Helping clients plan for a comfortable retirement is serious business, but playing games is one way financial professionals can increase their product knowledge, boost their confidence and better connect with clients.
In her book, Playing with Reality, neuroscientist Kelly Clancy explains that one of the reasons games help people learn is that they activate the brain’s desire to make good predictions. “Researchers have found that the ‘Aha!’ moment of insight in solving a puzzle triggers dopamine release the same way sugar or money can,” Clancy writes.
When people actively participate in a game, they experience emotions ranging from joy and curiosity to fear and frustration. Those emotions can have a positive effect on memory, helping people retain information they learn from the game.1
Just like basketball players practice shooting free throws and lawyers use mock trials, financial professionals need to practice having conversations with clients and prospects. Role playing client conversations can help give team members the “reps” they need to have more effective conversations in the field.
Here are 10 popular games that can help financial professionals listen more attentively, improve their problem-solving skills and manage their time:
- Mirror, mirror
Team members mirror each other's actions. The “leader” improvises a series of gestures, postures and facial expressions. The “mirror” must mimic them as closely as possible, as if they were a reflection in a mirror.
- Human bingo
Participants receive a bingo card with different characteristics or experiences. Team members must find the right person for each bingo square by listening carefully to their colleagues’ responses.
- Two truths and a lie
Team members share two true statements and one false statement about themselves. Others must guess which statement is the lie. This classic icebreaker requires logic and helps financial professionals learn to read body language. Often, it’s what’s not being said that’s the most important thing to uncover in a client conversation.
- Product quiz show
Colleagues create questions related to products or services and host a fun quiz competition among team members to reinforce product knowledge and increase team engagement.
- Flash card drills
Financial professionals use flash cards with product features, benefits and common objections to reinforce knowledge and improve recall.
- Beat the clock
Participants set time limits for specific tasks, such as making a cold call or drafting a client email. Challenging others to complete a task within the allotted time can help financial professionals become more efficient, let go of perfectionism and tackle procrastination.
- Leaderboard and points system
Coworkers create a leaderboard to track performance metrics such as the number of calls made, meetings scheduled or deals closed during working hours. Management can offer rewards for top performers at the end of the week or month.
- Objection brainstorming
Colleagues brainstorm ways to handle objections and have team members take turns playing different roles. Participants can help create scenarios based on common objections and let team members come up with effective responses.
- Cold call karaoke
Team members can help their colleagues learn to think on their feet while practicing making cold calls. A participant draws a lighthearted scenario from a hat, like “include the title of a song,” “mention the name of a singer” or “quote a line from a movie,” and they must incorporate that condition into their cold call. Colleagues can award each other points for creativity.
- Negotiation roleplay
Team members present each other with different scenarios where negotiating skills are necessary and participants practice finding win-win solutions.
Playing games, even silly ones, can help financial professionals retain new information and build rapport with their colleagues. Team members can practice having more effective client conversations by using games to simulate real-world scenarios. Ultimately, this can help them learn new ways to solve problems, communicate, empathize and connect with clients.
