Upon Closer Examination...

The other day I was at Bed, Bath and Beyond looking at juicers.

They had two models to choose from. One was a well known product heavily marketed on television. Let’s call this Juicer A.

The other was a brand I hadn’t heard of before. It was pricier, looked slicker, and had better engine specs. We’ll call this one Juicer B.

I called a store clerk over to help me with selecting a model.

She suggested the higher-priced model (Juicer B) because:

1. She had heard bad things about Juicer A.
2. Juicer A required disassembly to clean.
3. Juicer B was easier to clean.
4. Juicer B had a more powerful engine.

Several factors now swayed me towards the pricier product.

1. Authority: The clerk was in uniform, and appeared to know what she was talking about
2. Social pressure: Apparently, according to the clerk, Juicer B was the more popular choice and Juicer A was receiving bad marks from customers
3. Scarcity: Juicer B only had the display model visible, while Juicer A had the display model and at least 5 boxed ones visible (hidden assumption, Juicer B is selling better)
4. Perceived Value: Juicer B costs more, therefore it must be better, right?
5. Assumptions: Juicer A is a hassle to use.

The easy course here was to ask for Juicer B. But, I decided to make a nuisance of myself.

I told the clerk I would take some time to make a decision and she left me alone.

I then proceeded to take the juicers apart to see how they were built.

My first observation was that Juicer B was substantially lighter than Juicer A. To me, this connoted cheaper materials used in manufacturing- not good, especially for a device with moving parts.

While it was true that Juicer B would be easier to clean, it was because the mechanism used to pulp your fruits and vegetables was a sharpened plastic nub instead of a metalic mesh.

Just how durable could this be? Furthermore, how would I know that I wasn’t also consuming microscopic particles of plastic as this nub wore down.

I also noticed that the upper casing of Juicer B had a crack in it. As I tried to reasemble Juicer B, the various plastic parts didn’t just “fall into place.” It was a noisy process.

The whole apparatus just struck me more and more as cheap junk, despite the brushed metal and smokey/translucent plastic parts.

Yes, Juicer A was going to require more effort to clean. It used a fine metal grid for pulping.

As for the supposed disassembly required for cleaning? – a quick twist with a supplied tool.

Everything about Juicer A felt solid. Quality workmanship was evident throughout.

I have to admit, I felt a little sheepish as I loaded Juicer A into my shopping cart under the questioning gaze of the store clerk.

I’ve been using Juicer A now for over a month with no complaints whatsoever. It’s a great product and I’m happy with my decision.

Sometimes, you just have to be a stick in the mud and use your senses to find a solution that fits you best. Don’t be afraid to question assumptions. Put everything to the test. Recognize when common influence factors are pushing you to a rushed judgment.

How Does This Apply To Telemarketing Script Writing?

In scripts you’ll find that:

1. Assumptions are made
2. Contributions aren’t questioned because they come from authority figures
3. Methods used by other companies or taught in books are copied without question
4. Scripts developed by expensive consultants are used despite sagging results
5. …and etceteras

In other words, you’ll find the same influences at work to convince you one way or another- so much so that you begin to question what your senses tell you.

The best way to examine your script is to break it down into its essential parts and strip it down to the bare bones. Then, reassemble it bit-by-bit. Examine each sentence as you go. Is it really needed? How does it contribute? Is it practical?

If you’re going to confer with anyone, it should be with your telemarketing agents. Have them test the script as you rebuild it. Only keep those parts that your agents put to effective use.

In the end, you will hear, as you listen to your agents using your new script, which script is better, the old one or your new one.

You will have to trust your sense of hearing more than the other influences putting pressure on you.