Trust-Based Selling Exercises: Facilitator Guide for a 60-Minute Team Workshop

Question

Pulse RevOps · The Machine · Accepted Answer

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### Direct Answer

This facilitator guide provides a complete 60-minute team workshop on trust-based selling exercises. It uses real frameworks like MEDDIC and Challenger Sale, tools like Gong and HubSpot, and includes verbatim scripts, two Mermaid diagrams, and a FAQ section. The workshop is designed to be run by a RevOps or sales leader with minimal prep, focusing on practical, repeatable exercises that build buyer trust through competence, reliability, and intimacy.

## 1. Warm-Up: The Trust Deficit (10 min)

**Facilitator Script:** "Welcome everyone. We know from Gartner research that 75-80% of B2B buyers now prefer a rep-free buying experience. That’s a direct result of trust deficits. Today, we’re going to run three exercises that directly address that. First, a quick trust audit."

**Exercise:** Give each person a sticky note. Ask them to write one specific behavior they’ve seen from a buyer (e.g., "they ghosted after a demo," "they asked for a reference before a second call"). Collect and read a few aloud.

**Facilitator Script:** "These are symptoms. The root cause is often a mismatch between what we promise and what we deliver. Let’s map that."

**Diagram 1: Trust Deficit Cycle**

```mermaid
graph TD
    A[Rep Promises Value] --> B[Buyer Expects X]
    B --> C[Rep Delivers Y]
    C --> D{Trust Deficit}
    D --> E[Buyer Ghosts / Delays]
    E --> F[Rep Pushes Harder]
    F --> A
    style D fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style E fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
```

**Facilitator Script:** "Notice the cycle. The harder you push, the more trust erodes. The fix is to **lead with competence**, not pressure. Let’s practice that."

## 2. Exercise 1: The MEDDIC Discovery (15 min)

**Facilitator Script:** "We’re using the **MEDDIC framework** (Metrics, Economic Buyer, Decision Criteria, Decision Process, Identify Pain, Champion). This exercise forces you to **verify** buyer claims, not just accept them."

**Setup:** Pair up. One person plays the buyer (scenario: a VP of Sales at a 200-person SaaS company). The other plays the rep. The buyer has a script: "We need a sales engagement platform because our team is wasting time." The rep must use MEDDIC to dig deeper.

**Verbatim Script for Rep:**
- "You mentioned wasting time. Can you **quantify** that? What’s the average hours per rep lost per week?" (Metrics)
- "Who **signs off** on a platform like this? Is it you, or does it go to the CFO?" (Economic Buyer)
- "What are the **top three criteria** you’ll use to compare vendors?" (Decision Criteria)
- "What’s the **process** from demo to signature? Any legal or security reviews?" (Decision Process)
- "What happens if you **don’t** solve this in the next quarter?" (Identify Pain)
- "Who inside your org will **champion** this change besides you?" (Champion)

**Debrief (3 min):** Ask the buyer: "Did the rep make you feel like they understood your real problem?" Most will say yes. Highlight that **competence** (asking hard questions) builds more trust than friendliness.

**Facilitator Script:** "Notice we didn't ask 'What keeps you up at night?' That’s lazy. MEDDIC forces **specificity**. That’s trust."

## 3. Exercise 2: Challenger Teach-Back (15 min)

**Facilitator Script:** "The **Challenger Sale** model says the best reps **teach, tailor, take control**. But teaching without trust sounds like lecturing. The key is to **reframe** the buyer’s assumption."

**Setup:** Same pairs. The buyer now says: "We’re evaluating Outreach and Salesloft. We think they’re basically the same. We’ll pick the cheaper one."

**Verbatim Script for Rep:**
- "I understand that logic. But **here’s a data point that may surprise you**: Gong’s analysis of 1.2 million sales calls shows that teams using **multi-threading** (engaging 3+ stakeholders) close deals 2.3x faster. Neither Outreach nor Salesloft solve for that natively. You need a **cadence that forces multi-threading**."
- "Let me show you a **specific** example. Here’s a HubSpot report showing that accounts with 3+ contacts engaged have a 35% higher win rate. If you pick the cheaper tool, you’ll save $5k/year but lose $50k in missed revenue. **Is that trade-off acceptable?**"

**Debrief (3 min):** Ask the rep: "How did it feel to disagree with the buyer?" Most will say uncomfortable but effective. Explain that **intellectual honesty** (pointing out a flaw in their logic) builds **deep trust**, not damage.

**Facilitator Script:** "This is the **Challenger 'teach'** . You’re not selling a tool; you’re selling a **new way to think about the problem**. That’s trust through **insight**."

## 4. Exercise 3: The Reliability Check (10 min)

**Facilitator Script:** "Trust also requires **reliability** — doing what you say you’ll do. This exercise is about **following up with precision**."

**Setup:** Each perso

Trust-Based Selling Exercises: Facilitator Guide for a 60-Minute Team Workshop

Direct Answer

1. Warm-Up: The Trust Deficit (10 min)

2. Exercise 1: The MEDDIC Discovery (15 min)

3. Exercise 2: Challenger Teach-Back (15 min)

4. Exercise 3: The Reliability Check (10 min)

5. Role-Play: The Trust-Building Cold Call (10 min)

6. Close: Commitments & Accountability (5 min)

FAQ

Sources

Trust-Based Selling Exercises: Facilitator Guide for a 60-Minute Team Workshop

Direct Answer

1. Warm-Up: The Trust Deficit (10 min)

2. Exercise 1: The MEDDIC Discovery (15 min)

3. Exercise 2: Challenger Teach-Back (15 min)

4. Exercise 3: The Reliability Check (10 min)

5. Role-Play: The Trust-Building Cold Call (10 min)

6. Close: Commitments & Accountability (5 min)

FAQ

Sources

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