You can call it telemarketing, tele-selling, telephone soliciting, prospecting, cold calling, or even customer service, but one thing is for sure.
Despite your protestations to the contrary, you're going to use a script.
What do I mean, by a "script?"
I mean a pre-patterned conversation in which certain words and phrases are used, repeatedly, across conversations.
There are two types of scripts: those that are written down on paper or in a software program and appear on your screen; and those that "appear" only in your memory. But both are scripts.
Why do I say scripting is inevitable?
I mean there is no way to be completely spontaneous across numerous conversations. Just as you probably take the same route to work or school, day after day, you're going to repeat significant parts of conversations, verbatim.
And there's a simple reason for this. We're creatures of reinforcement, and we repeat what seems to be rewarded. Your commute is rewarded. You arrive safely, and more or less on time. It's a proven process, so instead of reinventing the wheel every day, your mind wants to do other things.
When we're calling, we're not just spontaneous, blathering fools. We're perception machines, noting how listeners are responding to the stimuli we're providing. When we happen upon a phrase that "clicks," inducing a prospect give us an appointment or an order, by golly, we're going to try that phrase again.
There's nothing wrong with this. Scripts aren't about morality; they're about economy.
When we know, more or less, what we're going to say, we can pay attention to other important matters, such as our inflections, timing, and note taking.
We can even listen to the breathing of the buyer, which can give us a clue as to how he's unconsciously responding at a given moment.
By the way, you can prove the scripted quality of language to yourself. Studies have shown that a typical text, such as that which appears in an email or a business letter, is 50% redundant. You can delete every other word, and readers will still comprehend 90 plus percent of the meaning, when compared to a control group that reads the whole text.
If you prefer, record your side of telephone calls. Just roll from one call to the next, and you'll hear the extent to which you're currently scripted. It might amaze you.
The choice isn't to script or not. It's to script explicitly, to write it down, to test various segments systematically, noting the responses they generate. Then, you can refine it and make it the most effective script, possible.
Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC's Annenberg School, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com
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