For door-to-door sales, training must approximate field conditions. Install freestanding doors for reps to physically knock, practice scripts, and even run between them to build muscle memory and desensitize them to the real environment, including aggressive role-playing.

To make role-playing an effective training tool, sales leaders must demonstrate vulnerability by going first in front of everyone. This signals that the goal is collective improvement, not performance evaluation, and encourages reps to engage openly without fear of judgment.

Don't wait for a scheduled training session. The moment a sales call ends, use the debrief to identify one area for improvement and role-play a better approach on the spot. This immediate, contextual practice is the fastest way to cement new habits.

Effective call planning goes beyond setting a goal; it involves scenario planning for failure. A powerful question for managers to ask reps is, "If this call were to go sideways, what would be the most likely way that it does?" This forces reps to anticipate and prepare for common objections or derailments.

Move beyond static scripts by using AI for dynamic sales training. Feed ChatGPT your call transcripts and common objections, then ask it to act as a specific buyer persona. Practice handling its objections in a role-playing chat, and conclude by asking it to provide a score and feedback on your performance.

To avoid being overwhelmed, reps should dedicate each week to mastering a single common objection. This focused, incremental approach allows a new seller to become proficient at handling the 12 most common objections within a single quarter.

Beyond standard pre-call planning, "murder boarding" involves exhaustively role-playing every potential negative scenario, objection, and hard question for a major sales call. This process of confronting and practicing worst-case outcomes creates certainty and confidence for handling unexpected challenges during the actual meeting.

To overcome rep resistance to role-playing, leaders should use an 'Educate, Demonstrate, Role-play' framework. By demonstrating the skill themselves first—even against a challenging team member—they build credibility and foster a culture where practice is valued.

Overemphasizing product knowledge early in onboarding creates reps who default to feature-dumping. Instead, focus the first few weeks on the ideal customer profile, pain points, and objection handling skills to ensure they learn to solve problems.