"Sell me this pen" is lazy. It doesn't test discovery. It doesn't reflect your actual sales motion. It tells you whether someone can improv, not whether they can sell your product to your buyer.
Good role-play scenarios mirror reality. They put the candidate or rep in situations they'll actually face: an incumbent vendor objection, a champion who went dark, a CFO who only cares about ROI. The scenarios below are designed for hiring (assess candidates) and onboarding (train new reps).
Each scenario includes a candidate brief (what they know going in), an evaluator brief (how to play the prospect), and the skills being tested.
How to Use These Scenarios
For hiring:
- Pick 1–2 scenarios relevant to the role
- Give the candidate 3–5 minutes to read the brief
- Run the role-play for 8–12 minutes
- Score using the rubric provided
- Debrief: "Walk me through your strategy. Where did you feel it going well or breaking down?"
For onboarding:
- Use all scenarios over the first 4–8 weeks
- Reps can practice against AI simulation or a peer
- Score progress over time to track readiness
- Focus on scenarios where the rep is weakest
SDR Scenarios (1–6)
Scenario 1: Cold Call — Incumbent Vendor
Candidate brief: You're calling Sarah, VP of Sales at a 300-person fintech company. They hired 8 sales reps last year and are planning similar growth. Your research shows they're using a manual interview process — no assessment tools. Your goal: earn a 15-minute discovery meeting.
Evaluator brief: You're Sarah, busy but not hostile. Open with "I've got about a minute — what's this about?" If the opener is generic ("I'm with [company], we help companies..."), stay skeptical. If they reference something specific about your situation, engage more.
Push back: "We handle this fine internally." If asked good questions, mention you had a bad hire last quarter who cost you 6 months. Agree to a meeting if given a relevant, specific reason.
Skills tested:
- Opener quality (earns the right to continue)
- Relevance (connects to prospect's world)
- Objection handling (incumbent pushback)
- Close for next step
Scenario 2: Follow-Up — Gone Dark
Candidate brief: You had a good 20-minute intro call with James, Director of Sales Ops, two weeks ago. He said he'd loop in the VP of Sales and get back to you. Since then, silence — two follow-up emails, no response. You're calling to re-engage.
Evaluator brief: You're James. You got busy — Q3 crunch. The VP hasn't been briefed. You're still interested but it's not urgent. A competing vendor reached out last week — mention this if the rep asks what else you're evaluating.
Stay neutral unless the rep gives you a reason to prioritize. If they just ask "any updates?" stay vague. If they offer to help prep for the VP or address the competing vendor, engage.
Skills tested:
- Re-engagement without desperation
- Asking about competing priorities
- Creating urgency
- Coaching the champion
Scenario 3: Gatekeeper Navigation
Candidate brief: You're calling the main line at a 500-person tech company to reach Dana, Head of Talent Acquisition. You get the executive assistant.
Evaluator brief: You're the EA. Ask: "What's this regarding?" If the rep sounds like a generic vendor ("I'm calling from [company] about our solution..."), decline: "Dana's not taking cold calls." If they're specific, respectful, and brief, either put them through or offer: "Can I take a message? What's the best time to call back?"
Skills tested:
- Gatekeeper strategy (not manipulative, but smart)
- Professional tone
- Specificity under pressure
- Adaptability
Scenario 4: Inbound Lead — Low Urgency
Candidate brief: You're calling back an inbound lead who downloaded a whitepaper on sales hiring best practices. Contact: Mike, Sales Manager at an 80-person company. No demo request — just content download.
Evaluator brief: You're Mike. You downloaded the paper out of curiosity, not urgency. "I'm not really in buying mode — just doing some research." Open to learning more but won't commit to a demo unless given a clear reason. If the rep pushes too hard, push back: "This feels a bit salesy."
Skills tested:
- Qualification (is this worth pursuing?)
- Creating urgency from curiosity
- Not overselling
- Knowing when to back off
Scenario 5: Referral Call — Warm Intro
Candidate brief: A current customer (Jordan at Acme Corp) referred you to Lisa, Director of Revenue Operations at a 250-person company. Jordan said Lisa might be struggling with interview quality. You're making the initial call.
Evaluator brief: You're Lisa. You respect the referral — Jordan's opinion matters. Be more open than a cold call, but still qualify: "What did Jordan tell you about our situation?" Mention you're early in your evaluation — not buying tomorrow. If the rep assumes too much ("Jordan said you definitely need this"), push back.
Skills tested:
- Leveraging referral appropriately
- Not over-assuming
- Discovery even in warm situations
- Professionalism
Scenario 6: Budget Objection — Early
Candidate brief: You're 5 minutes into a cold call with Rachel, VP of Sales at a mid-size company. She's been engaging, asking questions about your product. Then she says: "Look, this sounds interesting, but we don't have budget for new tools right now."
Evaluator brief: You're Rachel. The budget objection is real — you're in a cost-cutting mode. But if the rep can make a compelling case for ROI or offer a low-commitment next step, you're open to hearing more. If they fold immediately or get defensive, end the call.
