Shelly Rondeau Heller, Scriptwriting Sample #1
Auto Show Product Specialist Script -- Detroit Auto Show

2006 Isuzu i-280 and i-350 Pickups

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce Isuzu’s newest additions—the i-280 and i-350 pickup trucks. Many of you have heard about the partnership between GM and Isuzu for engineering and marketing vehicles in the United States. What you may not know is that this partnership goes back more than three decades.

Remember a little pickup, fondly known as the Chevy LUV? That incredibly popular truck, introduced in 1972, was built by Isuzu—the first product of the GM-Isuzu partnership. More than 25 years later, in 1999, Isuzu was still at it, heading up the engineering, packaging, interior design and powertrain strategy for a new project that would become the GMC Canyon and these, the Isuzu i-280 and i-350 pickup trucks. We begin building them in Shreveport, Louisiana starting in June.

As you’ll see, these hard-working mid-size pickups have Isuzu in their soul.

[walk to the i-280, open hood]

This is the i-280—the workhorse of the i pickup family. This Extended Cab 4x2 is Just Right. Drivers can choose between a manual or automatic transmission mated to the most powerful inline four-cylinder in its class. The 2.8-liter inline four-cylinder engine that develops 175 horsepower and 185 foot-pounds of torque. It can tow up to 3,000 pounds and carry a payload of 1,532 pounds. 

[close hood]

Brawny, yes, but efficient, too. The i-280 equipped with automatic transmission is expected to deliver 21 miles per gallon in the city and 27 miles per gallon on the highway.

The i-280 comes standard with rear-wheel drive and four-wheel anti-lock brakes. You can add traction control and limited-slip rear differential to reduce wheelspin in muddy or slippery conditions. 

[standing or squatting by front wheel]

The heavy-duty independent front suspension features coil springs and conventional stamped A-arms. It also includes front stabilizer bar and twin tube shock absorbers for a comfortable ride.

[move to driver’s side]

I wish I could show you the inside of these trucks today, but they are prototypes. So you’ll just have to imagine a few highlights about the interior of the i-280, including seating for up to five adults, a driver-friendly instrument panel, and a convenient storage compartments underneath the rear seats. You can choose bucket seats or a bench seat in the front, and jump seats or no seats in the rear.  
       

The i-280 will be available in four trim levels, starting with the entry-level S and stepping up to the top-of-the-line LS with Luxury Package. The Luxury Package includes such amenities as a six-disc in-dash CD changer, limited-slip rear differential, electronic traction control, sliding rear window, fog lamps, leather-wrapped steering wheel, and roof-rail airbags.

[move to the pickup bed]

The i-280 features a long, 72.8-inch bed. Both trucks have dual-position locking tailgates (verify that they have this). 

[open and lock tailgate in partially open position]

You can lock it part-way or all the way open to accommodate long cargo.
       
[moving to the front of the i-350]

When you need more seating, more power and more luxurious amenities, the Isuzu i-350 is your best choice. Loaded with standard features, it comes as a Crew Cab 4x4 with four-speed automatic transmission.

[open hood]

Its innovative Vortec 3500 in-line five-cylinder engine provides the power of a V6 and the efficiency of a four-cylinder engine. This state-of-the-art engine is loaded with sophisticated features like twin balanced shafts, variable exhaust valve timing, electronic throttle control and more.

[close hood]

It produces 220 horsepower and 225 foot-pounds of torque—it can heft a payload of 1,190 pounds or tow 4,000 pounds. It’s efficient too—delivering fuel economy like 17 miles per gallon city and 22 miles per gallon highway. 

[moving to driver’s side, by front wheels]

The i-350 comes equipped to a high clearance suspension system. It has an automatic locking rear differential, skid plates, and fog lamps. A push-button four-wheel drive system has electronic shifting and a four-LOW gear for extra traction on the toughest terrain.

[at rear passenger door]

It has four full-size doors and roomy seating for up to six. The rear bench seat is split and folds flat, with storage compartments underneath.

Because it’s the luxury leader of the i line, the i-350 will come standard with all the equipment in both the Preferred Equipment and LS trim packages. We’re talking amenities like AM/FM stereo with CD, MP3 and six speakers; power windows, door locks and outside mirrors; tilt steering; cruise control and upgraded seat fabric.
An optional Limited Package for the i-350  includes a six-disc in-dash CD changer; eight-way power heated driver’s seat; six-way power heated passenger seat; leather trim; sliding rear window; and sunroof. 

[move back to center, between the two trucks]

Like all Isuzus, both the i-280 and i-350 will be backed by a 7-year/75,000-mile powertrain limited warranty and roadside assistance program. That’s over twice as long as GM’s 3-year/36,000-mile coverage.

Now you know why we say the i family of Isuzu trucks are Just Right—they’re the right size, with the right mix of brawn and efficiency, the right combination of practicality and luxury—at just the right price. Isuzu made its debut in this country by building the Chevy LUV in partnership with GM, and now we proudly return to this successful arrangement to produce the i-280 and i-350 pickups.

My colleague  ______________ and I will be here to answer any questions you might have. For more information about Isuzu’s new pickups, be sure to pick up a brochure today and visit our website, Isuzu.com.

Thank you. 

_____________________________________________________________

“Presenting and Selling Isuzu Vehicles,” 2000

EXCERPT FROM PART III OF PROGRAM

CHIP (the host, on camera in studio)
If you’ve built a strong relationship with your customers up until this point, often they’ll say yes to the suggestion that they purchase the vehicle, and everything will go smoothly. Sometimes, however, you meet resistance

CUT TO scene in dealership. TOM, an Isuzu salesperson, walks into an office where his customers MARK and JILL are seated at a desk.

