The alternative to role-playing is to practice on your customers…and that ain’t too cool (or productive).

Why wouldn’t you practice with your work besties?

The old way of cementing skills was based on caveman thinking that you’d perform great if you sat in a chair on a stage in front of your peers going through some funky sales scenario.

The problem with that approach is nobody taught you very well before you sat knee-to-knee. Learning how to practice is a real art, and if your manager isn’t going to do it, you need to do it.

Role-playing provides the most direct path to perfecting a skill and/or trying a new approach. For optimal results, focus your RPing on skills application.

It’s common for role-playing sessions to devolve into analysis and color commentary sessions; above all else, resist the urge to over-discuss the issue.

Focus on role-playing and act out the scenario. Certainly, you’ll need to talk about certain moves and responses, but make sure you do the playing – that’s where the learning comes from.