Scripts For Selling: What To Say!
This Business Tip is by request- thanks to those of you reading and giving me your feedback! In an earlier Business Tip, I referred to "scripting" and - now - here is a description of what to say when selling your work.
No matter how great you are as a creative professional, at some point you have to talk to people. To get appointments, close a sale, follow up all are verbal contacts with your clients you might not feel comfortable doing. After all, if you were good at talking with people, you would have probably been a salesman, not a creative professional! You may have the greatest web site, portfolio or direct mail campaign, but you still have to talk with clients. Unfortunately, this is not a skill most creative professionals learn in school. Too bad, because it is one of the most important business tools next to your equipment! You may feel it is ridiculous to write everything down that you are going to say but creative professionals that have switched to scripting have been very successful. Talking to clients shouldn't be done without some preparation because you want to make the best use of your time, get more information about what clients want and have the best chance to get the work. The best preparation for any kind of phone call or talking to clients is called "scripting." This is simply a process of writing down the expected interaction between you and your client. You need to do a careful and thorough preparation, just as you would before any project. Preparing scripts to get portfolio appointments and do follow up is the most useful marketing tool you can develop. Start by writing down the anticipated conversation, as you would like it to go. Be sure to plan for all variations. In other words, no matter what a client's response, you have anticipated your reply. In these examples, I often use "photography" so be sure to script your conversations to represent your field such as graphic design or illustration. It is very important to be specific. Not only will scripts help you get more out of every call, but also you will approach the entire chore of "selling" with more motivation and success.
STEPS FOR SCRIPT WRITING
STEP # 1
Open with an interesting, brief and specific introduction of your services. First you get people's attention, then you tell them what you want. For example, "Hello, I am a food photographer and my name is __________. We would like to help you with your marketing and promotion by showing our food portfolio to you this week when would be a good time to come by? " The first key phrase is "food photography" and that allows the client to more accurately picture their need for your work than if you had just said "I am a photographer". The second key word here is "when" because it gives you more options in terms of having a conversation then if you had asked the closed question, "May I come and show my portfolio?" (See step 4 below). The easy answer to that question is "No" and the client will not take the time to seriously consider your request and their needs if you ask a closed question.
STEP # 2
Find out what the client does or needs from your research, and then decide what portfolio you will talk about. Talk portrait photography to portrait clients, corporate identity to corporate clients. What you do as a creative professional depends on whom you are talking to. Clients can only care about what they need!
STEP # 3
Come up with something interesting. After all, you are most likely trying to replace another creative professional that the buyer is familiar with. Why should they switch? For example, "Our web site illustrations have been a great marketing tool for our clients" or "Our style of photography has helped our clients sell more of their products" or "We offer consultations on packaging design services, when would you like to schedule your appointment?"
STEP # 4
Always use open questions that begin with "How, who, what, when, where and why" instead of closed questions that begin with "Can, could, would, do". This is to encourage information gathering, saving time and reducing the rejection that comes with the "NO" you get when you ask a closed question. For example, when showing your portfolio, ask any of these open questions to get information, confirm the information and verify agreements you have reached. "How often do you use a different photographer?" "What other photography needs do you have?" "When will you be looking at bids on that job?" "Who else in the office buys this type of photography?"
STEP # 5
Anticipate objections and questions about your services and have very specific information you want to acquire. NEVER hang up the phone without achieving some specific sales objective. Get an appointment or a piece of information, anything! Successfully accomplishing your sales objective keeps you motivated to do this day after day. For example, when you want to create your follow-up with the client, ask: "When would be a good time to check back on that job?" "How do you feel about a follow up call in 3 weeks?" "What will you be looking for in the bids on that job?" "Who will have final approval on the hiring?"
