Previously, I have shared with you all my perfect sales cycle as well as my most profitable tips to be a great salesperson. But I have a confession to make…
Those two things alone will not make you world-class like my sales department.
The reason my guys are lethal closers is because of a not-so-well-kept secret called sales roleplay.
Sales roleplay is where you practice specific word tracks, customer scenarios, and common objections that you run into every day.
These “drills” are done either alone or with a partner, depending on the area you are trying to strengthen. I have my sales team do this for at least thirty minutes each day before they ever greet their first customer.
The results of this practice speak for themselves.
In this article, I am going to lay out the basics of sales roleplay. Also, I am giving you the exact scripts you can adapt to whatever industry you’re in to improve your closing ratio.
Now, let’s turn you into a killer closer…
Why Everyone Should Sales Roleplay
The theory behind why all sales reps should roleplay is simple…
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT.
Think about it this way…
How much more would you earn if you…
Always knew the next step to take with a customer?
Consistently overcame buyer objections?
Perpetually exuded certainty?
In the same way, wouldn’t you like to make mistakes with a team member instead of a real-life prospect?
It is a fact that most people learn from experience. For that reason, I developed sales roleplay. It smooths out the delivery of the sales process through roleplay scenarios — without losing deals.
Below is the same series of exercises that I put my team through. It is designed to produce a certain and flawless sales force — and it works…
IT IS NOT UNCOMMON FOR MY SALESPEOPLE TO TAKE HOME SIX FIGURES A YEAR.
So if you’re ready to start making real money, strap in because this is the real secret to success in sales.
How to Prepare for Sales Roleplaying and What to Drill
Before we get into my tips and drills for effective sales roleplay, I have a word of caution…
AS YOU GO THROUGH THEM, ENSURE YOU FULLY PASS EACH EXERCISE BEFORE MOVING ON TO THE NEXT.
They are meant to build on one another and slowly increase in difficulty. The process is structured that way so you don’t get overwhelmed.
I understand you want to get through them and start closing more deals. But, moving on before you are ready will only result in wasted time.
I promise if you nail these down, your closing ratio will soar…
Set up for Success
First of all, a training session only requires you to invest time — and some cooperation from a friend or coworker.
Still, there is a couple of things that you need to set up for the environment you’ll do it in…
For example, roleplay in a distraction-free room where you won’t disturb others.
These drills can become VERY loud. You don’t want to draw attention away from fellow salespeople and clients.
That’s why my team does it before our office opens.
Just as important, you want all your attention on your training. Make sure the time and place are conducive to that.
Depending on where you work, you may have to consider practicing your sales roleplay at home. Another option is recording yourself on your cell phone to learn where to improve.
Making these arrangements can be aggravating. But remember, doing whatever it takes to get your roleplay in will pay off in a big way. That brings us to the next point…
How do you know what to practice?
Keep an Objections Journal
This second tip for sales roleplaying is not an exercise. That being said, it is a tool that can maximize your training results faster.
If you are serious about sales, I encourage you to start keeping an objections journal.
An objections journal is a personal log you will keep of the protests you hear from each customer. When you review it later, you will notice that the same ones pop up over and over…
That category of objection handling is the one you should focus your attention on first.
This practice is helpful even if you are a new hire. In that case, go around and ask the other salespeople what problems they run into the most, then start there.
Still, it doesn’t make sense to start training on those objections until you have mastered presenting yourself…
Analyze Your Body Language
The goal of roleplay is to make you the ultimate sales professional in the eyes of your customers. With that in mind, there is a hard fact about this you need to accept…
THE FIRST IMPRESSION OF YOUR PROFESSIONALISM COMES FROM YOUR BODY LANGUAGE.
Therefore, observing your mannerisms is the first practical exercise for sales roleplay.
Ideally, you will have your sales manager or colleague pretend they are a client. Then, they will go through the sales process with you…
As you “sell” them, your one-on-one partner will stop to correct you on mistakes like:
- Making no eye contact.
- Frowning or losing your smile
- Slouching and bad posture
If you don’t have a partner, record yourself on your phone’s camera and analyze the footage. From there, you can catch these missteps on your own and fix them.
Once you are exuding a positive, composed attitude for several sessions, it’s time to ensure your sales pitch is heard…
Master Clear Communication
Whether you are an introvert or extrovert, being heard and understood while you sell is critical.
I know this sounds like a given to most of you. Nonetheless, you would be surprised at how many people cannot communicate clearly…
THIS PROBLEM IS NOT ISOLATED TO SALESPEOPLE, BY THE WAY.
With that in mind, a key exercise to sales roleplay is practicing communication. Again, these drills are done with a partner or by watching recordings of yourself.
Ask yourself these questions as you do this training:
- Can you be heard from a comfortable distance?
- Do you speak each word separately — without mumbling or stuttering?
- Are you able to explain your product or service in simple terms?
Only when you can answer “yes” to all of these questions, are you able to move on to the next sales roleplay drill.
After all, communication is the foundation of all agreements — on which every sale is based on.
Make certain you nail this one before these exercises get really tough.
Roleplay the Sales Process
The drill in this section has two parts…
Practicing the order of the sales process and roleplaying its delivery.
FIRST, YOU ARE GOING TO MEMORIZE ALL THE STEPS OF THE ROAD TO THE SALE — UNTIL YOU CAN RECITE THEM BACKWARD, FORWARDS, OR FROM ANY STEP IN THE PROCESS.
As a reminder, this is the sales process from beginning to end…
- Having a positive attitude.
- Greeting the customer.
- Qualifying the buyer’s needs.
- Selecting the right product.
