A sales role play is basically like an improv game. One person is the prospect and the other is the promo expert. The goal of the exercise is to help the salesperson practice their approach and see what works best in different scenarios. Most high-performing sales organizations use role playing regularly, with 87% using it as part of their training programs.
What should these role play scenarios look like? The SmartWinnr blog has some ideas. In this issue of PromoPro Daily, we share some tips from the SmartWinnr blog on how to get your team thinking on their feet and prepared for real-life sales situations.
Scenario 1: Discovery. According to the SmartWinnr blog, this is the most important sales role play. Why? Because a discovery call can set the tone for the rest of the sales discussion. It’s critical to nail this step and make a great first impression. In a role play situation, have each of your reps make a discovery call to the prospect (you). Give them demographic information and help them prepare for the call with questions and responses to objections.
Scenario 2: Elevator pitch. Help your sales reps capture attention in a short amount of time. To run this role play, the SmartWinnr blog recommends that each sales rep creates an interesting, 30-second elevator pitch and practicing it multiple times as a recorded video or message. Then, ask your reps to send you their pitch for review.
Scenario 3: Presentation skills. This is often a make-or-break phase in the sales process. Make sure your reps know all the details about various promo so they’re confident going into sales discussions. In a role play scenario, sales reps can work together to practice their presentation skills. Coach them to avoid filler words and industry jargon.
Scenario 4: Remote selling. This role-play scenario helps reps build rapport when communicating on video calls. The SmartWinnr blog says it’s especially helpful for those transitioning from field sales to inside sales or remote sales. Each sales rep should practice their remote selling conversations and get comfortable using video conference tools.
Scenario 5: Objection handling. Every sales rep should know how to answer tough questions and address objections. You could pair one of your newer sales reps with a more experienced promo pro, who poses questions and objections. This allows sales reps to learn from their peers and build their confidence in handling objections.
Whether you include role play in your scheduled training days or you do them spontaneously, they can be a fun way to engage your team and help them improve. Try some of the ideas above, from discovery to objection handling, to build your reps’ confidence and skills.
Compiled by Audrey Sellers
Source: The SmartWinnr blog. SmartWinnr is a comprehensive mobile-based platform to drive contests, learning and coaching for remote sales teams.
