Use This Sales Script to Book More Work
A sales script is a useful and proven tool you can use the next time you need to pick up the phone to close a job.
It’s not always possible (or practical) to give in-person assessments for services like landscaping, cleaning, power washing, or home contracting.
Learning how to sell your services over the phone means you can send more estimates, contact more clients, and gain more committed revenue.
Using sales calls to sell more services
Sales calls are especially effective for nurturing prospective customers. These can be leads you’ve gotten from marketing, referrals, or previous customers who haven’t booked work with you in a while.
The goal of a sales call is to build rapport and gather information directly from your prospect, so you can send them a strong quote or even schedule a service appointment right then and there.
Remember: the goal of a sales call is to get committed revenue. That means either ending the call by sending an estimate that the client can approve, or scheduling a visit.
Some business owners are uncomfortable on sales calls. Or they worry a sales script will make them sound robotic or pushy. That’s where our sales call template comes in.
Sales call script example
This template gives you the structure you need to sound confident, minimize hesitation, and gather enough information to close the sale.
Just like any other process you use to run your business, sales scripts let you work faster, see repeatable results, and scale.
Don’t reinvent the wheel. Here’s a proven sales call template you can build off of:
1. Build Rapport (60 seconds)
Use the first precious seconds of the call to build confidence, trust, and rapport. State your full name and company name, ask your prospect how their day is going, and establish a strong point of connection. Common ground is key: it helps to build trust.
Establishing a connection gives the prospect a reason to stay on the line. Do you have mutual contacts? Go to the same school? Is this a referral? Plan this out ahead of time. Be friendly and confident.
Hi [prospect name], this is Sam Jenkins from [your company]. How’ve you been? [Wait for their answer.]
Your neighbor [name of current customer] is seeing great results with our [name of service.] We were discussing who else would benefit and your name came up.
2. Value prop (30 seconds)
Use the next 30-60 seconds to tell your prospect exactly what your business does and why you called. Don’t try to sell them — yet. You’re just establishing credibility and the purpose of your call.
We specialize in [xyz], which is a big problem this time of year. I would love to show you how we’ve helped [name of current customer], and how we may be able to do the same for you.
I’ve already got some ideas for your property. Would you be interested in hearing them?
3. Qualification (~5 minutes)
Let the prospect know that you want this call to be worth their time and that you are going to ask them a few questions.
Ask at least three open-ended questions that will help you either (1) determine what services you’ll recommend to the customer or (2) get enough information to put together a compelling estimate.
Here are some probing question ideas. Tailor them to your business and sales needs:
→What would a successful outcome look like for you?
→What have you tried doing to solve this before?
→What do you want to spend? (as opposed to ‘what is your budget?)
Listen attentively — imagine you’re talking to a close friend if that helps. Every detail you gather in this phase will help you make a killer pitch.
4. The service pitch (3 minutes)
Now that you know what your prospect needs, explain what services you’d suggest to give them the best value. Tailor your description as much as possible and don’t be afraid to show off your expertise. You can even name-drop a few neighbors who’ve had similar work done.
Do this in under 5 minutes so you don’t risk blabbing about yourself too much.
Well, [prospect name], what you’ve just described is very common in this region and I can assure you we’ve dealt with this before. If you want to nip this in the bud, I’d suggest our package that includes [X, Y, Z services]. I can make sure to have materials on hand in case we need to cover that extra surface you mentioned.
5. Close the sale
This is the final and most important step. Always, always end the call with an attempt to maintain contact. That can mean either sending an estimate or scheduling a visit.
Here are a few of our favourite sales call closing lines:
→ [Prospect name,] is that something you’d like to go ahead with?
→ Allright, we’ll send you a quote and we’ll go from there.
→ What day would you like that scheduled on?
→ Do you have your calendar available? I’ll be in your area this Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Why this sales script works
With this sales call script, you don’t pick up the phone and immediately try selling. That’s the beauty of why it works.
If you try skipping from step 1 to step 4, you’re going to lose the prospect.
That’s because you’ll be making a totally unpersonalized and unqualified pitch. Customers can see right through that. You need to keep your focus on the customer, not on you.
For example, if you start by saying:
“Hello my name is Sam, I run Sammy’s Power Washing, and we’re offering a special on second-story windows.”
The client might think, well, it’s really my main floor windows that need washing…so I guess this service isn’t for me.
Follow our script, practice it until it’s natural, and you’ll see results.
Following up after sales calls
After a successful sales call, follow up as quickly as you can.
If you’re sending an estimate, have your quote software open so you can email or text it to the prospect for approval right away.
If you’re booking a service call, open your scheduling app and send them an email confirmation once it’s booked.
Don’t have quoting or customer management software? Use our free Job Toolkit to start managing your sales.
Final sales pitch tips
Every sales call can be used as a learning experience. Especially if you’re just starting, there will be rejection. That is okay, just note what worked and what didn’t.
· First, you need a list of prospects to call. You can gather leads from referrals, flyers, ads, or your client list. Continuously add leads to your business CRM, and tag them as ‘lead’ so you can keep track of who to call.
· You don’t have to stick to the script. A sales script is handy for mapping out the call and giving you confidence. But you don’t have to read it word for word if that feels phony. Speak normally, and look for ways to establish connections. Just make sure you refer to the template above to cover all your bases.
· Always offer options. People don’t usually respond well to authoritative and prescriptive dialogues. Make them feel like they own their choice by asking frequent questions to check-in with them. For example, “How does that sound to you?” or, “We offer consumer financing—would you like to hear more about that?”
· Be transparent about next steps. After you’ve closed the sale, include next steps in your follow-up. What happens now? How do they pay you? Are you certified and insured? Answering these questions upfront will help the customer feel more assured and confident in your service.
· Don’t overwhelm the customer or force the sale too soon. If it’s clear that the prospect isn’t ready to say yes, don’t get pushy or defensive. Keep asking probing questions. Write down notes in your CRM, and stay relaxed. Building a relationship for the long-term is far more important than closing the sale now.
Ready to make your first dial?
Whether you’re making the calls yourself, or you’re training a sales team, being able to sell your services over the phone is a huge advantage for service-based businesses who want to grow.
Just remember: show your expertise, be friendly, and ask for the sale.
Once you’ve practiced a few times and found what works, you can create a repeatable sales process that will continue to work for you.