- Presenting your product.
- Using Trial Closes.
- Writing a proposal.
- Negotiating an agreement.
- Closing.
- Delivering the product or service.
- Following up.
The benefits of being able to recall these steps on demand have tremendous benefits. The result is always knowing where you are in the process, and easily moving forward toward the close.
The second half of this exercise is where you practice what you just learned. It is time to roleplay the entire road to the sale.
I highly recommend enlisting a partner for this part of the drill. That is because, every time you miss or flub a step, you are going to start over…
Have a bad attitude? You’re starting over…
Didn’t write a proposal? You’re going back to the beginning…
Sound challenging?
Good…
PRESSURE MAKES DIAMONDS.
At this point, you can see why my sales department is beyond compare, but it doesn’t stop there.
If you want to get on their level, you have to take it even further…
Practice Handling Customers
Until now, your drills have been focused on getting the sales process down pat and executing it perfectly. Be proud of making it this far! These are important parts of becoming a world-class salesperson.
Unfortunately, you know — even if you’ve been in sales one day — that it takes two people to close a deal…
And often, the other individual pushes back.
With that in mind, I developed this sales roleplay exercise. I also want to note that this sales roleplay does need a partner. You’ll understand why in a moment.
Without further ado, this is how you run the ultimate sales roleplay training…
The End-All-Be-All of Sales Roleplay Drills
First, you are going to start a role-playing session with your partner, while taking into account everything from the prior drill.
All of the same criteria apply — i.e. starting over for missing steps, body language, etc.
Then, your “trainer” will start to use the common obstacles you’ve been recording in your sales objections journal.
At this point, you are to handle these objections and get to the close step of the sale.
Your teammate will work with you — increasing the difficulty — until you can guide your “customer” through the sales cycle…
Smoothly handle ALL of their objections…
And, seamlessly earn the sale.
Consider this drill as a final exam in a sense because of all its moving parts. Additionally, this sales roleplay scenario may take several sessions to pass.
So, don’t be discouraged. This exercise builds a world-class salesman.
It’s going to take time.
That being said, I have some scripts you can incorporate into this training once you’re ready…
Supercharged Sales Roleplay Scripts
The great news about rehearsing sales roadblocks is that there are only four types of objections you will ever run into…
Your customer will object to either the product itself…
The cost of your product or service…
The moment of purchase…
Or, the need for further approval to buy.
These categories span all industries. For that reason, I have broken them down for you by category.
So, take the script templates below and rework them to fit yours…
Product Objection
Before each sales roleplay script, I will give you the name of the close and the theory behind it.
The first one is called the Minor Point Close.
This simple word track is effective because it allows the buyer to rationalize for themselves that this is the right product for them.
Use this one often — especially when the real customer seems indecisive.
“Do you like the color? Do you like the size? Can you see yourself using it every day? Good. Then, let’s wrap it up and get it ready for you.. Sign here and here, please.”
Money Objections
When you speak to salespeople, most will claim that clients are always complaining about the money…
I don’t fully agree with that statement, but I do have a solution — the Now and Later Close.
Take a look around and you’ll see prices are only getting higher by the day. This close is built on this unavoidable truth.
This is the script…
“Let me suggest that I show you the price of doing it now and the price of doing it later. The cost now is $300K. The cost later is approximately 6% more with the new price increases at year’s end….
“That cost equals another $18K — and a monthly cost of almost $400 — that you don’t need to waste. Not to mention that with this new product, you, the company, and your clients will benefit without paying the extra cost.
“Let’s do the smart thing. Sign here, please.”
Time Objections
Third, I am going to give you a handling for when the customer wants to wait to purchase your product. The time category is different from the Stall objection we are going to discuss last.
With the Time objection, the prospect wants to wait because they are looking to have more capital, receive their taxes, etc.
The name of this close also explains the concept behind it — Never the Best Time Close.
“ There is never a best time to make this decision, as you will always have things going on. Let’s do this now and get it handled for you, so you can start benefiting now. Sign here and here, please.”
Stall Objections
Last, I am going to provide you a sales roleplay script for a Stall objection.
A stall manifests as the buyer either telling you they have approval from another party to buy or they need to “think about it.” Despite this, neither is the true reason they are hesitant.
Discovering that reason is the key to closing this client.
In these situations, ask them outright with the Reason to Buy Close.
“Excuse me, but may I ask you, are you looking for reasons to make a decision or are you looking for reasons not to?
“What are some reasons to do this?”
Keep asking until they do the deal.
World-Class Sales Roleplay Schedule
To summarize, you’ve learned a lot about sales roleplay.
- Why you should train on it.
- How to prepare for it.
- What to drill.
Now, there is one final question…
When and how often should you practice?
Earlier in this article, I shared that my sales team practices at least thirty minutes every day…
However, they don’t just practice what they want, when they want. They follow a set curriculum, and that is my Cardone University sales training platform.
The important thing is that you do it regularly and don’t move on to another sales skill until you’ve mastered the first.
I believe sales is the road to success in business and in life — roleplay and become world-class with this powerful tool.
Be Great,
Grant Cardone
Disclaimer: This content is intended to be used for educational and informational purposes only. Individual results may vary. You should perform your own due diligence and seek the advice from a professional to verify any information on our website or materials that you are relying upon if you choose to make an investment or business decision. Investment, real estate, and business involve great risk and there is no guarantee of performance or results.We are not attorneys, investment advisers, accountants, tax professionals or financial advisers and any of the content presented should not be taken as professional advice. We recommend seeking the advice of a financial professional before you invest, and we accept no liability whatsoever for any loss or damage you may incur.
