To some degree, we are all actors. When we go to work, we have a role to perform. This is especially true in the world of sales, where sales reps are constantly making pressure-filled presentations in front of customers and clients. They have to deliver on the spot and communicate competence, confidence, and empathy.
\r\nResearch shows that the sales process is largely the province of the right brain. The skills of the salesperson – and their ability to create rapport and trust with the customer – is most likely to determine whether you get the potential client's business or not.
\r\nSo, business schools devote plenty of time to teaching sales skills, right? Wrong, which means it's left to the sales managers. The good news is that sales skills, including interpersonal skills, can be learned and developed over time. The problem is that many sales trainings are not engaging or motivating. Where are the real-world strategies that have immediate and practical applications in the field? Instead, sales reps walk away from the training with a thick binder and a T-shirt if they're lucky.
\r\nEnter role-playing, a training technique that engages your sales team in real-world selling scenarios and enhances their knowledge, attitude, and skills. Just like Broadway actors, good sales performers need to practice their lines before they go live.
\r\nYou need certain benchmark data to develop meaningful sales training programs:
\r\nYou can ask your sales reps these questions, but they may be too close to the situation to give you objective feedback. Nothing beats hearing it straight from the customer. You should conduct customer interviews prior to the sales training so the results can be shared and incorporated into the role-playing.
\r\nSales managers and training facilitators should explain at the outset that role-playing requires a safe, positive, and respectful environment that will bring out the best in participants. Let your team know there are no wrong answers. Employees can only engage in the training and improve their performance in an environment where they feel supported and safe. Giving your employees room to make mistakes assures them that you care about their success and want them to grow.
\r\nRole-playing can be powerful when participants rehearse cold calls, elevator pitches, key sales messages, corporate presentations and price negotiations. Message training also helps ensure your sales reps speak about your brand in a consistent and compelling manner.
\r\nSuccess stories about key wins can be very motivating. Break them down and analyze what went right and why so your entire team can understand and learn by example. Feature your top salespeople in a best-practices panel discussion with audience interaction. Sharing success stories encourages the team to believe that they can overcome their own hurdles.
\r\nEducating sales reps about price, features and benefits is important, but also devote discussion to the psychological reasons customers buy. Knowledge of customer behavior can help your sales reps close more deals.
\r\nAccording to Spiro, role-play should make employees feel more at ease. Let your team know that it's OK to make mistakes. The more at ease your team feels during role-playing, even when being put at on the spot, the more likely they are to really learn and put the training into practice.
\r\nPresent common objections and scenarios that your sales team members could come across, such as dealing with competitors, introducing a new product to the market, or analyzing prospective markets to sell your products. Based on the different scenarios, have your team come up with creative solutions and actionable plans for follow-up.
\r\nAccording to Spiro, it's most effective to end each role-playing session by recapping the actionable takeaways. Have the team write down areas they should improve on and areas where they are already doing well. Answers should be as detailed as possible. They should be able to keep you abreast of their progress without feeling intimidated.
\r\nAccording to Menemsha Group, sales role-playing should not be a one-time thing. You may need to do it regularly, or even every day, for your employees to learn as much as they can. You must guide your sales team to improve their skills on a daily basis. Role-playing is often the easiest way to train sales executives communication skills and to analyze their daily performance and challenges.
\r\nSelling is absolutely a performance. By pointing this out, I am not suggesting that sales reps are insincere or inauthentic. What I am saying is that they are being judged and evaluated on how they connect with the customer, the impression they make, and the confidence they instill. Role-playing is like a dress rehearsal for sales reps before they go into the field, and sales managers would be smart to incorporate it into their sales trainings.
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