Work Shop Material: Intro Script for New Prospects

The provided scripts abide by the “5 Steps to Sales Success” formula I subscribe to because of how successful it has been. It is a sales aid intended to address initial contact efforts and is meant as a template or jumping off place. It can and should be edited but we strongly recommend you do it with caution and leave the terms which address friendliness, safety and time management in your final version. The ultimate goal here is to share what we know has worked and allow you to blend it into your activities and personality. 

Four scenarios will be covered - one if a prospect answers a phone call, one if you are leaving a voicemail, one if a text and the final example if you are sending an intro email.

Scenario #1, when the prospect answers the phone:

Hi! __________________, this is_____________ from _____________Pianos, the absolute friendliest and safest place to receive information about pianos in the ____________area.

We are the designated representatives for some of the world’s finest pianos and have a remarkable inventory of used pianos to save money on. We’ve been matching people with the perfect piano inside their price range for decades! May I have permission to ask you a couple brief questions? I promise not to take much of your time.

Explanation for the structure of the script - The 5 Steps to Selling Success Method encourages you to address: #1 Credibility, then #2 Rapport before jumping into the discovery mode. I like to quote Teddy Roosevelt to justify these first two steps of this method, “Nobody cares what you know until they know that you care.” Making friends and acquiring permission to be their concierge is job number one. Piano sales associates rarely need help steering folks through the fact finding portion of the process. As long as they are disciplined enough to listen as much as they talk they should properly identify the prospects' needs and price range.   

Scenario # 2, when leaving a voicemail:

Hi! __________________, this is_____________ from _____________Pianos, the absolute friendliest and safest place to receive information about pianos in the ____________area. We’ve been matching people with the perfect piano inside their price range for decades! If you would be kind enough to call me back at your convenience, I would like permission to ask a few brief questions that would allow me to provide expert information about whatever piano may be appropriate for your circumstance.     In case you don’t have “caller ID” my number is_______________. I am also available by text at this number and as I mentioned I promise to be respectful of your time. Let me know the most convenient time for us to visit.

The word “permission” is key for proper positioning and the promise to be brief separates you from the herd of idiot, pushy sales people everyone wants so much to avoid. Remember - you are on stage here. A voice mail allows you to inject some personality so be warm and caring and NOT cold and to the point.

Scenario # 3, when texting:

Hi! __________________, this is_____________ from _____________Pianos, the absolute friendliest and safest place to receive information about pianos in the ____________area. I am following up on your digital inquiry about pianos to provide you with information. Would you rather find a time to chat briefly or would texting be more convenient for you?

Texting should be more brief and more to the point, it is the expected manner of the mode

Scenario # 4, when sending an email:

Hi! __________________, this is_____________ from _____________Pianos, the absolute friendliest and safest place to receive information about pianos in the ____________area.

We are the designated representatives for some of the world’s finest pianos and have a remarkable inventory of used pianos to save money on. We’ve been matching people with the perfect piano inside their price range for decades! May I have permission to ask you a couple brief questions? I promise not to take much of your time.

You didn’t provide your phone number on the form so if you would be kind enough to email it back to me, call or text me I promise to be brief. When would be the most convenient time for you to speak with me?

Emailing is pretty non-invasive so you have more real estate to work with. Note that each attempt ends in a question. I highly recommend reading “The Secrets of Question Based Selling” by Thomas Freese. 

In summary, I will end with some numbers I have found to be helpful. The first number is 8. That is the amount of attempts I believe every lead deserves. In this succession: 2 calls then 2 texts, 2 emails and then 2 final attempts of the flavor that has worked best for you. If after 8 attempts over a 30-60 day period there is no interaction, archive and place them in Legacy Leads. They should however be kept in any company email catalog as circumstances for a lead could change over time and someone who is not in the market or responsive now could become activated by new life circumstances at a later time.  

The final set of numbers I will share are numbers I’ve lived my sales life by. They have proven to be true and accurate over and over again. 25-5-2 and 1. For every 25 calls I get into dialogue with 5 people. Two of them express sincere interest and one will buy. These averages have held for thirty years even though the playing field has changed, as have the tools we have at our disposal. Having a method to your madness will help you maintain a modicum of sanity.

"Sales are contingent upon the attitude of the salesman, not the attitude of the prospect." -  W. Clement Stone 

Happy Selling!

Jack