A structured role play simulation designed to emphasis the importance of establishing good relationships with potential customers.

The exercise demonstrates how effective listening can be used to build trust and goodwill which will enhance the chances of securing orders in the future.  The playing teams attend a number of interviews in which they are deemed to have achieved one of three levels of skill.  They collect tokens (letters of the alphabet) according to their performance.  If their performance allows them to collect enough tokens - and the right ones - they are able to display a message on a notice board back at their base. 

This exercise is designed for groups of between 4-6 members and between 3-6 teams with the proviso that for each team there is a role playing buyer. The exercise needs about ninety minutes.

Objective

To emphasise the importance of establishing a good relationship with potential customers so that trust and goodwill make orders more likely.  The exercise will:

• show participants, by direct experience, what is meant by discovering customer needs and why it is so important;
• convince those who rely upon product knowledge that other qualities are also needed;
• through comment offered by the buyers after the game - provide participants with feedback about the impression they typically create at sales interviews.

How it works

The tutor introduces the game and gives each team a schedule stating when they should call on a potential buyer.  The purpose of each interview is for the sales person to get to know the customer and understand his/her requirements.  At the interview the buyer judges the teams skill at empathising with his/her situation, good; bad; poor, and gives the team a packet of letters.

Teams conducting good interviews throughout will acquire letters enabling them to fill in the blanks in a pre-prepared message.  Those conducting poor interviews will end up with a stock of Q's, X's and Z's.  The collect and display feature has no learning content of its own but is a device of proven success in building a climate of enjoyment and high motivation.

What participants will be doing

Role-playing interviews as a result of which participants collect letters of the alphabet on small cards.  Trying to make a message with the letters they have accumulated.

For what levels is it appropriate?

All those who wish to improve their listening and communicative skills. Especially relevant to students and practitioners in sales and marketing.

Included

Tutor manual; Briefing documents and examples. The materials (letters etc) can be made up by the user or purchased by negotiation. 

Consultancy version

The Sales Interview Game can be provided as a consultancy option inclduing a copy of the packaged game, tutor backup on the first day the exercise is run and a customised message. 

The additional cost of this option for a one day event is in the region of £400.00 plus VAT and expenses. For further details please contact us using the consultancy option on the right.