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If you’ve been following along with our Marketing Guiding Statements series, you’ll know that over the last several episodes, we’ve been talking about the importance of developing your Marketing Guiding Statement before your marketing strategy.
This is because, without clear messaging, you won’t be able to connect with your ideal customers, hold their attention, or get them to want to do business with you.
When you jump right into posting to social media, developing a website, or creating reels before creating your Marketing Guiding Statements—you end up wasting a lot of time and money on things that just don’t work—and it’s especially true during a sales call.
This is why in this week’s episode of Priority Pursuit Podcast, we’re covering the final thing you need to know to complete your Marketing Guiding Statements—how to write your small business’s sales script.
Why do you need to know how to write your small business’s sales script?
Most small business owners went into business because they had a passion or talent for something—and they saw a need that they could help with.
For example, Treefrog was founded because Kelly was tired of watching really good people throw away their hard-earned money on marketing efforts that were not working.
However, this compassion can also become an issue for small businesses when it comes to sales. We know that for many small business owners, just the word “sales” makes you sweat. No one wants to feel like they’re a pushy salesman or come across as someone who is only interested in making a profit and not building a relationship with customers.
This is why having a sales script is so important for small business owners. It will help you ask for a sale in a way that makes both you and your ideal customer feel more comfortable.
What exactly is a sales script and how do you use it to engage customers?
A sales script is exactly what it sounds like. It is a script for making sales. And, while there are a lot of in-your-face and “icky” feeling sales script templates out there, using a story-based framework will allow you to create a sales pitch that doesn’t feel salesy or uncomfortable because it:
- Makes your customer the hero of the story.
- Gives your customers a solution and plan for solving a problem that’s been frustrating them.
- Won’t actually feel like a sales pitch at all.
Just as a heads up, your sales script is going to be the longest Marketing Guiding Statement that you’ll need, but it can be used to engage customers in person and on your website—with just a few modifications.
What are the elements of a sales script?
As with every other step of creating our Marketing Guiding Statements, we’re going to put the story framework to work when creating our sales script. A great story-based sales pitch includes the following elements:
- Start with the problem.
- Position your product/service as the solution.
- Give your customer a step-by-step plan.
- Make the stakes clear.
- Present the positive outcome.
- Call the customer to action.
Let’s break down each of these elements by using Treefrog’s sales script as an example.
Start with the problem.
First, as always, we start with the problem. The problem is what we’ve already outlined in the one liner and the story pitch. It’s the same message that we’ve been repeating throughout our marketing messages.
Treefrog’s problem reads:
“Most small business owners and leaders aren’t sure where to start when it comes to marketing their businesses—nor do they have time to learn all things marketing or implement a strategy themselves. As a result, their employees, finances, and business growth suffer.”
Position your product/service as the solution.
Next, just like in the story pitch, we’re providing a solution and letting the customer know what to expect.
Treefrog’s solution reads:
“This is why we built Treefrog Marketing. We are a marketing agency for small businesses, and with our guidance and the use of scientifically developed marketing systems, our clients save time, increase profits, and feel confident in their marketing efforts.”
Give your customer a step-by-step plan.
The third section is where you (the guide) give your customers a plan of action to follow.
Treefrog’s plan reads:
“If you’re ready to be certain about your marketing strategy, all you need to do is to schedule a 30-minute consultation where we’ll discuss your marketing challenges and your business’s goals. Then, we’ll outline a marketing strategy and plan of action that allows you to reach your goals without overspending.
From there, we’ll implement the strategy—while giving you regular data-driven updates. By counting on our team to oversee your marketing strategy, you can free up your schedule to focus on other important areas of your business and personal life.”
Now, you could stop here and jump down to the call to action section, if the conversation warrants—and many do. However, when closing a sales presentation or talking with someone who you feel wants or needs more information—keep going and introduce them to the stakes section.
Make the stakes clear.
In the stakes section, you simply remind people why they are looking for a solution in the first place.
Treefrog’s stakes section reads:
“But, without an effective marketing strategy, small business leaders haphazardly try to market their businesses between their other responsibilities. This wastes time, wastes money, and prevents business growth.”
Present the positive outcome.
In the previous step—stakes—we were trying to show our ideal customers where they currently are or soon will be if they don’t solve their problem. But with the positive outcome section, we’re giving our ideal customers a chance to see what it would look like on the other side if they decided to use our product or service as a solution to their problem.
Treefrog’s positive outcome reads:
“Treefrog clients, on the other hand, say that it feels amazing to finally be able to breathe knowing their marketing is always helping them generate new business. And, because they don’t have to personally implement their strategy, Treefrog clients are able to devote their full focus to other important aspects of their businesses and life outside the office.”
So far, we’ve been able to create a storyline sales pitch that helps everyone in the conversation feel more comfortable and not feel like they’re being sold to—and that’s the goal. As a small business owner, you want to build relationships, not just make sales.
Call the customer to action.
Now for the final section of your sales script—the call to action. Because you’ve set the stage for a conversation, you now get to comfortably ask your ideal customer to take the next step.
Treefrog’s call to action reads:
“I have time on my schedule next week if you’d like to schedule a 30-minute consultation to talk about building a marketing strategy that saves time, increases profits, and allows you to feel confident in your marketing. Do you have time next week? Is there a day or time that works best for you?”
By using the story framework as the basis of our sales script, we ensure no one feels awkward, and we’ve let the customer know what they need to do next in order to solve their problem.
And that’s the entire point of developing a sales script. It will help you ask for a sale in a way that makes both you and your ideal customer feel more comfortable.
If you’ve listened to other episodes that have been part of our Marketing Guiding Statements series, then you may have already downloaded “The First Step to Effective Marketing for Small Businesses: Writing Your Marketing Guiding Statements,” which is essentially a free mini Marketing Guiding Statements course.
This mini course includes the seven Priority Pursuit episodes where we’ve walked through Marketing Guiding Statements AND a download with written instructions and examples for writing your own.
However, if you’ve been listening to these episodes and meaning to write your own Marketing Guiding Statements, but just cannot seem to find the time, we get it. The fact of the matter is you’re only one person, and you can only handle so much.
Whether you don’t have time to write your Marketing Guiding Statements or you need someone with fresh eyes, our team at Treefrog Marketing would be more than happy to help by writing your Guiding Statements for you.
If you’re ready to have clear messaging and a marketing strategy that actually works:
- Schedule a 30-minute consultation to discuss your business, challenges, and marketing goals.
- Count on our team to write your Marketing Guiding Statements with your ideal client and your business goals in mind.
- Breathe knowing your messaging is effective and has the clarity and power to help your small business grow.
If you’d like to work with our team to write your Marketing Guiding Statements, learn more and schedule a consultation at treefrogmarketing.com/messaging.
Links & Resources Mentioned in This Episode
- Clarify Your Message with Our FREE Mini Course: “The First Step to Effective Marketing for Small Businesses: Writing Your Marketing Guiding Statements”
- Receive $10 Off Your First Three DoorDash Orders (That’s $30 Total)
- Try ShowIt for One Month for Free
- Learn More About Treefrog’s Small Business Marketing Resources & Services
- Join the Priority Pursuit Facebook Community
- Follow or DM Treefrog Marketing on Instagram
- Follow or DM Kelly Rice on Instagram
- Follow or DM Victoria Rayburn on Instagram
The Priority Pursuit Podcast is a podcast dedicated to helping small business owners define, maintain, and pursue both their personal and business priorities so they can build lives and businesses they love.
You can find The Priority Pursuit Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Stitcher, and wherever you listen to podcasts.
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