Owen here from The Professional Builder here to walk you through the sales script section of the sales framework. So this part features directly after the qualifying part. Once you’ve qualified a lead you deem them to be worthy of your time because the prospect has given you some of their time in completing a questionnaire. You are now getting a phone call with them. So you get to talk to the lead and you get to qualify it some more, position it well. The next step from this process is the site visit and the wow information pack.
So what we’ve got here is a sales script. And it’s really important to learn, rehearse, practise the script, make it your own, and make sure that you can deliver it well. Because I mean this part is really critical in training both your team. This is probably one of the first parts of the sales process that you will get out of that’s actually selling when you decide to leverage yourself from the sales process. And it’s also a really good framework to make sure that you’re a great sales professional, both yourself and your team. So if you don’t do this part right you’re going to struggle with positioning yourself as the expert. You’re going to struggle with making sure that your prospect really understands the next step.
You’ll probably find that the prospect tries to take control of the process and begins to call the shots. And you may not be elevated as the trusted advisor or authority in your niche. So in sales, there’s either your following their process or they’re following your process. If they’re following your process they’ll go to the next stage. And you get to call the shots.
If you’re following their process, you’ll probably get to the end of a sales call and then they’ll probably say something like, “Hey, looks great. I’ll have to think about it and we’ll be back to you,” sort of thing. That’s you following their process. So either you follow their process or they follow your process. If you don’t use a script like this chance is more likely heard of you following their process than them following yours.Let’s go through things and get the spot on.
So we’ve broken this section down into general sales delivery around tone, pace, positioning, and around a second point of contact with the new prospect, the triage call or phone call. So this is the triage. The triage is incredibly important for the positioning of yourself, your team, and really just qualifying the lead and elevating the importance of the next step in the process which would usually be a site visit.
Now at the previous step the prospect would have covered some questions and chosen a time to have this call with whoever is doing the sales call, usually yourself to start with and then probably the next person that you want to leverage out to do sales. It could be somebody in the office or your marketing person or whatever. Usually it’s the director to start with, but this is definitely one of the first steps in the sales process that you would be able to hand over to your team in the office and train them in. So download the script, print this one out, and have it in your hand and let’s go through it together right now so that you can write some notes as we go.
So we’ll run through the script entirely and break down the main points and basically the points that need to be emphasised. So let’s start at the top. So let’s say a lead has come through, they’ve qualified themselves. At the end of those questions that they qualified themselves with they chose a time. I like to do sales on a Thursday afternoon. So this has fallen into my calendar, this call for a Thursday afternoon. “Hey John, you’re speaking with Owen. I’ve got a note here in my diary that we have our call now. Is that right? Awesome. Fantastic. Hey, now I’ve got to know a few other calls after yours so we need to stick to time. But my job’s really easy John. I just want to ask a few questions and work out if we’re the best builders for your project. If we’re not, I’ll let you know politely. I’ll point you in the right direction. But if we are, what we’ll do is we’ll book in a site meeting and go more in depth into your project.
Alright. So what I’ve done here straight away is a couple of things. I’ve actually positioned them straight off the bat. I’ve told them that we’re calling now because they chose a time. With me. I’m also telling them that I’m busy and that my time is valuable so I’ve got a few other calls after yours. Take this a step further you could actually just say you’ve got three or four calls after yours. Your positioning will become your position. So at the moment you might not have one or two calls, but honestly after a while once you get the sales and marketing thing rolling you might have one or two calls after theirs and you do need to stick to time. It doesn’t have to be a sales call either. It could be a call to the merchant or a call to your team. The point is you’re positioning them that your time is valuable, that you need to stick to it, and that you’ll be following your process and a framework to make sure that you do stick to it.
