Top 5 sales role pay exercises in 2023

Sales role-play exercises can be a truly effective sales training and coaching process, especially when done correctly. Since this generation can be considered less traditional and book-based, sales role-plays are a perfect compromise as a learning tool and team bonding activity.

In this article, we prepared useful sales role play examples that could help your team become more efficient. 

What is sales role play?

A sales role play is a coaching and training tool for your sales team. It uses scenarios that are pretty similar to what they could encounter in real-life selling. Customer service exercises role-playing is practical training, especially for new employees.

Giving your team a sales role-play example allows your sales representatives to connect with their co-workers. It works by acting out the role of different profiles of customers that they may encounter in the future.

How do you prepare for sales roleplay?

While role-play is usually done as a fun way to learn, it is still best to prepare. After all, it is a valuable activity that can boost confidence and helps sales representatives internalize product knowledge.

Here are five ways to prepare for a sales role-play exercises, according to SalesPop:

• Set manageable objectives.
• Create a specific scenario.
• Prepare the scenario.
• Allow the salesperson to get into the role.
• Foster a safe environment.

Benefits of doing sales role plays

Sales role plays can help your sales team by upgrading their sales techniques and improving their communication and people skills.

In addition, they get free constructive feedback from the audience that can definitely help in their future sales endeavors.

Further, here are the other benefits of making sales role-plays:

• Role plays create familiarity with the different types of customers and problems encountered during a sales pitch or cold call.
• It enhances proactive thinking, spontaneity, and problem-solving skills.
• It helps salespeople put themselves in the customers’ shoes, resulting in empathy and fully understanding the customer’s point of view.
• Most importantly, it promotes self-awareness and retrospection.

Five roleplay exercises this 2023

Now that we know the benefits of doing customer service exercises role play, here are five sales role play examples you and your team can try to assess your skills and improve your techniques.

1. The triad sales role-play

The team will be separated into groups of three. The first participant will play the sales representative, the second will be the prospective client, and the third participant will be the observer or coach.

The sales role-play exercises should be done several times to give the participants the chance to take on each role.

Additional rounds can be played so that the participants can apply the comments they received in their roles. The difficulty may also be increased to add more challenges.

2. The on-the-spot pop-quiz role play

With little to no notice to the participants, choose two sales agents to perform a role-play exercise in front of the team.

This activity is ideal for inbound representatives, sales development reps, business development reps, and all agents who do cold calls.

This, performed as a surprise, enhances quick thinking and shows how the representatives act under slight pressure.

For best results, perform two or more rounds so each participant can take turns in both roles. It is also advisable to do the activity in an appropriate and convenient setting.

With this, the representatives will feel more comfortable and not be put on the spot.

3. The niche customer role play

Two participants will play the role of the salesperson and the niche customer. This is the scenario for this customer service exercises role-playing: A customer walks into the store and goes straight to the sales representative.

The customer takes an interest in the best laptop for gaming, with at least an i7 Intel Core. As the two converse, the customer reveals that he is an IT consultant and expert in all computing devices.

This activity aims to get sales representatives prepared and fully equipped with knowledge of the product they sell. They need to be able to meet their customers’ levels and expectations.

This is also an excellent opportunity to brainstorm and test everyone’s knowledge of the product to ensure that the information they’ll use is up-to-date.

4. The window-shopping customer role-play

The window-shopping customer or the option seeker is probably the most common type of customer that sales representatives encounter. One will act as the salesperson in this role play, and the other will be the window-shopping customer.

The customer will insist that they’re “only browsing,” and it’s up to the salesperson to give enough information and encouragement to convince the customer to buy their product.

Keep in mind that these customers have most likely window-shopped a lot. Because of this, they are fully knowledgeable and well-informed about prices, specifications, and brands.

This activity helps salespeople develop their communication and problem-solving skills, tests their knowledge about their products, and builds confidence.

5. The budget-conscious role-play

According to HubSpot Research, almost six in 10 buyers want to discuss pricing on the first call. This customer service exercise role-playing would be very interesting since budget-conscious customers are the most challenging customers to sell to.

In this activity, partners will take turns in playing the budget-conscious customer and the salesperson. The customer will try to negotiate on the price or say they’ve found a much cheaper option.

The salesperson should respond in the best way regarding the price structure and the product’s advantages to the cheaper option.

This activity will help sales representatives with their critical thinking and negotiation skills.