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| 10 Role Playing Tips to Increase Sa1es Success
Guest article by Nicki Weiss
I think confidence is the most important characteristic for a sa1esperson:
in my experience, the more confidence, the more sa1es.
How do you instil confidence in your sa1es team? Vince Lombardi,
the famous football coach, used to say, "Football is about blocking
and tackling. The team that blocks and tackles better then their
opponent will probably win the game." Translation ... stick to the
basics and practice, practice, practice.
But DON’T practice in front of the customer. Just like a football
team doesn’t hone its craft in front of a packed stadium, sa1espeople
need to practice out of the limelight. They can try role-playing,
an underused sales tool (only an estimated 21% of sales teams employ
it) that is the easiest and most effective way to practice and build
confidence. It gives sa1espeople the opportunity to learn new product
information, test their selling skills and try new approaches.
As an added benefit, role-playing sessions help your team build
an esprit de corps as they learn together. The more successful they
are in the office, the more likely their success in the field. Here
are some hints to make your role-playing sessions as productive
as possible.
10 Role-Playing Tips
- Never make role-playing easy
Sa1espeople must learn to be able to handle pressure (and stress)
in the form of questions from prospects about value, price, competitive
positioning and feature/function offers. Tough role-playing sessions
prepare them for any situation.
- Make it safe
Role-playing can feel threatening and embarrassing. To raise the
safety level, keep groups to three people who alternate roles
as sa1esperson, customer and observer. Have the first role-play
be an experiment. After the debrief, conduct the same role-play
so the sa1esperson can use the feedback to improve.
- Add some fun
Ask each group to vote on its own best role-play and award prizes.
Or give prizes all around, even to those sa1espeople who crashed
and burned.
- Role-play by title of buyers
The way you sell to a CFO of a Fortune 1000 firm is different
than selling to the president of a small private firm. During
the role-playing exercises, switch around the buyer titles.
- Split role-playing between sales peers
and sales management
Role-playing groups should contain both sa1espeople and sales
management so they reflect different levels of approach and experience.
Management and team members can take turns being the buyer.
- Make a list of your top ten sales objections
and use them
Note, and make use of, your toughest sa1es objections during role-playing
sessions. Your team will get practice in learning how to manage
a range of buyers’ expectations.
- Redirect straying conversations back to
the sales process
Prospects can change subjects and "steer" sa1espeople away from
the sales conversation to chit-chat. Team members can use role-playing
to see how quickly they can swing the conversation back to a discussion
about relevant business issues.
- Lights, Camera, Action
Videotape the role playing sessions to dramatically increase their
effectiveness. Place the camera on a tripod in the back of the
room and have the observer turn it on and off. Using one high
quality videotape for each sa1esperson, tape each of their role-plays
and the following discussion. Then give them the tape to keep,
making sure that you have advanced the tape to a blank space every
time so you captured a number of different situations. Each sa1esperson
can review improvements when replaying the tape.
- Debrief . . . with kindness and support
At the end of each role-play, the observer facilitates the debrief,
asking the sa1esperson what went well, and what could change the
next time. Do not let the sa1esperson be too self-critical. Ask
the customer what the sa1esperson did that was helpful, and ONE
suggestion for improvement.
- Document strengths and weaknesses
Keep a record of each sa1esperson’s strengths and weaknesses during
each role-playing session so you can build on the information
in follow-up exercises. Understanding and managing your team's
skill sets will help them hit their sa1es quota faster. To achieve
greater success - role-play more!
About the author:
Nicki Weiss is an internationally recognized Certified Professional
Coach, Master Trainer, and workshop leader. She brings to her work
25 years of experience with sales leaders and their teams. Her training
and coaching practice is designed for:
Sa1es managers/directors/VPs who are ready to become great sa1es
coaches in order to retain, develop, and motivate sales superstars.
Sign up for her wonderful newsletter – Sa1esWise – to receive ongoing
tips and techniques guaranteed to boost your sales by going to www.saleswise.ca
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