If you’ve ever been to a sales training class, or if you go to one in the future, you may be presented with the concept of having scripts for various sales tasks, such as contacting a new prospect, setting a listing appointment with a prospect or answering questions posed by a buyer.

Why People Don’t Want to Use Scripts

The most frequently voiced reason I’ve heard people give for not wanting to use scripts is because they “don’t want to sound like they’re reading from a script”.  And, I think that makes a lot of sense.

Why People Should Use Scripts

The purpose of a script is not to make you sound like you’re reading a script.  Used properly, a script is a tool you can use to sound very much like you’re NOT reading a script.  Nor will you stumble over your words so that you sound very much like you don’t know what the heck you’re doing.

Long ago and far away – back in “the day” as they say – I had the opportunity to work in sales support for Xerox Corporation.  Back in the day, Xerox was considered to have just about the best sales training around.  One requirement of the course was that each sales representative had to memorize a script giving an overview of the product.  I won’t mention the product – many of you won’t even believe it existed, given the fact that you grew up with a computer on your desk.

In any event, when the sales staff first started memorizing the script they were very rebellious.  It was too much work, for one thing.  For another, they sounded like they were reading a script when they recited what they had memorized.  So, why was this a good thing?

It was a good thing because after they had memorized the script very well, they started to improvise.  They’d include all the important points, but they’d add a word here or there.  As time went on, they began to do more than change a word here or there.  They started to give an overview of the product in their own words.  They didn’t miss any critical information because they were basing their overview on the script they’d memorized.  The only difference was that now, they were saying things in their own way, and it sounded very natural.

Did they ever use the script again?  Some didn’t.  But, some used it in times of stress.  Have you ever met a prospective client who you were convinced hated you from the moment you met?  I have, and I must say that it is a cotton-mouth causing experience.  It can sometimes cause even the strongest men to become speechless….  Unless!  they have a script they’d memorized so that regardless of how they might be feeling otherwise, they could always revert to the memorized script and pull off an effective presentation.

Here’s another example of a reason to use even the shortest scripts, such as those answering a question from a prospect or client.  Let’s say that you’re the mother or father of five children.  Let’s say the oldest comes to you one day and asks where babies come from.  It’s the rare parent who can quietly and confidently answer that question posed out of thin air.

But, how do you think you’d do when your fifth child came to ask the same question?  First, you’d pretty much know roughly when to expect it because probably the other four got curious about it around the same time.  Second, having been through it four other times, you’ve probably gotten pretty good at honing your response.

That’s the same sort of thing that scripts do for you.  They give you the chance to anticipate a question or statement, and give you the tools to quietly and confidently answer the question in the most effective way.

And, all of this is a long way to get to the point of this post.  Take a look at the sales scripts that have been contributed by coaches and professionals to NAR.  There are links to many more at the bottom of the page referenced above.  Some of them are really very good.  So, anytime you have a chance, use scripts to help yourself out of those “they put me on the spot” moments!