When The Real Estate Hucksters Need A Boost..

Feb 7
When the hucksters and bottom-feeders need a boost, they turn to "better scripts". Hoping to convince and convert. Remember, these are the agents who will say whatever it takes. Who will never take No for an answer. Who will hustle their worth to strangers. 

The script has already been written for them. 

It's the same script you're thinking of buying. Scripts for every problem. Scripts for every objection. Scripts instead of character. You're not communicating better - you're parroting the hucksters.

The foundation of modern estate agency is straightforward: agents should follow prescribed scripts and dialogue patterns.  This assumption that a coach's words are superior to an agent's authentic voice appears consistently across the industry's biggest names.

Kevin Ward built his reputation on The Book of Yes, a compendium of 27 scripts designed to handle every situation, conversation, objection. His marketing promises that agents will master smooth, choreographed conversations that lead to more success. 

Tom Panos markets Scripts & Dialogues as his primary training content, with agents encouraged to master specific sentence structures and language patterns. 

Josh Phegan's Prospecting School teaches every agent the right scripts and dialogues for every scenario.

Mike Ferry's NLP training focuses on mastering the language of sales through specific sentence structures and sales patterns.

The premise underlying all of this is that conversation can be systematized into universal formulas. That authentic conversation doesn't sell houses - instead, it's performed conversations that sell houses. It treats clients as predictable entities responding to the right combination of words rather than unique human beings who value authenticity above all else. Clients intuitively sense in-authenticity immediately. They know when they're being guided through a predetermined dialogue, even when agents are encouraged to "make it their own."

The fundamental constraint this imposes is that authentic voice is considered a liability rather than a distinct advantage.  

Politics and real estate are consistently in the bottom three of trusted professions - is it any wonder when all the thinking and scripting is done for them by others. 

If you're not good at answering objections, if you're uncertain of what to say, or how to emphasize a point, don't outsource it - get better by working things out yourself. Much more joy, beauty and confidence will come to you that way. 

Don't sound like the hucksters and charlatans - it's not a strategy that will move you forward. 




Imagine a conversation at a party or a business meeting. You don't need a script. You need a brain.

One that thinks for itself, instead of parroting what someone else has written for you. A brain that, if not used, will slowly atrophy. When that happens, you become not much different from a robot. 

"Hello, my name is Siri. I'm here to answer your questions."

The coaches call this "sales enablement" - what it actually is; the conversion of human interaction into theater.


Scripts - When Conversation Becomes Theater.

Nobody expects a performance by a realtor when they invite them to a listing appraisal - but that's becoming more and more the norm.

Eye-contact, mirror the mannerisms, repeat their phrases and their name to signify empathy. You're wasted in real estate - you should be on Broadway. 

When you teach an agent Kevin Ward's 27 scripts, or Tom Panos' dialogue patterns, you're not teaching communication - you're teaching choreography. The agent becomes a performer, reciting lines they didn't write, for an audience they are trying to manipulate (Oh, go on if you insist, impress rather than manipulate, then:) 

Eye contact becomes a tactic. Mirroring tone becomes a technique. Repeating the client's name becomes a mechanism. These are not natural expressions of  engagement; they're stage directions. "Go stand on that spot over there and say this."

The script promises differentiation. It delivers uniformity.

In reality, the huckster, using these scripts, has the advantage. They're comfortable being inauthentic. They never pretend it to be anything other than a transaction. They have no problem avoiding the real answer. 

The trainers and coaches teach techniques designed to build trust - while removing the very foundation of trust. Authenticity. 

The script isn't the solution to every objection - it's the problem masquerading as the answer. 

Time to ditch the script!!

Chris.

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