I would think the staff would hate that videotaping even more than role-playing! One idea is to have not just one, but two salespeople play the role of the salesperson. They can learn as a team. It takes a little pressure off. Or have them divide into pairs and each pair work as customer and salesperson with nobody watching, then you could listen in after a while. Or you can have them take a turn as the customer while you are the salesperson. At least you are training and discussing how to do things--that's most important. You could also ask them to come to the next training session with notes about a customer interaction, and discuss what they thought they did well and what they think they could have done better.

I believe that is a common problem. I have found that over time the reason people get nervous about selling is they are afraid they will say the wrong thing. I have over the years have spent time just talking to my new staff. If I educate them about the jewelery the more comfortable they will become. As an example; if they have a problem knowing about diamonds I spend some of my time during the day explaining and giving examples of what the four "C's" are. I tell stories about people etc. The only way people can be effective in sales is if they are relaxed. Being relaxed comes in the form of product knowledge. Play games,have fun,hand out information educate....educate....tell your sales staff if they are not sure about something it is ok to tell the client that and that you will get back to the client. I have spent 28 years in jewelery,managed jewelery stores,made jewelery,and started my own business. You are doing fine. Take the pressure off your staff and tell them just to engage your clients. If they are afraid of making a mistake they will dread to be on the counter. Spend as much time as you can with them. If you educate,educate,educate,educate,the nervousness will disappear. Hope this helps.

The problem with roll playing,for most people who are asked to participate is has several negative aspects. * The imputus for doing this is done by someone who is very comfortable with both selling and roll playing. Not everyone is as they are only thinking that they cannot do it the way the leader says or will tell them what they should say. * The salesperson is under pressure . . . a different pressure than they face on the job. * the situation is contrived and not all customers come in with the same needs or motivation as the situation is set up. A better format for training, in my estimation, is to beging to teach them or have a discussion on why customers come in asking for _________. I would estimate that the group will come up with at least 12 different reasons. With this list, if roll-playing is going to be used as a teaching format (btw, teaching = sellinng) now go to roll playing for each of these situations, or, if not, the continue the discussion of how each has faced any of these situations and what did they do that made the sale or, maybe more important, what, now later, they think they should have done in order to make the sale. (of course, the latter has to be done with the understanding that revealing this will not in any way jeopardize their job). As a follow-on to this form of teaching selling, inaugerate a program where, after each sale, if there is time, or at the end of the day, the salesperson writes down notes on who came in, what they asked for, what the bought/did not buy and from this what could they reuse in other times or change so what did not happen will happen. Alan J. Zell, Ambassador of Selling, Attitudes for Selling.

Shanu, I have been training jewlery salespeople world wide for 25 years and you are on the right track trying to institute roll playing in your store. Roll playing is an important part of my program because it has a high retention rate if done correctly, where lecturing goes in one ear and out the other. I have developed a way that salespeople actually enjoy it! In fact in their evaluations of my seminars many of them say roll playing is their favorite part and this is why. I never have a salesperson roll play in front of their peers because there is no way they can do it rightthe first time and it is demaning to be criticized in front of everyone. It takes away their pride and turns them off to the person who is conducting the training. In other words, nothing good comes from it. However, if you just make this one change you will be successful. When I conduct roll playing I do it just the opposite of all other trainers, I take the part of the salesperson and my students play the customers. This gives me credibility because if I cannot demonstrate a technique why should I expect them to get in front of their peers and do it? I ask them to challenge me the same way their customers challenge them. I will also demonstrate a technique like closing a sale and ask them to challenge me with this typical remark, "