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Movies and television shows often like to make fun of corny pick-up lines. One of my favorites is, “Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk past you again?”
It gets a laugh.
But what those funny nightclub scenes don’t reveal, however, is that there are some pick-up lines that actually work. And if you use the right line — or “script” as I prefer to call it — at the right moment, you can get very good results.
Now, I don’t have a pick-up line for dating. (My wife doesn’t allow me to date.) But over the years, I have developed a repertoire of scripts and templates that have helped me build my business. And in just a moment, I’m going to share one of my most effective scripts with you — one that you can adapt for your own business.
But before I do, let me explain how all this began.
I learned the power of effective scripts and templates early on when I was selling shipping supplies to plant managers; my first career.
Those of you who have ever had a sales job know that the more appointments you make, the more income you earn. So I tried to develop a cold calling script to help me do that.
My first scripts weren’t very good. They sounded canned and didn’t get results. But after a few months of trial and error, I finally created one that actually worked.
Boy, did it ever! In just a few weeks that “million dollar cold calling script” helped me land more appointments with more new prospects than any other salesperson in the company.
The script was simple. (Most good scripts are.) I would call a plant manager at a prospect company, introduce myself and, when the moment was right, ask, “Are you locked in with your present supplier? Or are you able to consider other alternatives?” (Remember, I was selling shipping supplies which were mostly a commodity.)
More often than not, the plant manager would say, “I’m not locked in with anyone! Come in and show me what you’ve got.” Just like that, I would get an appointment!
A few years later, as I was building my copywriting and consulting business, I developed several other scripts and templates — scripts for phone calls and meetings, templates for emails and letters — that consistently worked well in getting the results I needed.
For example, here’s a script I use when a potential client contacts me to enquire into my marketing coaching services. When the moment is right, I ask: “Would it be helpful if I quickly explained how my coaching service works, and the results you can expect?” Almost every time the prospect will answer, “Yes, please do.”
Then I simply segue into a 45-second description of my coaching program and the expected results. (45 seconds because I did promise to keep it short!)
You can create scripts and templates for any number of key points in your client attraction process. For example:
- A script for what to say when a prospective client says, Your price is too high.”
- An email template for following up on quotations and proposals.
- A pithy and captivating answer when someone you meet at an event asks, “So, what do you do?
- An email inviting a potential referral source out for a coffee or lunch.
- A script for asking a satisfied client for a referral.
Whenever something you’ve said or written works particularly well in a particular situation, don’t let it slip away. Record it somewhere. Create a script or template around it. Use it. It will probably work just as well again and again and again.
