Use Role Play to Hone Your Sales Skills

November 22nd, 2010

This was the first year we put our son in organized sports.  As the fall approached we signed him up in the 3-4 year old soccer league.  .  We play outside as much as possible with both of our kids so I was excited to see if our practice has paid off. Fast forward to game #1.  Whistle blows and he just stands there.  For those of you who know me, I have a tendency to be a little competitive.  I couldn’t understand why he didn’t want to get into the mix and kick the ball considering as they were warming up he was dribbling the ball up and down the field with no problem.  I noticed there were a few other kids who wanted to play but didn’t get into the mix.  After a short conversation with the parents I noticed a common denominator.  He mentioned that his kids stayed at home with mom as well and it hit me.  My thought was this…..kids who are with other kids during the day are used to “getting in the mix” and “fighting” for the ball when playing.  Kids who are not around other kids during the day can practice but don’t have to worry about someone taking the ball from them and it can be a little overwhelming.

Solution: I recruited 5 neighbor kids over to our house several nights that following week to play soccer.  I set up homemade goals and the rules were to have at it and do what you can to score goals.  Since our son was familiar with his older neighbor friends he was able to get in the mix and started to get Role play experience and learned you have to fight for the ball and keep it away from others.  When we arrived at the soccer field for his next game he did much better and scored several goals throughout the rest of the season.

Take this example into the sales world. Practicing alone can only get you so far. To really hone your skills set up scenarios with fellow sales professionals that aren’t afraid to challenge you. Using role play with others will help you score more on your next sales call.

Aaron Prickel

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