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If you’re currently interviewing or planning to interview for a new Sales role soon, chances are you’re going to be asked to role-play a mock sales pitch. Don’t prep for this as just a test of how well you can explain a company’s product and offering. Remember that most of the time, hiring managers are trying to see how you approach the sales process and how you go about consulting your clients.
Below is a quick roadmap on how you can go about approaching these assignments. Keep in mind, these are not strict guidelines. You’re the seller here and these role-play opportunities are a great way for you to showcase your amazing skills. Now, on to the tips!
What is the goal of the role play?
First things first:
Approaching the conversation:
As always, we’re happy to be a resource during your interview processes. If there is anything else you might be curious about, feel free to leave a comment below!
- To evaluate your general sales technique and approach
- Your ability to structure and lead a conversation
- Communication style/confidence/ENERGY!
- Accessing your ability to effectively sell the value of their service
- Read through the assignment carefully. Are you clear on what you’re being asked to do? If not, reach back out to them and get any clarity you might need.
- In preparation for your presentation, understand that you are NOT supposed to be a complete expert on their solutions—that is not the point of the exercise. You want to be knowledgeable of the company and its products, but this is a test of your skills, your sales technique, and how you present.
- Do your research on the company you’re interviewing and pitching for. Look up information on the organization, the space they live in, what solutions they offer, what kinds of companies they’re already working with, etc.
- Do extensive research on the company you’re pitching to and the person you’re pitching to so you can assess some of their needs in advance. Just like finding out information in #3, look into what this organization’s goals might be (from what you can see/find). Have they been in the news or announced any new developments? How could this organization benefit from what you’re offering them?
- Create a skeleton of your presentation and utilize any visuals effectively (i.e. Power Point, print outs, etc.).
- Take a minute to introduce yourself and learn about the person you’re speaking with
- Go over the agenda for the conversation
- Do not spend more than a few sentences on this. When practicing it, only allow yourself to speak for 20 to 30 seconds max.
- Start high-level and then go into more specifics on how you support companies like the one you’re pitching to.
- During the elevator pitch, try to mention the company you’re pitching to as much as possible. Use statements like “as you know, as a company that experiences X,Y,Z.”
- “Needs” Assessment/Discovery
- This is the MOST IMPORTANTpart of the role-play and is where you should spend the majority of your time. To sell to a company’s needs, you need to understand what those are first.
- Ask TONS of questions! The more the better. Think about what information would be important to gather at this stage. Additionally, make sure you write all these questions out and that you have them on hand during the pitch.
- Take lots of notes during this portion so you can refer back to any important points during the pitch. These can also help you showcase how your team can formulate an action plan with their company.
- Directly relate their needs to specific solutions your company offers. It should be a focused dialogue and conversation rather than a monologue on what your company does.
- Handling Objections/Closing
- Remember to close!
- Try closing them at least twice. During objections, use the old FEEL, FELT, FOUND sales method. “Yes, I understand why you feel that way, many of our clients had the same concern initially, however they found…”
- Think about other objections they might have and how you would respond to those.
- Remember, you don’t have to offer numbers—just that they’ve agreed to the partnership and you will be sending a contract. If you can’t close that after these attempts, close them on next steps and a follow up meeting.
