I Hate Role Playing Exercises!

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, "

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.

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.

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.