Selling a script can involve many of the same things that selling other things can involve. Let’s take a look at the psychological aspects of selling a script. When you sell a script, or anything, you should consider not what you are offering, but what the other person wants. For example, you may offer the best brand of banana ice cream, but it will not be enough to sell it to someone who is allergic to bananas, hates ice cream, or is cold and looking for something hot.
In short, your script, like any other product you might sell, should focus on the needs and wants of your buyer. It can be an impressive script and, at the same time, not fit what the person is looking for. What should you do then?
When selling a script, it is important to research your potential buyers. What movies / shows are you known to make, participate in, or fund? What genres do they seem to prefer? What tropes do you like and dislike in your job? A famous and rather comical example of this can be found in Kevin Smith’s story of his experiences in Hollywood, when an executive kept demanding that the script include a giant spider. While forcing a giant spider to participate in whatever script you write is a tough choice, you’ll do well to consider what genre, tropes, and character types your potential buyer favors.
Beyond this, the buyer’s main need is usually to create an economically successful project. What can your script offer that will make you more likely financially successful? How to convince the buyer that the script will be effective? In short, how can you show them that your project suits their needs?
It is important to consider your buyer’s motivation and find ways to respond to that motivation in the most effective way possible.