The “Video Role Playing Is Counterproductive” Myth

Many sales managers and trainers feel that video role playing sales presentations and prospecting methods is just too stressful for their sales representatives to be an effective training tool. On the other hand, in most sports, video taping of an athlete’s performance is a standard training procedure. Today, video tapes play a major role in an athlete’s conditioning by most coaches and managers. Drilling-for-prospecting skills, presentation skills and closing skills is as important to a sales professional, as it is for a base ball player to take batting practice or a place kicker to drill-for-skill his field goal kicking technique. If you’re not drilling your sales staff or telemarketing team for skill in proven selling process, at least weekly, you’re really not doing the job a sales manager must perform. Even seasoned athletes drill for skill in practice sessions. Your seasoned staff need practice as much or more than the rookies on your team to avoid falling into bad habit patterns that create sales slumps 스포츠중계 .

To see consistent sales success, progressive sales managers and business development directors realize that training, even drilling their seasoned sales professionals, gives their organization a competitive edge. It’s simple logic, when you practice something, you get better at doing it. Selling is stressful. To use the excuse that video role playing sessions cause stress is indefensible. In my opinion, most of the managers and trainers opposed to using a video camera are just too lazy to break out the equipment or to even drill their sales staff for skill using this valuable tool.

VIRDEN THORNTON is the founder and President of The $elling Edge®, Inc. an Ohio consulting firm specializing in sales and sales management training, personal coaching, advisory services and publishing. Clients have included Sears Optical, Eastman Kodak, IBM, Service Linen Supply, Bank One, Jefferson Wells International, and Wal-Mart to name a few. Virden is the author of the “best selling” Building & Closing the Sale, Prospecting: The Key To Sales Success and Close That Sale, a video/audio tape series published by Crisp Publications a division of Thompson Learning. He has also authored a client acclaimed Self-Directed Learning series of sales, coaching, telemarketing, and personal productivity manuals. To obtain a substantial discount on two of Virden’s latest books, 101 Sales Myths or Organizing For Sales Success, go to: [http://www.TheSellingEdge.com/]