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Posted almost 9 years ago

Why use scripts?

After reading through some posts here I'm noticing we have a very broad range of opinions on scripts. I personally LOVE THEM and I'll explain why. I've used them thousands of times and been able to track results. I use them for expired listings and for sale by owners. Not everyone is going to say yes and sometimes the ones who will say yes won't say it right away which is where scripts come into play. 

A script is a pathway, when we talk to a seller we lead them down the pathway. Why would you do that? Because the pathway leads somewhere! We are leading them down the path, gathering information along the way and making the close feel natural. It's a guideline, an outline, a pathway, a direction, etc. 

"I don't wanna use scripts I just talk to people!" Okay settle down I hear you. Here's the thing YOU ALREADY USE SCRIPTS! You may not know it and yet you do. Think of the last time you walked into a dept store looking for a suit jacket, a car lot looking for a new vehicle, a book store looking for the latest book etc. What did the employee say? Probably "Can I help you find anything today?" and you most likely answered "I'm just looking". It's a script built into our minds because we don't wanna give up and information that could let the employee magically sell us something we don't want. That is exactly what motivated sellers do when you get them on the phone. "Are you interested in selling the home at 123 main st?" they may reply "No it's a rental, it's just vacant right now but we're gonna fill it soon". Do you want to let the conversation end there? NO! This is an objection and you need to keep track of the objections you are receiving so you can figure out the best way to handle them because they often will come up again. 

So what is my script? I use a combination of scripts I've gathered over the years. Here's an example:

1. Hello this is __________ with _company_ I was calling because I noticed your home came off the market as an expired listing did you end up selling it? (No) No way?!

2. That's too bad, if it had sold where were you planning to move? (Phoenix) That's exciting! What brings you out there?

3. How soon were you hoping to be there? (whenever) So you have some time, great!

4. I'm looking at a picture of your home it looks great, what do you think stopped it from selling? (The market) Great so it was only the market keeping it from selling. 

Etc Etc Etc. 

This is just an example of a script I've used for countless expired listings to get sales. The point is simple. Find the motivation, set the appointment and close it. In order to do that though you need a plan. You need to build rapport and you need to establish how you are going to help them get what they want.  

The deeper you dive into scripts the more you can learn. It's a much bigger topic than 1 blog post can cover. For instance upswings and downswings in tone can encourage a yes or no response. Mirroring and matching the rate of speech, volume and tone can build rapport very quickly. 

When you get an objection think of it more as an obstacle or even a question that the seller is asking you. For instance "We are just gonna keep it until the market gets better" could really be "Why would we sell for less now rather than wait 5 years to get what we owe?". If you look at that like a question you can bring up the issues with that. What if the market crashes again? What if you need repairs? What if your tenants stop paying rent? etc etc. 

Lastly you want to practice these scripts and memorize them until you feel comfortable with them. If you are practicing on your leads you are potentially leaving thousands on the table. Practice them with a partner. I practice at least 4 times a week with different people who can help me get better at my scripts. We role play as if they were the seller and I was the agent and then the  reverse. So go out and get some deals. 

Till next time. practice practice practice!


Comments (3)

  1. I personally use Mike Ferrys scripts which if you type "mike ferry expired script" or "mike ferry fsbo script" in google they will come up as pdfs you can download for free. He also has a bunch of objection handler scripts now these are all Just scripts I use as an agent. As an investor you may need to tune them a bit. 

    @Assaf Furman

     @Fred Kelley


  2. Can you suggest a place to find pre-made scripts for all sorts of situations?


  3. Spot On!  Awesome advice and thank you for sharing your example script , I will be applying it to my next round of calls.

    -Fred