Being the best salesperson you can be requires practice. I’m talking about the importance of ad sales role-play. There are always new ways to learn to ask the right probing questions! It is also a great way to find some new approach to overcoming to advertiser objections. The point is role-play is an opportunity to hone your sales game.
Ready to play? Here are my 7 smart tips to get the most out of your role-playing practice:
1. Create real-world scenarios. Borrow from ad sales meeting discussions and use those to role-play and solve issues at the same time.
2. Don’t pretend the clients are just complainers. Advertising clients are smart and savvy. You should practice to that.
3. Don’t leave out any steps out of the sales meeting. If you find yourself saying “blah-blah” as a filler, stop. This is a mini-play. Don’t skip anything. Rehearse for real.
4. Be prepared to flop. When you role-play, it doesn’t always go smoothly. For the first run-through, try walking through the steps in a robotic way. This helps get your feet under you and find your composure. Breathe.
5. Practice for new and upcoming products. As you roll out new products, absolutely develop a practice for them to tailor your pitch. Build in serious objections, u-turns, and roadblocks that are applicable. You’ll learn to be ready for anything!
6. Set a role-play schedule. Commit to a schedule of 2x a week for the first two weeks, then once a week for the following two weeks. Graduate to once per month. Don’t stop practicing!
7. Make an audio or video recording of the role-playing session. You may not be aware of some things you do unconsciously that hurt your sales pitch. Hearing and seeing yourself afterwards can really help you improve your sales approach.
P.S. Half-hearted role-playing is a total waste of everyone’s time. Don’t treat it as a joke, treat it as the powerful learning tool it is. Start role-playing one-on-one, master that, and then move to group role-play. You can do it!
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More about Ryan: Ryan Dohrn is an award winning sales coach and ad sales trainer. He is also an international motivational keynote speaker and the author of the best selling sales book, Selling Backwards. Ryan is the President and founder of Brain Swell Media, a boutique sales training and sales coaching firm with a detailed focus on sales training and coaching for media and technology companies.
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