20 August, 2008
by Martin Aranovitch

The idea of using sales scripts in business evokes different reactions in people.

An entrepreneur who is focused on building a systems-driven enterprise will seek ways to standardize their business so as to improve operational efficiency, reduce costs and ultimately maximize profits. "Scripting" their operations is one way to create an objective standard that can be continuously measured and improved upon, as well as implemented enterprise-wide.

Many sales people resent this approach, however, especially those trained in the old school way of doing sales. This group consists of people whose ability to sell depends on their personality and their ego, their years spent accumulating specific product or industry knowledge and perfecting closing skills and sales techniques, and various other subjective tools and skills they have collected along the way, which they believe makes them not only more valuable in the market place, but also indispensable to the organization that employs them. To these sales individuals, the idea of using sales and presentations scripts is often met with great reluctance, and for a very good reason ... if you could achieve the same results using an inexperienced sales person that costs less to hire, then where would that leave them?

As creative beings, we tend to embrace the idea that we should always be unique, genuine, spontaneous and original when interacting with other fellow human beings, and resist the idea that most of the time, we actually do things in a repetitive, robotic and mechanical way. We often use the phrase "creatures of habit" to describe members of the human species, and in many ways we are creatures of habit.

As a species, however, we also get easily bored when asked to do things in a repetitive, monotonous way.

So, how can we reconcile these two opposing and conflicting forces into the way we do business so that we actually progress forward efficiently using repetitive systems, while at the same time retaining the element of "freshness" and originality in all of our interactions?

We do this by using scripts that allow us to achieve our business goals and that focus specifically on creating the right experience for our prospect.

Let me explain by using a couple of examples that we are all familiar with ...

First, let's take a look at the athlete who trains with weights. Their weight-training regime consists mostly of going through various "routines" and doing a series of repetitions. Their entire exercise program, therefore, can be seen as one elaborate "script" that they repeat over and over again with their bodies, so that when the time comes to perform or compete in the "big" event they have been training hard for, they can seize the moment and express their personal creativity, spontaneity, uniqueness and originality during their athletic performance.

The reason why weight-training athletes endure going through many repetitive routines for a sustained period of time, is because they are focused on achieving a goal. Likewise, the reason we should use scripts at the operational or tactical level of the business, is to help us achieve a strategic business goal.

And what about actors? We all enjoy being entertained by a great movie. Well, most great movies are rarely created by spontaneously turning on a camera and pointing it at a bunch of people being totally spontaneous and making up an original story as they go along. Before most great movies ever get made, the story has to be scripted and rehearsed many times. Any great actor will tell you that it takes years of practice to produce a great "ad-lib" performance.

To clients of the film industry (i.e. those of us who watch the film - the audience), the performance has to feel fresh and original, but in fact, it is more often than not the result of a "script" that has probably had countless decisions, corrections, reviews, discussions, rehearsals and much focused, mental energy applied to its creation, production and delivery. When film critics describe a particular film as having delighted millions of viewers, what they are really saying is that a particularly effective "script" (i.e. the performance of that movie script captured on film) produces a predictable and measurable result each time it (the script) gets delivered by the business (the film maker) to a new client (the film watcher).

This is because all of the energy that went into making a great movie is ultimately focused specifically on creating the right experience for each individual sitting in the audience watching the film.

The roads we drive on to get to work or school, the houses we build and live in, the process of flying a plane or driving a car, the morning and evening routines we have with our partners and children, our mating rituals and significant rites of passage, these are all "scripts" that we continually live by, live through and live for.

One could argue, therefore, that We live in a mostly "scripted" world, punctuated by a few brief moments of pure creative, original expression.

Why, therefore, are we so resistant to using sales scripts when doing business?

I would say that one reason has to do with not properly educating the script user about the bigger picture.

And what is the bigger picture?

That a script is not just a simple business system; it is a delicate but powerful machine that requires a competent driver to operate successfully. A driver who cares about the maintenance, the performance and the results of the machine that has been placed under their care and their management.

By employing a person to drive your script who is not driven by ego, but by a desire to help the company achieve its goals and provide the right experience for every prospect it comes into contact with, and then successfully communicating the bigger picture of what the system they are responsible for managing represents, your script will come alive for that person and provide them with a means to experiencing sales excellence, regardless of their sales skills and sales experience.

The bottom line is this: it takes a great deal of understanding about your specific business and about the sales process in general to create an effective sales script. Your sales scripts do not have to start off being excellent, they just have to be an accurate, objective and written (i.e. documented) representation of what the best business mind in your sales team has to offer. This then becomes your starting point for continuous improvement as you strive for excellence and better sales results. Then, once you are satisfied with your initial sales script prototype, you can implement the system throughout your entire sales organization and measure its effectiveness.

Through consistent monitoring, measurement and feedback, you should see improved results in the form of more sales appointments per contacted calls and more sales from better scripted presentations.

To learn how to get more sales appointments using a sales scripts tool that turns anyone into a cold calling sales expert, visit the Sales Scripts Pro website, or click below to watch the video.

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Sales Scripts Pro provides a series of video tutorials, templates and instructions on how to build a powerful and effective sales scripts tool for your business. For more information visit www.SalesScriptsPro.com