Role-playing. With the exception of cold-calling, is there a pair of words salespeople dread more?
While management may call it a “learning experience,” most salespeople know better. Role-playing is a test of their knowledge and their ability to articulate selling points, handle objections and move to close-under the close scrutiny of a manager noting each fumbled sell line or mishandled objection and a group of peers, happy to sit back and watch someone else in the hot seat.

The scenario is not unlike a new actor being thrust into the spotlight without knowing the play, his lines or his scene partner while the director and audience watch expectantly. A learning experience for sellers? Yes, learning to hate role-playing!

Traditional role-playing is a missed opportunity to gain a better understanding of our client’s motivation, needs and challenges. Actors use role-playing as a time to get to know their character, explore relationships with their scene partner, uncover subtext and clarify intentions-without fear of judgment. Applying a rehearsal-based model to role-playing in sales allows us to get in touch with the deeper emotions, desires or fears that may be driving buyers’ actions, allowing us to more accurately target our message.

Steeping role-playing in the fundamentals of the actor’s rehearsal process changes it from an anxiety-producing exercise to please management into a creative problem-solving tool. A real learning experience. Rehearsal-based role-playing allows sellers to let down their guard and benefit from the group experience.

The basic flaw in sales role-playing lies in the casting and the direction. In order to maximize its effectiveness, follow this simple “cast” breakdown:

THE CAST:

1. The Director, played by the sales manager or a facilitator:

Good directors foster a safe environment of acceptance and experimentation during rehearsal. There is no “right or wrong” in rehearsal because judgment inhibits the creativity and spontaneity necessary to make discoveries about ourselves and others. In order to truly experiment and take risks, salespeople, like actors, need to know they are free to explore without fear of being judged. Often it is impossible for sellers to allow themselves to make mistakes in front of the person they report to, in which case, a facilitator can be very beneficial.

2. The Client, played by a salesperson or actor:

• Choose an actual client or prospect that you know something about personally and professionally. Avoid broad generalizations, which rarely spark insight. Imagine you are a specific individual with a unique set of circumstances, feelings, and needs, not a general composite of your client list.
• Identify your chosen client’s circumstances. Do they drive to work or take the bus? Are they satisfied or dissatisfied with their job? Are they motivated by ambition, money or service? An actor leaves no stone unturned in his efforts to form a complete picture of his character.
• Step into your client’s shoes. Ask yourself, “What would “I” do if “I” were really in this situation? Through personal identification you can start to truthfully discover how you-and in turn your client-might think, feel and act within their given circumstances.

3. The Salesperson, played by…a salesperson: 

• Assume your client knows nothing about your product or service. Before you scream that you’ve been calling on them for a year and presented a dozen proposals, remember that decision makers are deluged with facts and figures from dozens-maybe hundreds-of salespeople. In addition, by starting with a blank canvas you may discover some false assumptions you are making which may be keeping you from progressing with a particular client.
• Most importantly, stay in the moment and react as you would-not as you think you should. You’ll learn a great deal more about yourself and your client if you keep it real. And, you’re more likely to receive valuable insight from your peers that will help you with specific challenges.

SUMMARY:
Once sellers have experienced the benefits of rehearsal-based role-playing they may no longer find excuses to leave the building during a sales meeting. While this newfound understanding of your clients, greater awareness of their behaviors and access to a wider choice of solutions may not improve your chances of winning an Oscar, it will greatly improve your chances of winning the business. Click here for more tips on getting real results from role-playing.

Unless they’re Brad Pitt or Meryl Streep, most actors must audition for every role they get.  When competing against hundreds of other actors, they have to find ways to quickly stand out and convince the casting director that they are right for the part.  As salespeople, you are also on an audition of sorts and need to quickly convince the prospect or customer that you are right for the sale.

Against often staggering odds, how do successful actors land the part?  What is their secret?  Here are 5 quick acting lessons from my new book, ACT Like a Sales Pro that will help you land the sale!

1.  Make strong choices to reach your goal

Would you watch a movie about a character that “hopes” or half-heartedly “tries” to reach his goal?  Probably not.  According to Robert DeNiro, “The talent is in the choices.”  Good actors like DeNiro make strong choices. (“You talkin’ to me?”)  Sellers too should find strong active words that motivate them to take action.  Instead of wanting to make a sale, how about fighting for it?  Try proving a point as opposed to just making one. Strong active verbs will keep you focused on and committed to your goal.