You’ll be answering the questions. And if we can’t help, we’ll point you in the right direction. If we can help, the next step is already being framed up. Your pressure testing by saying, “Is that And if it’s not, then it’s a bit of a red flag. Right? It’s always alright. I’ve never had anybody say that it’s not But if somebody were to say, “No, that’s not fine.” You can just go, “Well John, we won’t be able to help you if we don’t know more about the specifics. So really I just want to ask a few specifics about things like where you’re at with the process, what’s important to you, who the decision makers are, if you’ve got a partner or anything, how big your family is, what your budget is, things like that.” So you just jump straight into the next part. Remember you can’t control the person in sales, you can only control the process. So really if they’re not participating, just drag them through this process as best you can. If they are participating, go through this process as thoroughly as possible. So that’s step one.
Step two. “So John, tell me a little bit about the specifics of your project. Things like timeline, number of family members, whether you’re one to open plan living or lock up and leave it.” And then you’re going to listen. You’re going to write notes over the script that is in front of you for every single sales call so that you can refer back to them before the site visit. You should be writing word for word exactly what they’re saying to you for a couple of reasons. Number one, whatever they’re saying to you is absolutely what they want. And if you read it back to them at the end, they’re going to think you’re an absolute genius. People believe that you have the answer when you are able to have the conversation that they’re having in their brain. So they’re telling you what conversation they’re having in their brain and all you need to do is write those notes and play it back to them.
Secondly, you take word for word exactly what they’re saying and now you’ve got copy that you’re going to write in your Facebook and Instagram, website, info pack, copy later down the track. If they’re going to tell you things like, “I’ve got four family members. I want it to be open plan so that we can entertain people over the summer holidays, we can have people around and not be embarrassed about the shitty outdoor living area.” You’ve now got the exact copy of what people want from their builder and you can use that in the copy. So that’s points one and two.
“Awesome John. Alright. So have you built before?” And then a follow up question. “How did that build go? Is the other builder … is X, Y, Z builders quoting this job as well? Alright. So do you have land, plans, consent, or have you just got a truckload of ideas? Awesome. Alright. Who’s in the family then John? What’s important to you? Do you got kids? Oh, awesome dude. Yeah, fantastic. No, we’ve got a two year old and a four year old as well. Excellent. And what’s your wife’s name? Oh, just a partner. Excellent. No, fantastic John. Awesome. Yep. No, I’ve got a partner as well. Yep. So John, why is this important to you? In the questionnaire you said it was important because you want to entertain more on the weekends. Is that right? So tell me John a little bit around your budget. Have you got financing for this or would it be self-funded? sure thing.”
So the whole way through here, guys, you need to be doing a lot of different things. You’re going to be basically writing down names, important things, notes, concerns that they have, and specific things that they want fixed and solved. The other reason that this is important is because you really listening to them. You’re taking on board what they want to start with and you’re getting all the information that you need. Disclosure builds trust, it builds credibility. So the more somebody is going to disclose to you, the more they are going to trust you. And as you can see the questions around budgeting and finance are at the bottom here after they’ve told you their family names, their kid’s names, and everything else that’s important. Alright.
If you ask that at the beginning, they’re going to put a wall up. They’re probably just going to lie to you, not answer it, be a bit vague, give you a massive budget between 500 and a million. Something super unhelpful. But if you can ask that towards the end, after you’ve made a real connection with this person, they’re going to be a lot more honest. Not all the time, but generally speaking. And asking the questions around financing will give you a better idea around budget. Not just them saying, “Hey. Yeah, I’ve got 500K.” But, “Hey, we’ve got a private financing or we’re doing remortgaging or whatever.” Cool.
So the next part is really where you’re going to feed things back. So, John. Let me make sure that we’re on the same page here. You’re wanting to open up the living room and add three more rooms so that Joe, Mary, and Phil can have their own rooms in the new house. And so that you and Donna are able to entertain on the weekends. And make sure that you’ve got open plan living space and a pool out the back for over summer. Alright. You’ve got a budget of $600,000 meaning that we really need to work out the specifics around the plans and work with that architect that you’ve got an idea with to make sure that we bring, our scope works into our budget. Now, is this about right or am I missing something big here John?”
