Would you say you were a good actor? No?? Good! 

Many people are poor actors. So imagine how most people will feel and respond when presented with the script for a telephone call. You guessed it: Un-natural, un-comfortable, un-convincing and ill at ease. Would you consider any of these as apt descriptions for the way that you want to sound and be perceived on the telephone? We thought not.

It's for these reasons that call scripting is discouraged at VSL, plus the fact that 'suspects' and 'prospects' the very people we speak with, will never follow your script anyway! They're unaware that it exists and certainly will be unaware that they're expected to follow it. Why would they? Their agenda is far more important to them than anything you will have written on a screen or piece of paper in front of you. Add to that, scripted callers are also easier to detect: They sound unnatural. How natural do you think you'd sound with someone else's scripted words in your mouth? If results are at stake and you're really uncomfortable with a script, your self-image is shot and you project a lack of credibility and congruence, not to mention confidence too.     

It's remarkable just how often scripting is still used on telephone calls, especially as it's one of the pet hates of people who receive calls, and is also a contributing factor to the less-than-savoury image that some people have of telemarketing in general.

Now, please understand that there 's nothing wrong with knowing what you are going to say when opening a call. It should be very brief; 5 – 10 second fragments of conversation making. Phrase these in the form of quick questions that you're confident in asking and that are relevant to the person you're calling. Beyond that, any call should be based on a natural two-way conversation where you ask questions that flow logically from what the other person is saying. 

If ever you find yourself wondering what to say, shut off your internal dialogue and listen attentively to the other person. If you struggle to understand something they say, simply ask: "I'm not sure I understood the last thing you said about XXX, could you repeat that for me please" or ."Uh-huh. Why do you say that?" Such questions show you're listening and will help you to improve your understanding of their position, thoughts and ideas. This in turn puts you in a better position to help them. 

In short, scripting focuses on you, the caller. Non-scripting focuses more on the other person. And if you can't tell the difference, chances are the other person will!