2.  Raise the stakes to uncover prospect urgency

If the hero doesn’t capture the villain by midnight he will detonate the bomb. If he detonates the bomb the city will be destroyed.  If the city is destroyed the country will go to war.  This is a classic example of raising the stakes in Hollywood.  You can use this same model for uncovering the urgency within a prospect by connecting emotional triggers to potential outcomes.

3.  Use unpredictability to get your calls taken

Lady Gaga wearing a meat suit.  Lady Gaga arriving in a giant egg.  What will Lady Gaga do next?  Who knows?! But you can bet the world will tune in to see! Most salespeople end up doing the same thing in the same way.  You don’t have to be one of them.  Unpredictability will get your calls taken and get you in the door.  Do something new. Do something old in a new way.  Meat suit?  Probably not, but you get the idea…

4.  Welcome obstacles to move the sale forward

Obstacles are a necessary part of drama.  They keep the audience engaged and the action moving forward.  According to one sales study, prospects that buy have 58% more objections than those that don’t.  I would much prefer to have a prospect throw out twenty obstacles than one “I don’t care.”  Reframing obstacles as an important step toward moving the sale forward arms you with a winning attitude and leads you to discover an arsenal of actions to overcome potential obstacles.

5.  Use your mistakes to keep prospects engaged
When a professional actor drops a line or a prop, they follow this rule of thumb: Use it or lose it.  Drawing unnecessary attention to mistakes takes the audience out of the story and the actor has to work twice as hard to get them back.  Similarly, if you forget part of your presentation or have technical difficulties, don’t make a big deal out of it.  If it doesn’t affect your basic message or intention, there’s no need to draw attention to it.  If you can incorporate it into your presentation to reinforce a point or make a new one, even better.  Spontaneity can spice things up and add for some interesting impromptu moments.  Remember to use it or lose it and keep your prospect engaged.

See full article published in Selling Power Magazine. 

Thank you all for helping ACT Like a Sales Pro hit #1 on Amazon’s “Hot New Releases in Sales and Selling” on Wednesday – where it still remains!  What’s even more gratifying is the number of nice reviews I’ve received so far.  Sellers rely on their fellow salespeople for honest advice on what really works, what is new and innovative as opposed to just repackaged, regurgitated sales techniques, so those posts are very meaningful and validating.

During the process of launching my book on Amazon, I noticed a disturbing fact:  There is only one female author in the Top 20 bestselling books on sales and selling (although I did manage to make it to # 11 for a few heady hours!)  My hats off to sales superstar Jill Konrath for being a member of this elite group.  Her new book, Snap Selling, offers timely advice on how to sell to crazy-busy prospects and I highly recommend it.

I’ve met so many fantastic women sales managers and trainers, not to mention writers that I’m curious as to why they don’t have a greater presence among sales and business writers.  Especially since women make up 88% of direct sellers and women-owned firms are growing at twice the rate of all U.S. firms (23 percent vs. 9 percent)  One study points out that women are more likely to seek business advice than men (69 percent women vs. 47 percent men) so why are they not supporting female business authors?

I don’t have any answers but just pose the questions:  Where are the bestselling women business and sales authors?  The female answer to Tom Hopkins, Neil Rackham, Jeffrey Gitomer, Brian Tracey, Zig Ziglar?  Is it possible that in 2011 it’s still an old-boys network in sales?  Could it be that women are more comfortable taking business advice from men?  What do you think?

Get ACT Like a Sales Pro Today…
and win more sales tomorrow!

What skills do great salespeople and great actors share? 
Persuasion and engagement—acting, like sales, is about communicating with intention and influencing behavior.

Learn the secrets to being a great salesperson that myriad sales programs and books overlook.  While mostsales programs focus on making external changes, or putting on a role, Act Like a Sales Pro: How to Command the Business Stage and Dramatically Increase Your Sales With Proven Acting Techniques will show you how to find your authentic self within your role for greater confidence and sales success.

Act Like a Sales Pro will teach you how to:

• Gain the appointment using audition techniques.
• Draw interest from reluctant prospects using secrets of the performer.
• React to the unexpected and maintain control using the rules of improvisation.
• Deliver memorable and persuasive presentations.

Act Like a Sales Pro presents techniques adapted from famous acting classes to fit the sales model, from setting the appointment to closing the deal—and everything in between.   Act Like a Sales Pro is an innovative, entertaining, and insightful guide offering unique strategies and concrete examples from business, Broadway, and beyond.

