Throw Your Script In The Trash!

You read it correctly...

It is time to scrap the script and perfect the process! Far too many managers and trainers have got it all wrong! They provide their new employees with a lengthy script and tell them that it should be memorized word for word. This is not only intimidating and overwhelming to the new staff member but it also defies all sense of logic.

Allow me to elaborate. Have you ever paid attention to a new home or building as it is in the process of being constructed? What you will notice is that they start with the foundation. Then once complete, they move on to the framing. This is followed by the installation of walls, insulation and so on. These individual steps and stages continue, one at a time, until the final product is complete.

You will never see the framers present on the same day that concrete is being poured because the concrete needs a few days to dry and cure. Nor will you ever see roofers nailing shingles to trusts that have not yet been properly sheathed with plywood and under-layments. In fact, if all of the different tradesman that are required to successfully build a home showed up to do their work on the exact same day, these contractors would be tangled up in a colossal mess that would have many of them walking off the job!

You would think that this concept would resonate among marketing and sales professionals in the Home Remodeling and Construction fields but for one reason or another, it doesn’t seem to register. We ignore the irrefutable principles of our trade and forcefully attempt to train our staff members in a manner that is destined for failure. It is time to scrap the script and start perfecting the process!

Much like a home builder, a good trainer will start with the foundation. Their first objective will be to communicate their philosophy and core values. Instilling basic principles like serve versus sell and pull versus push. Next, after sharing their big picture vision as if it is the final rendering of a luxury home, effective trainers will present their students with a blue print which outlines a step-by-step process for achieving the final goal. Then, effective trainers break things down in to manageable chunks, so they can begin to help their subjects internalize the important elements of each step. Once the first step has been mastered, they move on to the second step and so on… 

Once construction of a new home is complete, a builder often has a punch list of items that require attention before that home is move-in ready. Similarly, new trainees will also require a refining of certain details of their presentation and delivery. Never the less, a focus on a step-by-step process as opposed to word for word scripting, has proven to be a more effective manner which provides new hires with a strong foundation as well as a blue-print for success! After all, consumers can tell when employees are taking a scripted or robotic approach to their jobs and this often leads to disinterest and lack of trust. So the next time you hire a new marketing or sales person, give careful consideration to scrapping the script and start preaching and practicing a step by step process. This will get the new staff member up to speed without overwhelming them. It was also avoid alienating your prospect which leaves all parties disenfranchised.