#40 Harnessing the Power of Role Plays Done Right

ABOUT THE GUEST: BOB GRAVELY, CERTIFIED PRACTICE LEADER AT GROWTH 10 

Bob started his career in the insurance industry and spent 15 years traveling the world as a reinsurance broker ending as a specialty insurance agency owner. He has also owned and operated 3 companies outside of insurance, served as COO for two, served as CSO for another, and worked as a sales and management consultant for many others. 

Bob takes a process and people-first approach to business He believes that successful businesses focus on their people first and processes second knowing that getting those 2 aspects “right” will make the clients journey the best, which is what it takes to set up the win for all involved. 

You can find Bob on LinkedIn here: 
linkedin.com/in/robertmgravely
 
Or reach him by email at [email protected] 

And you can learn more about Growth10 here: 
https://growth10.com/
 

ABOUT THE EPISODE: 

Role plays - can’t you just hear the collective groan from your salespeople? We all have. But some people swear by them - as the best way to interview, train, and learn about how to help salespeople improve performance. So what’s with the disconnect?  

In this episode, sales and business veteran Bob Gravely unpacks what makes role plays so effective for hiring and sales development, how to do them right, and what mistakes to avoid if you want to get the most out of them.  


0:48 - What’s the best sales advice that Bob has ever received  

2:20 - What’s some of the worst advice that Bob ever got?  

4:40 - David sets up the episode about role plays  

5:02 - Bob offers a bit of background about his career and his work at Growth 10  

6:40 - Bob talks about the importance of having a hiring process for all roles, especially for sales  

6:50 - Bob talks about what he looks for in a role play to help him make a decision about a sales candidate  

9:57 - What are some of the “creative” reactions Bob has seen when he asks candidates to do a role play  

10:50 - What are some of the best practices that help make role plays effective as a part of the hiring process  

12:50 - Is “sell me this pen” a good role play?  

13:50 - Should a role play in a hiring interview be about the job you are hiring for or the job the candidate most recently had?  

15:32 - What should you look for in a role play beyond how a salesperson handles the sales situation  

16:30 - What are some other creative elements that Bob has used in a sales hiring interview  

18:48 - With respect to role plays as a sales development tool after a rep is on board, why is there so much resistance to the idea of role plays and how can sales coaches, managers, and leaders get past that?  

20:30 - What are some of the other best practices for making role plays an effective part of an ongoing sales development program.  

22:00 - How can sales leaders, managers, and coaches become better at leading role plays?  

23:40 - What is one of the myths about sales management that Bob would like to debunk  

25:51 - Can a manager have credibility as a manager if they have not been one of the best sales leaders?  

29:55 - Where is the best place to reach and learn more about Bob