The subject of scripts has come up a few times on Active Rain (maybe more, I haven't been counting). There is one camp that believes in them and another that finds them unnecessary. I fall into the second group and wrote about this yesterday.
In answering comments about that post, it occurred to me that I really have two objections or concerns about using scripts - and espcially forcing salespeople to use them. It's true that it can help in learning a presentation and in rehearsing certain scenarios, but there are two serious downsides.
Here are my concerns:
(1) they tend to be stifling - the creative person - the one who knows how to relate to customers can't stick with a script. For others, following a script closely doesn't allow for impromtu variations or deviations that are so often necessary to effectively connect with a customer. Effectiveness can definitely suffer.
(2) they can become a crutch - if the script doesn't say it, the salesperson doesn't say it. People don't think about what they're saying or why - they're only intent on remembering the words or actually reading the script (over the phone). Lose your place, blow the presentation. This is not healthy, effectiveive, or fair to the salesperson, company, or customer.
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