Skills tested:
- Objection handling (budget)
- Recovering without being pushy
- ROI articulation
- Knowing when to propose a low-commitment next step
AE Scenarios (7–12)
Scenario 7: Discovery Meeting — New Business
Candidate brief: You have a 30-minute discovery meeting with Alex, VP of Sales at a 400-person B2B software company. They're scaling from 15 to 30 reps this year. A peer referred them. Your goal: qualify the opportunity and close for a demo with the right stakeholders.
Evaluator brief: You're Alex. You've had two bad hires in the past year, both failed within 6 months. You're cautious about new tools but interested. Share pain if asked well. Push back on an early demo: "I don't want to waste time on a demo until I understand fit." Ask: "What makes you different from [competitor]?"
Skills tested:
- Discovery structure
- Question depth and quality
- Patience (not rushing to demo)
- Competitive positioning
Scenario 8: Competitive Deal — Objection Heavy
Candidate brief: Second meeting with Pat, Head of RevOps. They've seen a competitor demo already. You have 25 minutes to present your value and handle objections.
Evaluator brief: You're Pat. Open with: "I liked the competitor's demo — they're 20% cheaper." Your real concern (reveal if asked well): implementation effort and ATS integration. Stay neutral if the rep trash-talks the competitor. Engage if they focus on value and address your actual concerns.
Skills tested:
- Competitive composure
- Value differentiation (not feature comparison)
- Uncovering real criteria
- Handling price objections
Scenario 9: Stalled Deal — Champion Coaching
Candidate brief: Three calls done with Jordan, Director of Sales. Jordan loves the product. But: the VP isn't in the loop, procurement hasn't started, and the original timeline (close by end of month) is slipping. You're calling Jordan to get the deal unstuck.
Evaluator brief: You're Jordan. You want to move forward but you're swamped. The VP is hard to pin down. You need help but won't ask directly. If the rep offers to help build the internal case or draft an email for the VP, engage. If they just push for calendar time, stay vague.
Skills tested:
- Deal management
- Champion coaching
- Mutual action plan instincts
- Creative problem-solving
Scenario 10: Executive Presentation — CFO
Candidate brief: Final-stage presentation to the CFO. The VP of Sales (your champion) is on the call too. You have 20 minutes to present the business case and close.
Evaluator brief: (Playing CFO) You care about ROI, implementation timeline, and risk. You don't care about features. Challenge any claims without data: "Where does that ROI number come from?" The VP is supportive but lets you drive. Approve the deal if the business case is compelling and the rep handles your questions well.
Skills tested:
- Executive communication
- Business case articulation
- Data-driven selling
- Handling tough questions
Scenario 11: Negotiation — Procurement Pushback
Candidate brief: Deal is approved internally. You're on a call with procurement. They're asking for 25% off list price, 90-day payment terms, and removal of the auto-renewal clause.
Evaluator brief: You're procurement. Be firm but negotiable. Accept reasonable trades. Don't accept unilateral concessions — if they give 10% with nothing in return, ask for more. Walk away from the call if they cave on everything.
Skills tested:
- Negotiation skill
- Trading vs. discounting
- Commercial judgment
- Knowing when to escalate
Scenario 12: Renewal at Risk — Unhappy Customer
Candidate brief: Acme Corp is 60 days from renewal. You're meeting with Taylor, the primary user. Usage has dropped 30% over the last quarter, and they haven't responded to your last two check-in emails. Renewal is at risk.
Evaluator brief: You're Taylor. The product is fine, but your team stopped using it — the initial champion left, and no one else was trained. You're evaluating whether to renew. If the rep asks good questions and offers to help re-onboard, you're open. If they just push for renewal, stay cold.
Skills tested:
- Diagnosing churn risk
- Rebuilding engagement
- Offering value (not just asking for renewal)
- Accountability without blame
Scoring Rubric
Use this rubric for any scenario:
| Dimension | Score (1–5) |
|---|---|
| Opening / Agenda setting | |
| Discovery / Question quality | |
| Listening (vs. talking over) | |
| Objection handling | |
| Value articulation | |
| Next step / Close | |
| Overall Average |
Score anchors:
| Score | Definition |
|---|---|
| 1 | Missing — no evidence of the skill |
| 2 | Attempted but poorly executed |
| 3 | Competent — meets basic expectations |
| 4 | Strong — above average, handles situations well |
| 5 | Exceptional — would set the bar for your team |
Hiring threshold: 3.5+ overall for SDR, 3.8+ for AE.
Onboarding readiness: 3.5+ across all scenarios.
Making Scenarios Work
Do:
- Give candidates time to prepare (3–5 min)
- Stay in character during the role-play
- Take notes during (not after)
- Debrief immediately after each scenario
Don't:
- Play an impossible prospect (kills signal)
- Fold immediately (also kills signal)
- Coach during the role-play (save for debrief)
- Score personality instead of skill
The best role-plays feel real. If the candidate leaves thinking "that was a realistic conversation," you've built a useful assessment.
Download the full Scenario Library Pack with 12 hiring and 12 onboarding scenarios, evaluator briefs, and scoring sheets.
→ See Voice Assessment — practice these scenarios with AI buyers.