Go Beyond Real Estate Scripts

A lot of people think that real estate scripts are their ace in the hole. They think that scripts are all they need convert leads, be successful on their calls, and make tons of money. Everyone wants the magic set of words that will get them the appointment or sale every time.  

But it isn’t that easy. 

The truth is that there is no magic real estate script that ISAs and agents can use that will work 100% of the time, regardless of who they are speaking with, and what their specific circumstances are.  

Different Types of Leads

Just because scripts aren’t guaranteed to get you the sale or conversion every time, doesn’t mean that they can’t be useful.  

There are two broad types of leads that most ISAs speak with and two types of scripts that go along with them. One for inbound leads and one for outbound. In addition to those, there should also be special scripts for unusual leads like probate, home valuations, and specific scripts for unique offers.  

The point here, though, is that each needs to be tailored to the type of lead you’ll be speaking with because the type of conversation you have is different for different types of leads. The way you speak to and address a lead is different for people who have sought you out (inbound leads) and for people who you are essentially calling out of the blue (outbound leads).  

Script or no script, the key to a successful call is understanding what the lead is trying to accomplish, understanding what is preventing them from accomplishing it, and what their own existing plan is to overcome those obstacles. You need to be straight to the point, ask great questions of the lead, and have a close that contains a clear value proposition. 

Real Estate Scripts Are for Beginners

Scripts can be useful for ISAs and agents just starting out and learning how to make successful sales calls. They can assist in making sure all the necessary questions are asked, and that all the required information is gathered. Until they get the experience of more seasoned agents and ISAs, it can be helpful for beginners to rely on tried and tested templates that increase their chances of converting the different types of leads.  

More experienced ISAs, on the other hand, know the basics of speaking with outbound and inbound leads, and probably have developed a decent repertoire of questions and responses. More than scripts, seasoned real estate ISAs and agents need to hone and perfect their discovery, objection handling, and closing skills. This is where we come to using scripts as part of a wider conversion system.  

Have a Real Conversation

At Smart Inside Sales, we emphasize that your sales calls need to revolve around actual conversations that are enjoyable and productive for both parties. This means that, especially as you get more experienced, you cannot rely solely on pre-programmed responses. Each situation is different and you need to be able to respond appropriately and intelligently to each unique conversation on every call.  

For this, we developed a technique to handle objections and to get to the heart of what the lead wants that goes beyond scripts, called the PPO Process. PPO stands for Perspective Process Outcome.  

The lead’s perspective is their past experience, knowledge and speculation.  

The prospect’s process is their own plan that they have for their situation. The process is typically what will lead to an objection. They have their plan and you are not a part of it in their mind, so they turn you down.  

And finally, the outcome. This is the unique result or benefit the prospect believes their process will deliver for them.  

Confidently Deal with Objections

To deal with objections arising from the lead’s perspective, process, and outcome, you need to be proactive in the conversation, understand what they are saying, and react appropriately in real time. At the end of the day, scripts are only so useful in helping you accomplish this. More important is to work on your conversation skills.  

Deal with the objections and understand the lead’s PPO with the following methods: 

1. Acknowledge – Listen to what they say and let them know that you understand it.
2. Paraphrase – Restate what they said without leading and without interpretation.
3. Inquire into their perspective, process, and outcome – This is where you dig into their thought process how they see it. Get them to walk you through their knowledge, plan, and the unique thing they hope to accomplish. These are the three things you need to know in order to counter their objection, so ask questions that get you the answers.
4. Determine the unique benefit or result they hope to achieve – this is their sought after outcome.
5. Close if appropriate – Close if the lead does not bring up another objection as a result of the PPO process or if it becomes obvious that meeting is the next logical step in your conversation.

Follow this process, understand where the lead’s objection is coming from (from their own point of view), and respond in a way that makes sense given their perspective and goal.  

Go Beyond Real Estate Scripts

Real estate scripts are valuable as a general outline of how to approach the different types of leads and to make sure you are hitting all the points you need to hit. Particular for beginner ISAs and agents. But this is where their usefulness largely ends. The key is to learn how to have real conversations that are productive and enjoyable. 

There are no magic scripts that will help you convert every time with every lead. Each conversation is different. To increase your success you have to focus on learning to deal with objections and how to get to the core of what the lead wants. Scripts are helpful to use as a general outline in case you get stuck on a call, but the key is focusing on having real conversations and producing real value for the lead.