Ditch the Sales Script and Do This Instead Sales frameworks are a key stepping stone to building better relationships with customers.
By Stephen M. Lowisz Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
We've all been there: Your phone rings. You pick it up. Before you even utter "Hello?" you're bombarded with a pitch. "It's your lucky day, because ... " You're hearing about a special discount. The person on the other end is talking fast and with confidence, but you can tell he has no interest whatsoever in what you actually need.
Related: 7 Key Selling Habits All Sales Professionals Must Develop
Perhaps you ask a question. Suddenly the call feels even more stilted, because the answer you're given has nothing to do with what you actually asked. Maybe this person does have something of value to bring to your business. But, it's painfully clear that you were just the next faceless name on a list of a thousand names. A drop in a bucket. You hang up the phone. Maybe the next person that calls is actually interested in what you need.
Using a sales script is a conventional way for a business to scale a branded sales approach. It may allow a business to execute a sale with those who don't notice or don't care that it's using a script. Ultimately, however, sales scripts will time and time again fall short of creating a personal and emotional connection.
The value lost in doing so cannot be understated. A study by the Harvard Business Review found that emotionally connected customers are more than twice as valuable as highly satisfied ones. They buy more products and services, exhibit less price sensitivity and are more likely to recommend a business to others.
In other words, creating an emotional connection is the secret formula to not only making the initial sale, but also beginning a lasting relationship with a customer that will yield unexpected dividends. And there's no better way to establish an emotional connection than by implementing a sales framework to close deals.
Frameworks: the science which enables the art
Frameworks have long been used in other facets of business to great effect. They're commonly used by developers when building new programs or applications. They provide guidance while still enabling a level of creative freedom, often resulting in efficiently built and intuitively run digital platforms.
In the context of sales, frameworks are step-by-step guidelines for sales reps on how to structure a pitch. They are the scientific building blocks which give sales reps the freedom to leverage their strongest personal traits, build genuine relationships and master the art of closing deals. They allow sales reps to be authentic and build up a rapport with a prospect during the conversation, which is crucial.
Related: AI Is Taking the Art Out of Sales
In turn, organizations can overcome some of the major issues facing their sales teams today. Consider, for example, that in a survey of 1,289 salespeople by The Miller Heiman Group and CSO Insights only 53 percent of respondents made their quotas in 2017. Not to mention the challenge it is to hire quality salespeople in the first place: Salespeople remain one of the top three most difficult jobs to fill.
The numbers show that building and maintaining a successful sales team can be difficult. Nevertheless, a quality framework -- based on authenticity -- that steers salespeople through conversations without imposing a uniform approach is the first step to growing a company's bottom line.
Closing deals with the art of authenticity
To close deals and build an emotional connection, sales reps have to come across as genuine. It's all too easy for a prospect to decline a sale or simply hang up if they feel that the person speaking to them isn't taking their needs into account. Scripts fail every time at personalizing a pitch to suit those needs.
This is something that renowned sales advisor and bestselling author Ian Altman also hints at, writing, "The major mistake [that kills sales scripts] is that the salesperson is reading the script, but not paying attention to the answers."
Related: 11 Ways to Boost Your Sales Performance
Frameworks are effective because the relationships they foster are built on genuine, naturally developed trust. According to a new survey from HubSpot Research, just 3 percent of respondents consider salespeople trustworthy. The lack of trust is often due to a lack of authenticity on the part of the salesperson, and that often appears to be the case when they are reading from a script.
A rep can spend 30 minutes detailing the benefits of a product, but if the prospect isn't made to feel like her specific problems can be solved by using that product, the sale has no chance of happening. Word-for-word scripts don't leave any room for personalizing a solution to solve a prospect's problems. They stand in the way of a genuine emotional connection.
Simple frameworks fare so much better than detailed scripts because they create an environment where both the salesperson and the prospect are comfortable. It empowers the sales rep to have a normal, natural conversation. They can pick up on character traits, adapt their pitch to meet the prospect's specific needs, and provide credible answers on how the company can help solve their problems.
Not unlike the way they're used in the world of coding and developing, frameworks allow sales reps get creative, try out different approaches, and hone their sales technique. As a result, they provide the playing field for sales reps to learn, practice, and ultimately excel at the art of closing a deal.
Related: The 15 Characteristics of People Who Succeed at Sales
A practical framework for businesses
So, what would a sales framework look like in practice? Here's an example of a framework a company could use to provide standardized, guided steps for pitching a prospect on a first call:
Step 1: The problem (80 percent of first call)
- Identify the prospect's problem.
- Expose the pain associated with this problem.
- Expound on the monetary, physical, mental and emotional ripple effect of not fixing the problem.
Step 2: Envisioning two realities (15 percent of first call)
- Envision a reality without this problem.
- Expose the pleasure that can be associated if a solution is provided (a solution; not your solution).
- Expound on the monetary, physical, mental and emotional ripple effect of fixing the problem.
Step 3: The Solution (5 percent of first call)
- Pitch the next step in solving the solution (i.e. the next, more in-depth call)
As this example shows, a framework requires a sales rep to have a strong, working knowledge of the company's core principles, vision, products and team mentality, which are communicated to the prospect during the pitch. Frameworks illustrate a clear process, but unlike spelled-out scripts, sales reps are free to tackle each step however they see fit. Improvisation is not only allowed, it's encouraged. Sales reps need to improvise, be creative and figure out exactly what resonates with the individual human being on the other end of the line.
At the same time, sales reps need to operate in line with a company's principles, know what they are selling inside-and-out, and be able to explain exactly how that product can solve a prospect's problems in a way that communicates clearly. Sales frameworks do just that, while enabling salespeople to facilitate personal connection in a way that best fits with their personality. In short, it can accelerate a team's ability to master the fine art and science of closing deals.
The end result? Far more than just a dramatic increase in conversions and ROI. Sales frameworks are a key stepping stone to creating a more effective team that runs on integrity and, most importantly, customer relationships that are fostered with trust and built for the long haul.
