The Complex Role-Play: How to Test an AE’s Discovery Skills Live

Introduction: Why Interviews Fail to Test Discovery Skills in Enterprise Sales

Enterprise sales recruiting usually revolves around the interview process.

Candidates speak about their previous sales experiences and their approaches. They speak about their problems and solutions, delivering smooth responses.

Unfortunately, the issue with this kind of recruitment process is quite obvious.

The majority of candidates already know what recruiters are going to say during the interview.

They speak about discovery, alignment and value. They discuss ideal models and practices and seem perfectly aware of what should be done.

However, when tested within the actual selling context, the difference quickly becomes evident.

Candidates immediately move towards solving the issue. They ask basic questions. They fail to handle complexity and navigate problems.

Therefore, interviews do not work. Conversations cannot reveal whether candidates possess true sales skills.

Creating a Multi-stakeholder Scenario

Realism is a prerequisite for any good role-play exercise. A trivial scenario is unlikely to bring useful results. After all, sales in enterprises involve many nuances. It is important to create a scenario involving a number of stakeholders with opposing views.

Thus, each stakeholder can consider aspects such as financial benefits, technical issues, and organizational aspects. These divergent priorities create the need for alignment rather than just one discussion.

An incomplete set of information is also important for the creation of a realistic scenario. Sales specialists never receive a complete set of information in the first place in real-life transactions. Incomplete information prompts questions to be asked.

Ambiguity is another factor to include in a scenario. The problem itself needs to be ambiguous, leaving room for interpretation and discussion. A properly designed scenario generates a feeling of urgency. It is under the pressure of circumstances that real behavior is revealed.

Such is the secret of testing the ability of salespeople to ask questions during interviews.

Evaluation during Role Play

Role play is not intended for the evaluation of the candidate's ability to present a solution. It is meant for evaluating their approach to discovery.

One of the initial aspects that should be evaluated is the candidate's ability to discover the decision-maker. It might not be evident in some complicated deals.

A candidate skilled in this aspect will try to find out about ownership and influence in relation to the decision-making process. It is also necessary to evaluate how deep the questions the candidate asks are.

Do they stick to surface-level questions only, or do they dig deeper? The process of good discovery implies several levels.

These levels are:

• The current state.

• The reasons for the occurrence.

• The impact on the company.

Those who can recognize these levels will automatically ask better questions.

Another criterion is whether they remain in discovery mode or move into pitching. Candidates focusing on features may try to start selling their product too soon. Good candidates are able to overcome this temptation. They do not jump to pitching even in case they have an opportunity to do it. This way, they show that they have strong skills in discovery.

Evaluation Criteria

To maintain uniformity, role-plays can be scored using established criteria. Depth of questioning can serve as one such criterion.

This relates to the candidate's capacity to probe the underlying causes of the problem and its implications for the company.

Does the interviewee demonstrate good questioning skills, or do they stick to superficial questions?

Listening skills form another critical evaluation criterion. Discovery involves not only posing questions but also processing the data provided and changing one's strategy according to feedback received.

An effective candidate listens carefully, builds on responses, and demonstrates comprehension.

The last criterion we will consider is the ability to think structurally.

A sales representative working within the enterprise environment must be able to analyze information systematically.

Thus, the structure of the interview should become apparent in the questions asked.

Other possible evaluation points might include:

• Capacity to work with ambiguity and not lose orientation

• Assertiveness without aggression

• Clearness of speech

Consistent Candidate Mistakes

Role-playing exercises have shown some consistent candidate mistakes.

The first one is making superficial inquiries. For instance, candidates can make inquiries about problems or objectives, but not probe into the root cause or connect them with business implications.

A second common mistake is the immediate pitch for solutions. When faced with ambiguity, most candidates revert to what is most comfortable for them. In doing so, they end up shifting focus from inquiry to selling the product.

The third common mistake is poor conversation control. In enterprise sales discussions, there is a need for structured dialogues, where the salesperson controls the conversation and moves it forward.

Lack of conversation control leads to fragmented dialogues and unproductive talks.

Some other common candidate mistakes include:

• Overlooking stakeholders' diversity

• Not understanding the process of making decisions

• Missed chances for deeper inquiry

Such behavior is hard to spot during regular interviews. But such traits emerge when testing discovery skills using role-playing exercises.

Why Simulation Reveals True Capability

There is an intrinsic difference between talking about capability and showing it. Interviews involve telling how a person operates. Role-playing involves actually doing what a person does.

This is important.

First, because simulation strips candidates of prepared answers. They must respond spontaneously to new information and think under pressure.

Second, because simulation puts them under pressure, pressure brings out habits. People can only act the way they really do under pressure.

This makes simulation one of the best methods for identifying enterprise salespeople. It shows how candidates will operate in real-life deal situations.

Including Role-Playing in the Recruitment Procedure

For achieving optimum results, role-playing must be integrated systematically into the recruitment procedure.

Role-playing must not be viewed as an activity that can be done or left out, as the case may be.

Rather, the exercise must be planned carefully, with specific goals and criteria for evaluation in mind.

These must include the following, among others:

• Scenario standardization for equal opportunity

• Interviewer training about things to look out for

• Feedback and scoring consistency

Done right, role-playing will become a powerful technique for assessing discovery skills in sales interviews.

Hiring risks will therefore be minimized.

Conclusion: True Expertise Only Evident Through Simulation, Not Conversation

Discovery is key to sales success in enterprise-level business settings. It is crucial in determining how well problems will be comprehended, how stakeholders can be aligned, and how effective the overall solution is.

However, discovery is not just another theoretical skill. It is an ability that needs to be proven. And traditional interviews won't provide that opportunity for doing so.

Interviews only showcase how applicants present themselves regarding discovery techniques, and not how they implement them. It is exactly for this reason that simulations are important.

Through the use of challenging simulated scenarios during sales interviews, businesses can make sure to go beyond appearances and test actual skills.

Candidates' behavior, reactions to unexpected situations, thinking processes, and decision-making abilities will all be showcased through simulations.

Hiring shouldn't be about whether candidates are capable of something based on how they claim to be able to do it.

It should be determined by how capable they are.