Why I have a love/hate relationship with scripts
Your script should serve you, not the other way around. Remember to stay present and use your judgment.
👋 Hey, it’s Wes. Welcome to my weekly newsletter on managing up, driving growth, and standing out as a high performer. Work with me 1:1 for executive coaching, or bring me on as a keynote speaker. Hit reply or fill out this form.
I originally published a version of this essay in November 2020. I’ve since expanded the post. Enjoy.
Read time: 3 minutes
Do you ever write something and think, “Damn that’s good. I should save this to use elsewhere”?
If you’re like me, you’ve saved scripts for a bunch of different occasions. For example, replying to common customer questions, or kicking off a product demo.
Scripts are useful because they:
Save time: You can copy-paste to reuse what you’ve already written or said, so you don’t need to think from scratch.
Create a consistent experience: Scripts help folks provide accurate answers and a consistent experience for customers.
What’s not to love, right?
But there is a downside.
Sometimes a script is tempting because it’s 90% right and you want to use it... even when you know it doesn’t actually fit the situation you’re in.
At that point, the script becomes a crutch. When you lack an understanding of the underlying problem or principles, you can become overly reliant on a script without even realizing it.
You go into robot mode and simply go through the motions to check off boxes. First I say this, next I say this, and finally I say this.
Just because you have a script, doesn’t mean you can turn off your brain
Fun story: My husband Zak used to run a painting business where college students help paint houses. They tried to systematize everything, so they gave students scripts to help on-board them and teach them how to do sales.
But one day, this went horribly wrong.
Salesperson: “Awesome, will all decision makers be present?”
Elderly customer: “Well my wife died…” (unclear answer from prospective client)
Salesperson: “So... will all decision makers be present?”
Customer: “....”
Yikes. If this were a normal conversation, I’m confident this student would have actually listened to the customer’s answer and been able to respond accordingly. But they were too focused on getting their memorized script right.
Here’s how that conversation could have looked:
Salesperson: “Will all decision makers be present?”
Elderly customer: “Well my wife died...” (unclear answer from client)
Salesperson: “Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry for your loss. If painting is a hassle for you, I would love to help but no worries if this isn’t the right time.”
When you use scripts well, you can use the script as a baseline AND read between the lines to figure out the question behind the question. When something unexpected happens, i.e. the customer deviates from scenarios listed in your handbook… You can still achieve your goal because you understand the underlying concept behind what to do.
Ask yourself:
“What is the customer actually asking?”
“Did I answer their question—or did I speak on something adjacent?”
“If my friend asked me this question, how might I answer?”
“Am I staying alert to the subtext and what’s unsaid?”
“Am I actively trying to read the situation so I can respond accordingly?”
If you don’t know how to help your customer, this is a learning moment—how can you fill in this gap in your knowledge? Who else might need to learn this too? You may want to share your learnings with coworkers, or update the documentation.
Don’t just wing it and move on. There is a human on the other end of your conversation who is trusting you to help them. Show up, be present, and show ownership over the situation.
Your goal is not to follow a script blindly. The script is a means to an end. The end goal is to close the sale, build rapport, answer a question, make a customer’s eyes light up, or whatever it is you’re using the script for.
Your script should serve you, not the other way around. Let yourself deviate, and always use your judgment.
Thanks for being here, and I’ll see you next Wednesday at 8am ET.
Wes
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My Wednesday ritual is to open, save and read your posts. !!
Even for user research, sometimes going off script is when you get the juicy context!