Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Sales Success with Scripts

Why do powerful sales scripts work?  Because human beings respond in predictable ways and scripts provide predictable results.  Scripts are also powerful and are free of our emotion.  They allow us to say things that will make sense to the other party.  And when we have the right words, we express ourselves better and we can move people forward to a making a decision.

Scripts can not only give you the right words to say and keep you on point, but they also provide the desired responses you seek.  Remember, a powerful script will move your buyer or seller forward.  Words affect the brain.  

Great sales people are great by choice, because they choose to develop mastery by studying and implementing great things.  When you are seeking different results in your business, you must be willing to change and improve your skills. 

Here are 5 tips on using scripts:

1.  Get your scripts from a trusted source like another top producer, your sales leader or coach.  Not all scripts are created equal!  Just because it's someone's "favorite script" doesn't mean it will be effective.  Look for evidence that the script works.
  
2.  Transform your language from telling and talking to asking questions.   The most successful sales people ask the best questions.  Selling is not telling, it's asking!  Your sales success will be based on your ability to ask a series of questions to get a desired response.  Get in the habit of asking powerful questions because it will give you control of the conversation.  Control of the conversation gives you your ultimate outcome - the appointment and the close.  

3.  Listen ...with good intention.  That means actively and patiently listening to their answers in order to understand the reasons behind their response.  Don't just ask another question for asking sake; ask questions that allow you to build a conversation.

4.  Mimic, mirror and match the prospect.  Listen to their tone of voice, speed up or slow down when necessary based on how fast or slow they're talking.  93% of communication is non-verbal, it's body language and tonality.  That means that only 7% of our communication are the words we use or the questions we ask. 

5.  Practice daily for mastery.  Time block every day to practice your scripts.  All top performers know the importance of practice.  NFL teams practice 50-60 hours for a 1 hour game.

Scripts are powerful and they work.  We are programmed to use scripts and we operate from them all day long.  The question is, is your script effective?  Are the words you’re using providing you with the desired outcomes you want?  The language we use will directly impact your success rate.