Practice, Practice, Practice!
The last few weeks I have had the opportunity to work in several retail stores facilitating, observing and coaching various role-play scenarios. As I have said in the past in order for an adult to learn, retain and apply new information, the five criteria of training must be met. To review, the five criteria of training are as follows: the trainee must hear the information, read the information, write the information, role-play the information and then apply the information in real live situations.
Should any one or several of the criteria not be met the possibility of not retaining the information is greatly enhanced. Some of us learn through reading, others learn through writing, others learn through visual means, and still others learn through hearing information. The only way that one can insure that the knowledge and information is being digested and retained is through role-playing and actual application in real situations.
While many people resist the process of role-playing it is the single most effective means of insuring that the information is understood and thus able to be applied. Many important aspects of a person’s natural tendencies seem to come out in role-play situations. You may find that your natural tendency is to interrupt frequently. You may find that you sound somewhat interrogational rather than conversational. You may uncover that the communication delivered is completely different than the communication received. You may find that you think you are asking quality questions of the customer, when in reality you are asking questions that are closed ended and cause people to be less communicative than you had perceived.
My suggestion to you is this, get a partner, write out, reread and then role-play as many aspects of the selling process as possible. You may be surprised at the weaknesses and the strengths that come to light throughout the process. Role-play enough and your customers may actually start following your role-play scenarios.
FINAO