 The Buzz on ACT Like a Sales Pro:

“Unleash your inner performer!  ACT Like a Sales Pro shows how acting and improv skills can help sellers fearlessly deliver a more compelling and authentic performance.  This book throws out the one-size-fits-all sales hat and guides you to discovering your own unique sales role.  Julie Hansen has written an insightful, creative and powerful guide to achieving greater sales success with confidence.”
–Diane Conway, author of What Would You Do if You Had No Fear?

“Julie Hansen knows how to cut to the chase. In her book, she engages readers in conversation, drawing them in like the best salespeople and improv actors, making the connection that builds relationships and drives business.” Mike Cote, Editor, ColoradoBiz

“There is an overwhelming volume of sales advice available today, however there are very few authors who approach the topic of sales in a unique and fresh way, which is why we are fans of Julie’s work.”
–Nicole Lombard, Director, Entrepreneur / ThinkSales Magazine, SA

“ACT Like a Sales Pro! brilliantly blends acting and improv skills with sales tactics for a winning combination. Julie’s ideas are great fun, effective and easy to apply –even for non-actors like me!  Follow the sales advice and exercises in this book and you’ll soon be outperforming and outselling your competition.”
–Dessie Fafoutis, Senior Marketing Manager, CaridianBCT

In “Act Like A Sales Pro” Julie Hansen challenges the reader to examine themselves honestly first, (strengths and weaknesses) then provides numerous methods on how to proceed with passion. Her writing style offers sage advice and smart nuances for those who will use it.  Specifically, her insight on closing sales should not be missed.  This is important work.
–Mitchell Tilstra, Salesman

“This book should be on every real estate agent’s desk. Hansen shows agents how to enhance their authentic selves for both client and agent successes!”
–Laura Dirks, Author of Marketing without Mystery

“Julie Hansen’s approach to sales is entertaining and spot on for all sales executives at all levels. Act Like a Sales Pro is a great tool for teams and individuals who want to maximize their results in a competitive environment, and it’s a really fun read!”
–Amy St. Denis, Executive Recruiter

“Julie Hansen brings authenticity and enthusiasm to her book that can only come from years of experience in both roles. She is definitely the expert in the artful combination of Sales and Acting. In this economy where every competitive advantage counts Julie delivers in spades. Her book is a must read for anyone in sales or for that matter anyone who just wants to influence someone else on any topic – personal or professional. She has included real life examples and hundreds of tips on how to give the performance of your life every time.”
–Nathan Teegarden, President, Dynimus

“Hansen wastes no time in noting that acting and sales are very similar processes. Most importantly, while both require stepping outside your comfort zone, both also require some level of authenticity. As an actor you bring part of your life experience to every role; as a salesperson you do the same. This book explains how to connect with that authenticity and bring it to every sales call.”
–Steve Clark, Salesperson

“This book is a fascinating way to learn how to positively present yourself in any situation with grace, style, preparedness and fun! A must for all business execs!”
–Shelly Burnett, Banking executive 

Ask the average person how they’d describe a “born” seller and you would probably hear things like:  “an extreme extrovert,” “a real talker,” “fearless” and probably even “aggressive.”  If these were the requirements, how many of us would consider ourselves “born to sell?”

I fall ever so slightly onto the extrovert side of the Myers-Briggs scale and exhibit few of these qualities, yet I spent my first few years in sales acting like I did – and feeling uncomfortable in the process.   Every training class I took and sales book I read reinforced the idea that it was necessary to be a fearless extrovert in order to be successful in sales.  My sales were hit or miss.  Mostly miss.  Not surprising when you consider I was trying to squeeze myself into a role that didn’t fit my own personality or selling style.   What eventually did work for me is the subject of my new book, ACT Like A Sales Pro.  Surprisingly, it was my training as an actor that helped me find my authentic self in my sales role.  The more I developed and gained confidence in my unique role, the more successful I became as a seller.

Like Johnny Depp said, “With any part you play, there is a certain amount of yourself in it. There has to be, otherwise it’s just not acting. It’s lying.” Just like an actor has to discover the qualities of their character within themselves to fulfill their role, we have to find the unique qualities that make us a great salesperson within ourselves, hone and develop them.  The qualities that make you a great salesperson may be different from what makes me one.  You could stumble around and experiment for years trying to figure it out, or you could try the method that thousands of actors have used to add their own unique style and personality to memorable roles like Jack Sparrow, Michael Corleone, Erin Brockovich and Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock in Blind Side).  To (badly) paraphrase Springsteen:

Together we could break this trap

We’ll sell till we drop, baby we’ll never go back

‘cause baby we were born to sell!