Article: "The Secret About Using Scripts…."
From "Digging for Diamonds"
There are thousands of scripts you could use to talk to prospects, and each one
works for someone… but none of them works for everybody. Why? Because
everyone’s personality is different, and each of us needs to magnify our own
strengths when dealing with other people.
As a child, each of us learned to interact with other people and get what we
want. We learned how to communicate our feelings effectively and even ways to
persuade others to our point of view. These are the very same skills you will
use when talking to prospects about the business or the package.
The problem most networkers run into is trying o follow a script that simply
DOES NOT FIT THEIR PERSONALITY! For example, someone with a very stern,
respect-commanding personality can simply “intimidate” prospects into checking
out the information in a timely manner. They might spend all of 2 minutes on
the initial call, doling out orders. But someone like me (a bubbly, casual,
spontaneous - type person) could never dream of getting away with that kind of
language when talking to someone. They would simply laugh me off the phone. I
have to spend AT LEAST 10-15 minutes on an initial call (preferably more) and
make a friend. If I can connect with them on an emotional level, they will do
whatever I ask them to do, but I have to ask…. not just tell. That‘s my
personality, and that what works for me.
So the biggest question is…. WHAT IS YOUR PERSONALITY??? What are you
comfortable with? The very best thing you can do is to read all the script you
can get your hands on and see what phrases and approaches feel the most
“natural” to you. You may find a way of saying things that fits you perfectly,
but then again, you may not.
Regardless of which script you are reading, there is a basic outline in every
one of them that is always the same. Here are the essential steps:
-
Ask them what they want
-
Tell them what you’ve got
-
Give them an assignment
-
Set up a return call
Okay, now that I’ve totally oversimplified it, I’ll explain each step a little
better…
1) Ask them what they want - The very first thing you do after you’ve
introduced yourself and made sure they are who you are supposed to be talking
to is to ask them why you are on the phone together. WHY are they looking for a
home biz? How long have they been looking? Is this the first one they’ve ever
done? Their answers to these questions will set the tone for the entire rest of
the call.
Let’s say you ask them why and they said “Because I want to retire in 5 years
and live on the beach sipping daiquiris.” Well, that person just told you in
that one little statement, everything you need to know to close him or her.
That person is interested in MONEY….. And lots of it. They are hard workers,
and will put in whatever time it takes to achieve their goal. They are
workaholics… real go-getters. So what would you want to concentrate on when
talking to this person? MONEY. You would tell him or her all about the fact
that there is no cap on their income… they can make all the money they want by
simply putting in enough time. You want to focus on financial stability and
independence… that’s what they care about. Would you spend 10 minutes talking
about how much more time they will have to play with their kids instead of
work? Probably not…. That’s not what motivates them.
On the other hand, let’s say you got a different answer. Let’s say she told you
“I want to be able to stay home with my kids”. Well, this person has a whole
different set of motivations. She wants to spend time with her children… she
wants to work as little as possible, but still be able to pay the bills. Your
conversation with her would need to focus on all the time and freedom she will
have and how easy it is to pay the bills with such little effort in this
program. Would you concentrate on how easy it would be to become a millionaire?
Or how she could work 10 hours a day and retire in 5 years? ABSOLUTELY NOT. She
could care less about that stuff. That’s not what motivates her.
So asking questions and finding out what your prospects want at the very
beginning of the call is CRITICAL!! You can only tailor the call to fit what
they need if you know what those needs are. So ask the questions. … and DO NOT
GO ON TO THE NEXT STEP UNTIL YOU GET A SATISFACTORY ANSWER!! (If you ask the a
question and they give you a “uh-huh”… rephrase the question and ask it again…
or ask a different question until you can actually get them to open up and talk
to you. This is supposed to be a 2-way conversation… not just you preaching a
script at them and them never talking.)
Tell them what you’ve got - Start by validating their own
motivations (“Yeah.. I can understand wanting to stay home with your kids… that
was one of my motivations too”), and then tell them how you found this and why
it excited you. They just shared personal information with you… it’s only fair
that you share a few things about yourself too. They will begin to see you as
just like them… a human who has dreams and aspirations too. You need to make a
real connection with them.. Fast…. Because you will not be the only person
calling them. Their name has probably been sold to dozens of other networkers
already, and who knows how many other forms they’ve filled out on the internet.
You have to be different and set yourself apart from the last guy who called
and the one who will call after you. Will they remember you when you call back
in a few days? They will if you take the time to make a connection.
Next, tell them about what you have to offer them. Build value. Why is it the
greatest thing since sliced bread? Why will it be perfect for them? How will it
help them meet their goals? Give them just a brief overview of the product and
opportunity to whet their whistle. Just enough to get them excited so they'll
want to look into it further.
Give them an assignment - Here’s where you give them the
conference call, the list of vacations, the overview or company profile….
Whatever you want them to check out before you speak again. This is their
homework assignment. This is how they prove they are serious and worth your
time to work with. Rule of thumb…. Don’t ever give them more than 2 pieces of
info to check out at a time. For some reason, which I will never understand, if
you give them 3 or more things to look at, they will never do any of them. But
if you only give them one or two, you have a much better chance of getting them
to do them. I guess they get overwhelmed or something. I’m not sure… I just
know that it is true. So as a general rule, I only give them 1) something to
look at, and 2) something to listen to. So I’ll usually give them the
conference call and the printed overview.
Set up a return call - Pretty self-explanatory…. You simply
need to set up a time to follow up to see if they have any questions. Easy
enough, right? Well, not exactly…. You see, this is one of the most important
parts of the presentation call, and the part that most people have trouble
with. Why? Because it’s a miniature “close”. The problem lies in that everyone
has a different comfort level in how they ask people to do what they want them
to do…. And if you are uncomfortable at all, the prospect will hear it and the
call will end terribly. So how do you overcome it? Find the most comfortable
way FOR YOU to set up the return call. Here are a few examples of what can be
said to show you what I mean:
“Check it out and get back with me immediately so we can get you
started.”
“Call me as soon as you’ve completed these two things, and have your questions
ready. I’ll go over them with you then.”
“Take a look at the information, and I will give you a call back on Saturday…
would morning or afternoon be better for you?”
“If you have any questions, feel free to call me. If I don’t hear from you…
I’ll give you a call this weekend to answer your questions, okay? What would be
the best time to reach you?”
“Would it be okay if I give you a call back sometime next week to see if you
have any questions I can answer for you?”
“When would you like me to check back with you to see if you have any
questions?”
All of the above phrases work, but each person usually finds that one of them
works better than the other, for their particular style and personality. Find
what is comfortable for you. Just make sure you leave the door open to talk to
the prospect again… because follow-up is EVERYTHING. It will take 3-4 calls to
get their business… so if you don’t set up a follow-up call, you will never get
the sale.