Writing out a whole new telemarketing script can be a bit of a chore. Most sales managers would prefer it if they never had to make adjustments to the talking points that their agents cover. But market demands are always moving, and it’s important to keep customers happy. One of the things that makes for better and more successful sales calls are when the scripts adhere to certain principles. These five are the most important ones we know.
1: Don’t be a Robot!
This is the first telemarketing script principle for a good reason, and most readers know exactly what that reason is. Customers hate telemarketers that sound like robots about as much as they hate getting actual robocalls.
The reason behind that reason is that such robotic communications are actually disrespectful. A one-size-fits-all script is a tacit admission that the caller does not care about the prospect in the slightest. Rather, they’re just interested in getting as much money from them as efficiently as possible before moving on to the next one. The irony of this lazy strategy is that it actually is less effective than more creative ways of working the phones, even though it’s cheap and easy to set up.
2: Memorize Your Telemarketing Script, But Don’t Recite It Exactly
Building off of the anti-robot rule, there is still something to be said for covering all your bases. One of the few advantages that robocalls have is that they never misstate anything, and they never forget a line. That’s useful when you have to be sure to say certain phrases during every call for compliance purposes.
The Perfect Pitch technology that we use in our Boomsourcing call centers helps bridge the gap between the human touch and robotic perfection. Agents can still interact naturally with the people they call, but they never have to worry about forgetting to say something important.
For those who can’t use that sort of technology, or who have to be much more flexible, memorization and reminders are essential. The key, though, is to learn how to use those points without rote recitation. There are lots of creative ways to mix them up and reword them while being fully compliant, but it takes practice.
3: Keep Your Telemarketing Script Short, in Every Way
Another great way to keep the conversation flowing is to make your part as short as possible, in every dimension. Customers like to talk about themselves, especially when they’ve got a problem you might be able to solve. Give them space to tell you all about it!
Format your telemarketing script to use short sentences, phrases, and even words. Don’t use any technical jargon that could confuse a prospect. Make sure you’re asking concise questions that don’t address more than one topic at a time, but which invite the prospect to reflect on and reveal their concerns. If you can get them to do that, then you can help them see the resolution you can provide.
One great tool that we like is the Hemmingway Editor. It helps you cut your sentences down to a very understandable size, among other benefits.
4: Talk to Normal People Like Normal People
In addition to leaning towards shorter words that are easier to hear, your telemarketing script should stick to a basic vocabulary. Adults are able to understand 96% of spoken language with a vocabulary of just 2000 words, even though most do know many thousands more words.
To help you draft your script, it’s a good idea to rely on free tools like the Simple English Helper Tool that helps you write with a smaller vocabulary to appeal to a wider audience. The fewer words you use, the more sense you’ll make to more people.
5: Always Practice Out Loud to Hear How it Sounds
This is perhaps the very best way to see if you have a script that will sound good to your prospects: does it sound good to you?
By reading your telemarketing script drafts out loud, it forces you to check it more carefully for errors. You’ll catch more typos, and when something is written in an awkward way, you’ll hear yourself say it and pause because it sounds strange. That’s a sure sign of a spot you could edit, because it would probably sound strange to someone on the other end of a phone, too.
We hope you found these five tips useful for writing more effective call scripts. If you’re developing a new telemarketing campaign and want to give it a real technical boost, consider reaching out to Boomsourcing. We make telemarketing easy to start and scale. Contact us today!
