Sales Training Games

For Sales Managers and Trainers

Graham Roberts-Phelps

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2017
• eBook ISBN: 9781351902236
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Business General
• Index: Business

Selling is a skill that should not be limited to sales staff. Customer service, or other support staff, could all benefit from developing an awareness of and an ability to sell to customers. Also, the opportunity for developing those skills should not be limited to sales training workshops. Here, at last, is a mix of over 80 games, exercises and ideas that can be used to develop sales, customer service and other staff. They range from simple 'skill boosters' for coaching sessions or team meetings, through icebreakers, energizers and selling quizzes to full blown role plays and case studies. The principle at the heart of all the material is that games and exercises should be generic - transferable across different organizations and sales situations - and that they should use an 'open content' approach. This means that participants must supply their own examples and experiences, to make the material immediately and completely relevant. This collection of games and exercises will enable sales managers or trainers to: ¢ develop their people with confidence, secure in the knowledge that all of the material has been thoroughly road-tested on courses and seminars; ¢ ensure a flexible approach, varying their pace or style in response to the subject matter and their audience; ¢ reinforce the learning, using different formats of exercise to cover the same learning points; ¢ train (rather than talk), using the material to encourage people to start using what they already know.

1

Introduction

About this manual

These activities have been created and used extensively in the training of sales skills. Relevant to all types of industry and successful with personnel of any age, experience and background, they are designed with the following characteristics in mind.

Easy to run

Simple to follow, step-by-step instructions mean that a minimum of preparation and experience is required. The time saved can then be devoted to either enhancing the basic activity or creating company-specific material.

Complete

Each activity comes with everything necessary – including handouts.

Generic

Whether you are a manufacturer or a service provider, private or public sector, industrial or retail, the activities and exercises are focused on generic sales knowledge and skills – skills that are completely transferable across all organizations and situations. Most use an ‘open content’ approach, which means that participants use their own examples and experiences as the main subject, making the exercises automatically and completely relevant. (They are, of course, easy to customize should you wish to do so.)

Varied

The activities range from 15-minute ice-breakers to 90-minute role plays and include quizzes, games, questionnaires, problem-solving activities and discussions. This means that the training can be kept varied and interesting, and topics approached from several different angles.

How to use this manual

Each activity is detailed in a clear set of instructions for the trainer, with information contained under the following headings.

Summary and objectives

These give a short summary of the aims of the activity. In many of the activities it is recommended that you share the objectives with the participants as it will help them to focus when completing the activity.

Materials

These are quick checklists of what you will need to run the activity. In most cases a standard flip chart and the handouts provided are all that are required.

Timing

Estimated times are based on a group size of 8–10 participants. Less or more time may be needed if the group is smaller or larger than this. The estimates are generous, as exercises are more likely to over run than under run. This also allows for trainers or managers to expand the introduction or exercise summary sessions with their own material or examples.

Handouts

These follow the trainer’s notes, contain instructions to the participants on how to perform the task or activity, and often provide a structured format or worksheet. The benefit of using the handouts provided is that the communication is often much clearer, as it gives participants a reference during the exercise.

Procedure

This section details the training instructions and explains how to introduce, run and conclude each activity. These instructions are kept deliberately brief. This is of great benefit when referring to the notes whilst running the course, as the information you need can be easily found, read and relayed to the group.

Instructions have been phrased in a general way, and, where possible, avoid giving the actual words to be used (as very few trainers will use them, choosing instead to use their own words).

Actions

When you are required to distribute a handout, the instructions are set in bold type to stand out from the main text. Although this may repeat an instruction contained in the main paragraph, it is an aid to quick reference when you are running the exercise.

Commentary

These sections add extra information, ideas and tips when needed.

The main formats of games and activities

Individual working

When participants are required to work on their own, perhaps completing a questionnaire or worksheet, it allows for a degree of self-reflection and is an excellent contrast to the role play and group work. Many people are happy working in this way, indeed it follows the pattern of learning established at school.

Pairs

Based on the principle that ‘two heads are better that one’, this format needs participants to work in pairs, working through a problem, questionnaire or worksheet jointly.

It is useful to pair people carefully, balancing personalities and experience. Make sure that both are contributing and making notes. On longer courses, it is a good idea to change these pairs occasionally. If the numbers of participants are odd, one group can be stretched to three.

Small groups

Small groups of 3–8 people are most suitable for working on a problem, issue or discussion, as well as in free-format ideas sessions.

The size of your main group will of course determine how small you can divide the groups, but from general observation it is difficult to circulate between or monitor more than about four groups.

Main group discussion

The whole group (of eight or more people) might run a general discussion or activity.

Role plays

The series of role plays included in the book can be used in isolation or as on-going exercises during the training course. There is one for each major part of the sales cycle, or sales skill. If you are using an extended series of role plays, it is best if participants use the same customer example throughout. In this way, continuity can be maintained and the sales progressed stage by stage.

These role-play customers can be based on real customers taken from the salesperson’s existing accounts. Alternatively, you may wish to create your own sample case studies. The observation checklist and action plans included here can be used for all the role plays.

Observer’s checklist

When running role plays, some guidance is normally required to help participants act as ‘observers’, and offer constructive feedback. Here are some questions that might help observers assess role-play situations.

• What worked well? Be specific.

• What particularly impressed you?

• What do you think could be improved?

• What could be done differently next time?

• What did you learn?

• What did you notice about non-verbal behaviour? Consider: body language and physiology; seating arrangements, use of props, notes, handouts, etc.; eye contact, physical contact and proximity.

• Did the salespersons achieve their obje...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Summary of games
• 1 Introduction
• 2 Ice-breakers and energizers
• 3 Subject breakers
• 4 Models and methods
• 5 Quizzes and questionnaires
• 6 Group energizers
• 7 Problem-solving and planning
• 8 Role plays, practice sessions and case studies
• 9 Skill boosters
• 10 Answers
• Further reading