate and report a sixty-nine percent faster close time on sales.
Most of the time, a referral won’t be enough to close the deal for you, but they can be a great way to get your foot in the door and get started on a positive note with a new prospect. In short, you’ll probably have a more straightforward cold call if you’ve been recommended to them by a friend.
“Hi __, this is Anthony from ___. We have a mutual friend! ___ told me to reach out as they mentioned you’re having trouble with ____ and might benefit from ____.
We’re a ___ that focuses on helping companies like yours overcome three issues that crop up time and again. Can we schedule 20 minutes next week so I can share our executive briefing? I promise to respect your time, and even if there’s no next step, you’ll know what you should start exploring to help drive your company forward.”
4. Script Sample for A Warm Lead
We’ve been talking a lot about cold calls so far, but not all outbound sales calls are to cold prospects. What if you’re calling a warm lead?
You may have already been in touch with a prospect via LinkedIn. Perhaps the lead has engaged with your organization’s marketing or sales emails or even replied to an email and engaged in conversation before.
This type of lead is more common in organizations that use multiple channels to reach potential clients. You’ll want to approach this type of contact with an insight-based approach. Be patient, professional, and persistent. Take the time to investigate their challenges and show how you can provide value.
For example:
“Hi __, this is Anthony from ___. We chatted briefly on ___ last week. I sent you ___. Did you get a chance to read it? I’m calling today because I want to ask how long you’ve been struggling with ___. Is there something blocking you from taking action? And what’s stopped you from changing? And what’s this problem costing you? (Usually money) What else?”
Depending on how this call is going, you can continue on, or:
“Can we schedule 20 minutes next week so I can share our executive briefing about how other companies like yours have solved the same problems?”
5. Script Sample for a Promotional Call
Another option you can use for outbound sales calls is calling prospects to promote an offer. Limited-time promotions, bonuses, and gift packages can help expedite the sales process and move prospects to the decision phase earlier rather than later.
The script for this type of call is quite straightforward:
“Hi __, this is Anthony from ___. We haven’t spoken yet but I want to let you know about a special offer we’re currently promoting. We’re providing a free consultation/free trial/discount from which other businesses like yours have benefited.
Is this something you’re interested in learning more about?
If yes, “Great! Let’s get the ball rolling. What’s the best email address to reach you on? I’ll send you all of the details and a link to redeem your offer. The link will expire in ___.”
If no, “No worries! May I ask what your concern is?”
To carry on the conversation, from here, you should prepare for common objections related to budget worries, fear of change, and other concerns your prospect may have.
Outbound Sales Call Script Samples: Make Them Your Own
You can use these five scripts as a base to help you advance your sales, book more meetings, and crush your targets. Remember, using sales scripts is a great idea, but only if you can do it without sounding scripted. Learn your script, practice it, and take some time to make it your own.
Effective language is essential to building rapport and developing trust… but not if that language doesn’t ring true. The more genuine the verbiage is to your speech patterns, the easier it will be to remember and the more natural it will sound. When done correctly, scripts are a fantastic way to speak confidently, open strong, and consistently create value for your prospects.
Regardless of which scripts you use moving forward, remember: Cold calling is not dead, and successful salespeople have no fear of the phone.
If you want to succeed on outbound sales calls, the best way is to get the reps in! Check out my free resource, the Cold Calling eBook, and find out what you’re capable of.
