[911Rob]

Roll playing rocks!

Part of any successful marketing program is going to involve roll playing imo. However, I don't think your bosses strategy is really a good one? Roll playing with someone who doesn't want to roll play is useless, so I'd say the key is to get the salesman to the point of where 'they want to' roll play themselves.

I personally taught and trained over 200 sales people in a company that I owned back in Calgary. They were all commissioned sales people. I would train them by doing roll playing myself, provide them with scripts, etc. The key was the "boss" stepping up to the plate and being the example for everyone else to follow. To this day I've never asked anyone who worked for me to do something I wouldn't do or didn't do first.

If your income depends on your level of sales, then learn to like it. It's good practise; however practising on real people is truly the best! Roll playing is just a first step in sales work.