If you have made your notes correctly, if you have identified what their key concerns and worries were, and if you are confident enough to sit in front of the phone and to talk down about the specifics and the benefits that those specifics will add. In terms of what they’re wanting to do and the specific benefits they will add, this is where the sale is made. If you can do this part and execute it properly well with real specificity, it’s going to start becoming a lay up to the next point. They’re probably going to say something like, “No, that’s absolutely bang on. That’s exactly what I want to achieve.” They’re going to start getting excited. So this is where, because they are going to start getting excited, you’re able to really take control of the process here and become a lot more dominant. Alright?
So just something on tone that I should have mentioned earlier, guys. Particularly in the beginning part, you’re not friendly. This is a part where you’re really setting the tone. You’re being very minimal encouragements. And you’re really just opening the floor for them to take control of the situation. At this point here you can make a connection with them, open yourself by lowering your tone and making sure that you find some common ground. And at this point here, the sort of tone and tonality that we want is be quite matter of fact.
You are analysing like a doctor. Remember, it’s an audition for them. Not for you. If they’ve got a bleeding neck, you could care less. Somebody’s going to go into a doctor. The doctor’s not going to keep following you up to make sure that you’re taking your medication. He doesn’t care. He hopes that you do, but he doesn’t really care. You, on the other hand, you’re the doctor. He might come back to you, he might not. But you don’t care, you’ve got other work to do. You’ve got other stuff to do. It’s his responsibility solving his home. So you’re just a doctor you’re just analysing and telling him what he needs to do.
Then it’s this part. This is where you’re going to take control again and be a lot more authoritative in your delivery. And really this is where you want to put on your alter ego, whatever that might be. Put on your cape, you’re the superhero at this point, you’re going to take control of situation. “Alright John, we can definitely help with your project. Sounds like it could be a good idea for us to get together and go over a couple of things. Now obviously we need to discuss your project in more detail and find out a bit more about what exactly you’re trying to achieve, go over any concerns you might have. And I will tell you some more about XYZ builders and explain our process of how we go through things at the different stages. Planning and pricing, et cetera.” Now we’d work out three key things together at this next stage.
Number one, exactly what you need to do to get your plans, designs, counts, and concerns sorted.
We’ll work out if there’s any areas we can maximise your budget to make sure that we are really getting the best out of this project that you want. And then finally, we’ll also work out an expected timeline of when you might be able to start building your project and when you might be able to start moving into your new home. Now this next meeting, it’s a no obligation meeting but it is the next step so we can meet face to face and get a better understanding of if we’re a good fit and we’ll go over some more real specifics about your project. So at the end of the session it’s to say, ‘No, this might not work for us.’ It’s also to say, ‘Yes, let’s get some more accurate prices and the ball rolling.’ All we ask out of respect for our time at the end of that consultation is you give us either a yes or a no on whether you’d like to keep this process moving forward together. Are you comfortable with that? Awesome, John.
Remember in sales it’s all about micro commitments and clear next steps. All we’re doing at this point is we’re selling the clear next step. And what you need to do is identify very clearly what your next step is going to be. That’s why the questionnaire you should know before you go into this phone call what the clear next step will be. It will be either A or B or C. It’ll be like A will give you a timeline, a preliminary budget and a whatever. Basically the next step is always going to be a site visit from here or a meeting face to face. And in that site visit or in that meeting face to face, you’re going to work out three key things together. And the benefits of those things. It might be a rough budget, a rough timeline, and put your own touch with some key people that will help you move to the next step after that.
You just need to know before you go into here so that you can deliver this part clearly and confidently. If you can’t deliver this part clearly and confidently, you need to practise again. You need to work out what your next step is and you then need to practise seven or eight more times. “So John, have you got your calendar handy there? We are available for site meetings on Tuesday and Thursday at either 4:00 PM or 8:00 AM. Which of these would you like to take advantage of? Alright. So John, is there anyone else that you want part of the decision making process you’d like to have there? Is Mary going to join us? No. Well, what do we need to do to get her to that meeting? I think it would be really beneficial if we can both be there.”
