What is disliked more than cold calling?

There’s one thing salespeople dislike more than cold calling: “role-playing” in front of their peers and supervisors.

Why is that?

Because it exposes their skill level.

And that is exactly what it is meant to do.

If you have sales reps unwilling or resistant to role-playing, you do not have a training issue. You have a hiring issue.

To grow revenue, you need team members willing to do what it takes to get better so they can perform better.

Is your sales team falling short of their monthly quotas?

The fastest way to find out where the problem is is to role-play (at least weekly, if not daily) to identify where the skills gaps are.

Here’s a beginner guide on where to start:

1. Openers. Does each rep on your team know exactly what to say when they call a prospect for the first time? What about if they get voicemail? What if they get a gatekeeper? Do they know exactly what to say and how to say it to get to the next level?
2. Engagement questions. Once they pass the opener and get the decision maker on the phone, do they know what engagement questions to ask and why to ask them?
3. Problem recognition. Do they know how to get the prospect to open up about a problem? After all, if there is no problem, there is no need for a solution.

Attention Sales Individuals:

Do not wait for your company to make you better.

If you are in sales, you have a front-row seat to being an apprentice for owning and operating your own business.

The faster you identify your weak spots and work to strengthen them, the more money you will make. You are already working – you might as well maximize the amount you earn per hour by improving your phone skills.

Growth happens outside the comfort circle, and role-playing is one of the fastest ways to identify where sales skills need improvement.

Every day you wait is costing you money.