It's All Scripted

I'm focussed on scripts today.

Real estate speaker and NLP disciple Bill Twyford came to our REIA group meeting last month and my head has been spinning ever since. I didn't pay the $900 for his CD's/workbooks/Boot Camp, but there was something he said that got me thinking that I haven't been able to shake...

His whole premise is that we all use scripts in all of our communication; from our dialog with the kids to conversations with customers at work. We all use various combinations of scripts that have either worked well for us in the past or that we use, but don't realize how they impact the people we talk with.

I have spent the last 3 weeks taking time to focus on my own scripts while phoning for prospects at work or herding the kids off to bath and bed and I was surprised that I use the same script at nearly the same time of day (in the case of putting the kids in the tub)! I was stunned!

The second part of Bill's premise is if we are hoping to develop the skills necessary to discuss real estate with sellers & potential buyers, we should take the time to craft what it is that we want to say and practice like a true professional would. You're a professional - act like it. Stop practicing during the game!

Up to this point, my thought was that when someone called in response to a mailer or leave-behind I would use each call to 'get better each time.' That was actually part of my business plan, to get better as I went along... Seems ridiculous now that I think about it. While I knew the value of learning a script when prospecting for insurance, I somehow missed the connection between what I'm trying to do with real estate and my prior learning. Duh.

So I have spent considerable time/effort searching my resources for little bits and phrases that I want to use to develop into my very own script and then memorize it. That way I will be able to at least start each conversation the way I want to and should have the right stuff to bring back any wandering conversation. That way, when I am discussing someone's foreclosure situation, I'll be paying attention to what they are saying rather than trying to think of what my best thing to say should be.

It really is an interesting idea that I am looking at in all areas of my life. I've started asking myself the question "where did I pick up that little bit of script from?" when I find myself speaking on autopilot. You should try it.

I think it was W. Shakespeare that is credited with the whole 'all the world's a stage, and we are but merely players...' thing.

Seems to me that he was on to something...