A Beginner’s Guide To The Sales Role-Play

A sales role-play is a common sales training technique where one person acts as the prospect and the other acts as the salesperson, and then the two have a conversation as if it were a real-life sales scenario. 

Sales role-plays are also often included as part of the tech sales interview process to gauge your natural sales skills.

The most well-known sales role-play is the infamous interview challenge: Sell me this pen. ✍️

You may encounter a sales role-play during a phone interview, during an on-site interview, or both.

Instead of asking you to sell a pen, the company will often ask you to sell them on their own product. You’ll either be asked to prepare beforehand for a demo or the role-play will be impromptu.

You’re not going to be able to pull off a perfect pitch, and the company knows this, so don’t stress about it. What the company is really testing for is to see that you have some natural sales skills and an ability to learn and improve. 

Here are three things to remember for any sales role-play:

1. Start by asking questions
2. Ask for feedback
3. Ask for permission to try again

1. Start by asking questions.

Let’s use the infamous example: Sell me this pen.

An amateur will immediately start talking about the pen. A sales pro will start by asking the prospect questions:

• Do you have a pen already? 
• What do you know about this pen?
• What other pens are you evaluating?
• Do you use a pen for taking notes or signing documents?

A big misconception about sales is that it’s all about talking. It’s not. It’s about asking questions and listening.

So for any sales role-play, remember to start by asking questions.❓

2. Ask for feedback.

If a role-play is part of your interview process, one thing that you’ll have an opportunity to get right, no matter what, is asking for feedback. 

If you mess up the role-play, it’s okay. Especially if you’re applying for an entry-level tech sales role, the company shouldn’t be expecting you to have perfect sales skills already. Especially because these skills aren’t taught in classes at university. Nobody graduates with a degree in sales.

Asking for feedback shows that you’re a learner. It also shows that you’re humble and self-aware. These are key attributes that any company is looking for in an entry-level salesperson.

3. Ask for permission to try again.

You’ve already demonstrated some basic sales skills by asking questions. You’ve also shown you’re humble and have an ability to learn by asking for feedback. 

Asking for permission to try the role-play over again shows that you’re tenacious, hungry, and willing to put in the work to get better. 

If you do these three things when faced with a role-play in a sales interview, you’re almost guaranteed to get the job.

Ready to get a job in tech sales? 

Our online course with almost 4 hours of video content covers EVERYTHING you need to get into tech sales …

Resume tips, LinkedIn strategies, interview prep, and much more!

We’re so confident this course will work for you that we’re offering a full money-back guarantee for 30 days!

If you finish the entire course, follow all the instructions, and don’t get at least one tech sales job offer within 30 days, we’ll give you a full immediate refund. No questions asked.

So what are you waiting for? Click here to enroll in the course!

Want to learn more tips and tricks about how to get a job in tech sales? Enter your email in the form below to get our exclusive tech sales content delivered straight to your inbox (no spam, just tech sales).