Mention the word "script" in Los Angeles and you might get a raised eyebrow and a pat acknowledgment such as, "oh, r-e-a-l-l-y," before the subject changes.

A script is the last thing jaded Angelenos want to hear about, but to hear L.A.-based creative services consultant Maria Piscopo talk about scripting, you find yourself getting caught up in it and waiting for more. Piscopo, who recently lectured to both seasoned and new designers as part of AIGA/LA's BusinessMatters lecture series, has a secret: she writes scripts for nearly every important conversation.

Before picking up the phone, she already knows what she is going to say to a potential client, and if "Plan A" goes awry, there is always Plan B, C or D. "Nothing stops me," she says. "Prospective clients have a very short time and a limited attention span ... and if you approach them with closed questions (can you, would you, will you), their default answer is going to be 'no.'" She also makes sure that she is not attempting the impossible. "The basic rule of marketing is to find a need and fill it, as opposed to convincing someone of the need for your services." Instead, she suggests asking questions that are open and yield information, such as those starting with who, why, what where, when and how.

Amongst her many clients, Piscopo is known as everything from a marketing guru to an inspiring advisor. She simply calls herself a "nuts-and-bolts" speaker, but for designers hungry for business advice, she is more like a banana split. "Very informative," says Thom Meredith of Looking, an L.A-based design strategy studio. "She is looking through a client's eyes and sees their viewpoint." (Has Meredith already taken Piscopo's advice?)

And, as a rep for both designers and the clients they serve, Piscopo does see both sides. The result is that she knows exactly what designers need and want to hear, and delivers it promptly. "My ultimate goal is to give you very specific and practical tips and techniques to use tomorrow, to be able to use what we are talking about the next day."

Piscopo starts out by honing in on a designer's marketing message. "Ask yourself the right question," she says. "I want to distinguish between what you do and what you want to do more of. It's a tough question because there is a built-in resistance to identifying it ... but clients really need to pigeon-hole you. If you say you are a designer, that won't make any sense to them. But if you say you are a packaging designer, that sounds like something."

She reassures her audience that just because a client hires a designer for one type of service, it doesn't mean that the designer needs to be stuck with doing just one thing. "Specialize to be a generalist," she says. "You can ultimately get what you want--to be a generalis--but clients want specialists. It also helps to add value if you are a specialist. You want to be pigeon-holed, you want to be hung on a hook, so they can find you!"

Piscopo's talk, which drew attendees from as far away as San Francisco, also sounded practical enough to apply to a designer's personal life. For example, after a meeting with a potential client, if there is no discussion of possible projects along with generic praise, you likely won't be getting asked back. "When people say, 'love your work,' that's usually a bad thing," she says wryly. To avoid this, she advises a little coyness. "Always leave the client asking to see more of your work. Most designers show too much."

Her approach is to avoid lengthy meetings. "What I preach is a body of work [emcompassing the equivalent of several portfolios]. Two back-to-back meetings with different portfolios counts so much more--even if they are short one--than one long meeting," Piscopo says.

And with this comes the scripting: "You have to script and plan what to say. A small change can have an enormous impact. Instead of saying, 'Can you see my portfolio?' you say 'When can you see my portfolio?' " She smiles. "And people will do what you ask of them."

But this is not even the top piece of advice Piscopo offers. What is the most important bit, you ask? The follow-up. She can't emphasize it enough to the designers and photographers she advises. "The number one reason for not developing new work is lack of follow-up."

Some of those who attended this latest BusinessMatters lecture are likely to follow-up with Maria Piscopo, if not camp out on her doorstep. Less drastic would be to learn from one of her books, videos, or online chat rooms via www.mpiscopo.com. She is also a frequent contributor to Communication Arts magazine. "I feel like she knows this business better than I know this business, and that's saying a lot," says Steve Rachwal, a 14-year veteran in the design field. "And I love her self-effacing humor."

Piscopo's lecture was held at a gallery space donated by Harold Huttas, President and CEO of Insync Media, and attending designers were treated to both hors d'oeuvres and a little fine art from Harold's Gallery. BusinessMatters was sponsored by Creative Circle, a national creative staffing agency.

The BusinessMatters series of lectures was created as a result of the desire by the AIGA board to provide members with access to top-notch business people in the design industry. "We wanted to address issues members face in managing their businesses and create a forum for highlighting the value of design to the business community," says Zelda Harrison, a member of the BusinessMatters organizing team. "We encourage members to walk up to any member of the team--me, Justin [Carroll] or Nary [La]--during events and share topics or speakers they'd like to know more about."

Amanda Wray has a web design studio in Monrovia, California.

The final BusinessMatters of this series, The Nuts and Bots of Setting Up Shop with Peleg Top is September 21, 2005.

BusinessMatters 2 was generously hosted by Harold's Gallery at Insync Media.