TOM (sitting down)
Good news. I just talked to our used car manager about your Honda. We can give you twelve hundred and fifty dollars for it. So when you factor that in…

MARK
Whoa, whoa. Wait a minute. Twelve-fifty. That’s not going to do it. We were expecting something more like twenty-five hundred.

TOM
That’s what he says. Apparently it needs new tires and we have to recondition the engine…

MARK
What are you talking about? I just put new tires on that car six months ago. It’s in excellent condition.  I have all the maintenance records, I change the oil every three thousand miles, I’ve done everything…

JILL (voiceover, her thoughts)
Oh dear God. Just take me now.

CHIP (voiceover. Tom is still talking)
Resistance is a natural part of most sales relationships, because people resist spending lots of money.

MARK (cutting Tom off)
You know what? Hold on a second. Thank you very much. You have a good day.

He stands up to leave. Jill follows.

CUT TO studio

CHIP (in studio)
Buying a new vehicle is a big decision. And people are hesitant because they don’t want to make a mistake. So they resist. In many different ways.

CUT TO:

FEMALE CUSTOMER (on the lot)
You know, that’s really too expensive for me.

MALE CUSTOMER
I need to shop around some more.

ANOTHER CUSTOMER
You know, I really need to think about this one.

ANOTHER CUSTOMER
I’m not sure about the color.

MARK (reprise earlier scene in dealership)
Wait a minute. Twelve-fifty. That’s not going to do it. We were expecting something more like twenty-five hundred.

CHIP 
Customer resistance at this point in the relationship comes down to one thing – Fear. And if you look closely, you see that the root of customer fear is usually lack of information. So once again, customers resist because they fear the unknown.

Isuzu has developed a tool that can help you address customer resistance that’s based on fear and lack of information. It’s called the Resistance Management LASER. The acronym LASER helps you remember the steps to take to manage your customers’ concerns.

(text appears on screen)

The Resistance Management LASER

• Listen
• Ask Questions
• State Concern
• Emotional Response
• Rational Response

CHIP
We’ve all heard of laser surgery. Doctors and patients love it because laser technology can target a very specific area, it’s very precise, often bloodless, and relatively painless. So is this method.

CHIP (voiceover)
The first step is to listen to your customers. This can be extremely difficult because it means remaining silent when you most want to jump in and say something. But listening is perhaps the world’s most neglected sales tool.

Salespeople who are willing to be quiet and listen will often discover extremely important information about their customers. What’s more, customers sometimes talk themselves out of their resistance, if you let them.

MARK
I don’t know, maybe it’s wishful thinking, but the Honda runs great. It has new tires, we just replaced the battery, twelve-fifty just seems so low. Can you talk to the guy?

CHIP
The next step is to ask questions. This helps you uncover more information. Open-ended questions— those that start with How, What and Why—are best for encouraging your customers to talk.

For example:
What are you looking for that the Isuzu doesn’t seem to offer?
How much more shopping do you think you want to do?
Why do you feel that way?

CUT TO scene in dealership

CHIP (voiceover)
Let’s see how things unfold when Tom asks Mark and Jill some open-ended questions.

TOM
Well, how much research have you put into prices for your Honda?

MARK 
I’ve been looking in the paper. This model is going for anything from twenty-five hundred to thirty-five hundred.

TOM
How does the mileage compare?

JILL
Well, ours probably does have more mileage than the other ones we’ve seen advertised.

TOM
How much time are you willing to put into selling it?

JILL (voiceover, her thoughts)
Boy. I hadn’t thought about that. Weirdos calling the house, coming by, driving it. What a hassle.

JILL (aloud)
I guess it could take a couple of weeks. That might be a bit of a pain, Mark. Maybe it’s not worth it.

CHIP
Once again, you’ll get the best results if you are quiet, and give your customers time to answer.

The third step is to state the customer’s concern in your own words. This shows customers that you think their concern is important, it sometimes uncovers simple misunderstandings, and often encourages your customers to open up further.

This statement usually begins with a phrase like, “So what you’re saying is…” “In other words…” or “You mean that…”

CUT TO scene in dealership

CHIP (voiceover)
Let’s see how Tom restates Mark and Jill’s concern.

TOM
So what you’re saying is that the twelve-fifty that we’re offering for your Honda seems low.

MARK 
Well, maybe I should do some more checking around, but something like two thousand seems more reasonable.

CHIP 
By stating Mark’s concern back to him, Tom encouraged Mark to open up a bit more. Remember, most customers are in the middle of what may be a difficult decision. The more you can get them to talk about their concerns, the more information you’ll have to work with.

After you’ve listened to your customers, asked open-ended questions to gain more information and stated their concerns back to them, then it’s time to respond.

All resistance has an emotional side, as well as a rational side. In other words, all resistance is based partially of feelings, and partially on thinking. So it’s important when responding to resistance that you respond to both sides. In many cases, the emotional element is stronger than the rational element. In our example, Mark’s feeling that he’s about to be cheated is more persuasive than any rational evidence.

Because most resistance is based in fear, it’s important to acknowledge the emotional side first.

(script continues)

______________________________________________

Shelly Rondeau Heller
Video Scriptwriting sample #3

Hyundai Motor America

"The Leading Edge" 2006 Sales Manager Workshop

Opening Video (2:00 minutes)