Sales Skills: Your Discovery Script

Let me guess, you saw the word “script” in the blog title and you almost didn’t click on the link to read more because a) you hate the thought of using a script and therefore don’t have one or b) you already have a solid script and you’re not looking to change it.

That’s a bit of a trick question. You see we all use scripts. Some of us do it on purpose and others are simply defaulting to the same boring script many other sales professionals are using. When honing your sales skills, I can’t think of a better place to start than your discovery script.

Imagine you were out shopping for a new home. You’ve been to four sales offices and worked with four different sales agents. Surprisingly, or maybe not, they all asked the same questions in almost identical order. Now as a buyer you may come to the conclusion that this is normal. This should concern you. Why?

Many scripts that sales professionals use is a default script. It’s the language they revert back to because it feels comfortable for them. However, by doing this, there’s a really good chance we’re going to make our buyer uncomfortable. A buyer’s willingness to continue shopping will decrease exponentially with each repetition of the same worn-out pattern.

Most people don’t walk into a new home sales office unless they have a really good reason to do so. Your script should start there. You want to know why they are out looking at homes.

Imagine you are greeting someone in your new home sales office. See if you recognize the pattern by finishing these questions:

“Hello. Welcome. Is this your _________________?”

“So, how did you ____________?”

“How long have you _______________?”

“What size __________________________?”

“How soon are you looking  ________?”

(* – you can find the answers at the bottom of the blog post if you need help…but I doubt you do)

Let’s face it, our customers wind up living the same sales experience over and over and over again. It’s a pattern for mediocrity and one your buyers will want to bail on.

If You Look the Same and Sound the Same, You Are the Same.

So how do you change the pattern?

How about this: Begin a sales conversation by talking about your prospect instead of your product.

New home salespeople (and salespeople at large) focus way too much on what customers are moving to. They tend to ask product and timing questions such as, “What are you looking for?” and “What is your time frame?”

If you haven’t done so already, this is a great time to print this article, save it as a PDF or whatever and highlight that last little part. Specifically, we tend to focus way too much on what our buyers are moving TO. 

Create a new pattern by centering your conversation around what customers are moving FROM.

Discover why this person is looking for a new home and why they are currently dissatisfied. Trust me, you will give yourself a much better shot at helping them accomplish their mission.

Try these sample questions on for size — they work amazingly well as conversation starters:

“Why are you thinking about moving?”

“What triggered your home search?”

“What is not working for you in your current home?”

“If you could change something about your home, what would it be?”

When you ask a better question, you get a better answer. And you will be well on your way to helping your customers escape the Groundhog Day pattern!

* Answers: 1) first visit; 2) hear about us; 3) been looking; 4) home are you looking for; 5) to move