Sales Role Play

For this roleplaying exercise, the hypothetical seller and buyer will be negotiating a contract for an all-inclusive copy-machine service called Ultra Copy, which includes copy-machine sales, maintenance, service, and support. When selling any product or service to a prospective customer, come to the table armed with in-depth research on the product or service, the local market segment, competitors, and likely clients. Copy-machine service is essential to operating any business, so a large market opportunity already exists with prospects that can be approached via sales calls to small to medium-sized businesses, so-called “b2b sales.”¹ By identifying and then analyzing needs while maintaining a client-centered approach, the salesperson will ultimately successfully close deals.

Rather than pushing hard and jamming the sale down a prospect’s throat, let the customer do the talking because it is the customer’s needs which will dictate how the product or service can solve their problem. The seller will use the SPIN techniques of assessing Situation, Problem, Implication, and Need-Payoff.¹ When the buyer raises objections, the seller quickly overcomes them and offers a solution. Instead of stressing every feature and benefit of Ultra Copy straight off, the seller will respond with features and benefits as they fit into the buyer’s context. Negotiation is a two-way street, and the buyer must communicate his needs with the seller in order to come together for a sale. Most successful salespeople are trained appropriately and familiar with the play or film Glengarry Glen Ross. In his (in)famous monologue, Alec Baldwin discusses A-I-D-A: attention, interest, decision, action, a framework for closing sales. SPIN is a bit different but works by focusing attention and interest on customer needs and then shifting that interest onto features and benefits, leading to a decision the buyer must make whether or not to pursue action and close the sale.

(Script omitted for preview. Available via download)

This sales script demonstrates the SPIN techniques with graceful finesse. Notice how the seller opened with a brief introduction and immediately led into permission to ask questions. By building rapport and identifying with the buyer’s needs, the seller was able to position his service as a solution to the problems discussed. Promoting the features and benefits of the service is not the main purpose of the sales call: rather it is integrating any features and benefits that might appeal to a company’s unique situation and addressing any problems, current or potential. Closing a sale is the seller’s main goal, but more importantly, it is the endpoint of a journey taken with the buyer through their reasons for needing the service while addressing any potential objections that may arise.

Reference

1. Rackham, N. The Spin Selling Fieldbook: Practical Tools, Methods, Exercises, and Resources. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2004.