Wes Kao

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Why I have a love/hate relationship with scripts

Do you ever write something and think, “Damn that’s good. I should save this to use elsewhere”?

If you’re like me, you’ve saved scripts for a bunch of different occasions. It’s useful because you don’t have to think from scratch and it saves time.

But one thing I realized is having a script doesn’t mean you can turn off your brain. Sometimes the script is tempting because it’s 90% right and you want to use it... even when you know it doesn’t actually fit the situation you’re in.

At that point, the script becomes a crutch. When you have a lack of understanding of the underlying problem or principles, you can get overly reliant on the script. This is bad because it means you’re not able to stay present and use your own good judgment.

Fun story: My husband Zak used to run a painting business where college students help paint houses. They tried to systematize everything, so they gave students scripts to help on-board them and teach them how to do sales.

But one day, this went horribly wrong...

Student 1: Scripts gone wrong

Salesperson: “Awesome, will all decision makers be present?”

Elderly customer: “Well my wife died…” (unclear answer from client)

Salesperson: “Soo... will all decision makers be present?”

Customer: “....”

Yikes. You can’t read that and not cringe. If this were a normal conversation, I’m positive this student would have actually listened to the customer’s answer and been able to respond accordingly. But they were too focused on getting their memorized script right. Just because you have a script doesn’t mean you can turn off your brain. You still need to stay present and adapt.

Student 2: Scripts when used well

Salesperson: “Will all decision makers be present?”

Elderly customer: “Well my wife died...” (unclear answer from client)

Salesperson: “Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry. That sounds really hard. If painting is a hassle for you, I would love to help and take that off your plate, but no worries if this isn’t the right time.”

When you use scripts well, you can use the script as a baseline AND read between the lines to figure out the question behind the question. When something goes “wrong,” i.e. the customer deviates from scenarios listed in your handbook… You can still achieve your goal because you understand the underlying concept of what to do.

Your goal is not to follow a script. The script is a means to an end. The end goal is to close the sale, build rapport, make the customers’ eyes light up, or whatever it is you’re using the script for.

Your script should serve you, not the other way around. Let yourself deviate.

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