If they propose a new time, “John I don’t typically do this, but I am excited by your project. We would need to make sure that this isn’t rescheduled again because I’m going to put some time aside to prepare for the session and make sure that we get the best and most from it. So we’re locking in this time?. Excellent.” Alright. So you’re locking in a time and you’re sticking to it. You should never ever, ever, ever finish a sales meeting or call without identifying a very clear next step. And that very clear next step needs to have real specificity, a time and a date to it. So that’s where this part is. You often get them to commit to a day before you get them to commit to the next person because this next person is just going to propose more challenges, obstacles, and problems.
Get them to make a commitment to a time first and then they’ll often make it work around that other person and make that other person get there. Otherwise it’s you against two where it’s becoming two against one. So make sure that you do this part before that part. And most importantly, have your times and dates ready before this call. The worst thing you want to do is go, “Oh, let me have a look at my calendar then. Crikey. Jeepers, when am I free? When am I free? When am I free?” No, you’re free every Tuesday and every Thursday because you’ve already identified this in your default diary. And then most importantly, you booking this in for about a week away. And this is so there is time for not just you to prepare, but to have your marketing get there, do the heavy lifting of sales, and educate them on who you are, who your team are, how they can trust you, and how you can help them specifically. So basically so that your info pack can get there on time.
And this is the close. “Now before next week, Tuesday at 4:30, there are three easy things that we need to do John, to make sure that we all get the best value out of this consultation. Now firstly, we’re going to send you an info pack that will tell you more about who we are, what we do, and exactly how we help. What’s the best address to send this to? Is it the place where we’re having a site meeting or is it a current other place? Awesome.” Write that down. “Secondly, can you make a list or a scrapbook or any screenshots or anything that you’ve got of design inspiration that you have for this project? This is going to give us a really clear idea about how we might price things and what your scope work and budget’s going to look like. Alright. And lastly I’ll send you some of our behind the scenes videos and portfolio videos just so that you get a clear idea about the clients that we work with, the way that we conduct ourselves, and our services and the results that we get with our clients.”
“It’s really important that you watch these before next week so I can answer any questions that you have. Alright John, we’re all locked in for next Thursday at 4:30. I have a full page of notes here so we pick up right where we’ve left off next week. You have our number and we’ll send you a confirmation email after this. If you have any questions please do let us know. Awesome. Thanks John. Talk soon. See you later.” Alright? Super easy. You’ve controlled the process. You have positioned them. You have told them exactly what we’re going to cover. You’ve given them some homework because participation leads to commitment. So the more that we can get them to participate the better. And what we need to do from here is we need to then send them that info pack, send them the confirmation email with case studies and video testimonials or any videos that you’ve got. Pictures of your work and the thing like that. Alright? And then make sure that you send them a reminder before the meeting and make sure that they don’t reschedule.
What we’ve got here is the exact framework for that script that you’re going to want. Make sure that you have these notes printed out and write over the script with notes from this video and have that with the blank scripts that you have for every time you do a call. Now it doesn’t matter how good you get at this call, how good you get at sales in general, you should always use a script and have it in front of you. After you’ve done that, it’s time to basically role play. So grab a person, grab a mirror and role play through the script until you’re confident you have what it takes. Make sure that you’re confident in the delivery and the questions and you know the script and it’s in your brain so that you can do it. The benefit of having this call before your site visit is that because it’s a phone call you can have the script in front of you and be reading it word for word and they will never know, especially if you rehearse and you understand and you do this regularly.
Now if you’re at the end, you’ve done all this, post a picture of your new script for these qualifying stages. Post that picture into the Facebook group to celebrate systemizing the first part of your sales process. Well done, you’ve systemized the first part of your sales process. Now it’s time to practise, train, and implement. So let’s go and smash it. All the best to you. We’ll see you at the next part. Cheers.
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