Cold calling scripts background

The word “script” to anyone who has ever been in sales usually brings with it vivid flashbacks of times spent in cube farms, grinding away on phones, or clips from certain sales movies like Glengarry Glen Ross, The Wolf of Wall Street, Boiler Room or Jerry Maguire. 

Cold calling scripts are often used to help Sales Representatives stay on track with the right things to say. But why “Script” is a Dirty 6 Letter Word goes much deeper than the movies.

This makes sense in a B2C selling scenario where the complexity of the conversation probably won’t vary much (if at all). For folks in the world of B2B, call intelligence platforms have looked to analyze where scripts do and do not make sense! 

For sellers operating in a B2B world, why do scripts have such a negative connotation associated with them when more often than not they are simply to be used as frameworks or guides to the conversation? It is a slippery slope when asking sales representatives to use the script, but also not become too reliant on the script. We do not want robots, but we also want repeatability. 

We do not want reps sounding like they are reading from a script, but we want them to stick “very close” to how things are written. Where is that gray area and how are reps coached from one day to the next on how to operate within the gray area? 

Synonyms for script 

Wait a second, according to Thesaurus.com the only synonyms for the word “script” are words like calligraphy, penmanship, characters, and writing. If this is true, why are we even using the word script to describe a tool for sales representatives to use for help when doing things like overcoming objections? 

A quick Google search of “where are scripts used?” sends back answers related to automating processes on computers, generating web pages, and programmatic changes to Operating Systems within computers. Again, this seems like the word “script” as it relates to anything in sales is missing the mark again. For sales leaders who engage in call coaching, asking their sales representatives to use scripts seems kinda wrong at this point.

Let’s Ditch the Script

Why “script” is a dirty 6 letter word can be expanded upon in so many ways. The words used can, and arguably should make all the difference in the world.

A malapropism is when the wrong word is used to replace a similar-sounding word, this is not what we are proposing here at Abstrakt.

We are proposing that maybe we should start using a different word to describe the tool we want our team to use. What about a few of these ideas?

• Playbook: This implies that a structure exists, one that can be operated from within and made to work in a specific scenario. For example, a cold call to a CMO could take 1000 different turns. Giving sales reps a playbook to act as a frame of reference for as many possible scenarios as realistically could be handled sets the expectations that reps are meant to be robots, but rather know how to move within the framework towards success. Here at Abstrakt, we are a bit biased towards this word being our favorite (full disclosure). 
• Guide: I like to think of this as a treasure map – the goal of getting to the bix “x” at the end of the journey. In sales, overcoming objections, closing questions and the subsequent responses by your prospects are the two-ton rocks that get dropped from the cavern above while you try to not lose your dynamite. Calling it a guide clearly defines the idea of how it should be used, and the flexibility implied and needed to ultimately get to the “x”. 
• Playbook: Playbook, as a rep, instantly gives me a feeling of empowerment. It says “my sales enablement team” trusts me to read the coverage (opposition/competitor) that I am seeing and select the right play based upon my own experience and expertise. Call intelligence platforms are great tools to be used when gauging the effectiveness of Playbooks because they can pick up on holistic trends. 
• Scheme: Plotting against, scheming against… this COULD have a negative connotation associated with it, however, what we have found is that it is often used synonymously with Playbooks (see above). 

Why “Script” is a dirty 6 letter word

A simple change in the words used to describe the tool has a tremendous impact on how the tool is expected to be used by the sales representatives being asked to use it.

Call Intelligence Platforms and Conversational Intelligence software look to measure the impact on how these tools are being deployed, however, given the intricacies and complexities associated with the majority of B2B sales motions it is our opinion here at Abstrakt that by simply changing the word, could mean how reps use it could also change.

For example, if a rep is given a script to use on a cold call to overcome objections, and told to “use this script”, they are probably going to look at the script and only know how to handle situations outlined in the script.

On the flip side, if a rep is given a framework and told to use the framework to help guide the call, it instantly sets in the sales rep’s mind there are going to be blank spots and unknowns that need to be filled in. 

So, the next time, as a sales enablement leader, you sit down to document how you want a specific call to go, or an objection to be handled, consider for just a moment the manner in which you are going to describe the document you are creating to your team.

The words you use matter more than you think!

Then, when you go back into your call intelligence platform or conversational intelligence software to review how the team has used the framework, it will be easier to see where the gaps are in your framework that you can help fill in.