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The Sales Managers´s Toolkit; Role-playing

Guest post by: John Brennan

Article Overview: Role-playing, whether it is impromptu or a planned part of a sales meeting, is one of the most effective tools a sales manager has to improve sales performance. You can reorganize territories, re-assign accounts, raise the bar, tinker with incentives, hire and fire, and even close the deals yourself, but none will come close to improving the knowledge, attitudes and skills of your sales team. My doctoral level research, and the practical experience of thousands of successful managers indicates that the most efficient way for sales people to acquire new skills and to polish existing ones is by role-playing, followed by skilled coaching. And the key coaching skill is giving feedback.

The Sales Managers´s Toolkit; Role-playing

To give sales performance feedback, ("the Breakfast of Champions") a sales manager must be able to:
a. Observe
b. Evaluate
c. Describe behaviors
d. Suggest ways to improve performance
Take notes as you observe the role-play session. Note specifics - what the sales rep did or said. Point out strengths as well as needs. Reps learn from finding out what they do well as well as where they need to improve. In addition, reps are more likely to be receptive to hearing where they need to improve after their strengths have been acknowledged.
For example:
"Jane, you did an excellent job of getting your customer´s interest. I especially liked your use of the sample. However, your customer seemed confused when you were talking about cost savings to her. Try using a yellow highlighter pen so that she can see the savings. Can you see how that might help?"
Insist that the feedback, whether it´s yours or the sales team´s, meet the following criteria:
1. Specific Behavior:
When the person did or said specifically,
e.g. "You produced testimonials when the prospect referred to your experience."
"You leaned forward, smiled."
"When you probed, your customer began talking about his need to reduce his turnaround time."
"You sat on the edge of the chair - made me think, and perhaps made your customer think, that you wanted to get out as quickly as possible."
2. Avoid Generalities or Labels:
Not:
"You´re sloppy"
"You´re ineffective"
"You did a good job"
"You´re a softy"
3. Make Your Feedback Manageable:
Don´t overwhelm the person with a list of 25 things he/she did wrong. Most people can manage just a few carefully chosen suggestions to implement. USE A RATIO OF 3 POSITIVES TO EVERY NEGATIVE COMMENT YOU MAKE ON THE REP´S PERFORMANCE.
4. Include a Specific Suggestion:
E.G. "From where I was sitting, it looked like you had a problem with the visuals. How did you feel about it? My suggestion is that a little bit of role-play prior to the call will put your skills right where you want them."
"You looked lost for words when your customer demanded a 15% discount. Try reviewing his needs again. Then show him what a great fit you´ve got."
FOLLOW THIS PRECEDURE
1. Before the role-play session, ask the reps which specific skills or strategy they are especially working on during this session. Make sure they understand that their objective is to improve their skills.
2. Observe the role-play. Take notes on positive behaviors as well as ineffective behaviors. This is critical and demonstrates your involvement.
3. At the end of the role-play, ask the rep:
"What did you do that seem to be effective?"
"Why was it effective."
Get at least three things the rep did well. Next, ask the rep:
"What would you do differently for the next role-play session?"
"Why?"
"What one suggestion do you have for ______________ to improve next time?"
Finally, add your observations. Then, summarize all the feedback your sales team received. Say:
"Overall, this was a (good, very good, excellent) role- play session. You state (all the positive behaviors that were mentioned). Next time plan to state (1 or 2 suggestions for improvement)."
Your reps should feel that the role-playing has been a worthwhile experience, even if they are not completely satisfied with their performance.

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Article Tags: coaching, giving feedback, improving sales, role playing, successful managers



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