RPG Sales: Using Role Playing Games To Learn How To Sell – Heather Craik

RPG Sales: Using Role Playing Games To Learn How To Sell was  the theme of Heather Craik‘s 2021 Playful Creative Summit chat with Alyea Sandovar. Heather’s bio for the Summit was “Heather runs these fantasy and scifi role-playing games that she’s designed to help people get better at their sales and running their business, by arguing with dragons, stopping wars, and generally playing with magic items.” I’ve never considered arguing with dragons, and I’m gonna confess: I played D & D in my day, long before there was a computerized version. Neutral amoral dwarf thief, thought it gave me the most creative options for mayhem. Waaay back then, would I have ever imagined that picking pockets in a dank inn would improve my sales now? Nope. So I followed Craik’s ideas with wild-eyed skepticism. And came away a convert.

Here’s her concept: when you are removed from real life, working through problems in a playful setting, the pressure is off. But you’re still yourself in the game, so you’re still engaging your strengths and weaknesses and therefore learning about your reactions, your preferences, your adaptability. So maybe her concept can be extended – pay attention to how you play any game, from Monopoly to Clue to solitaire. What are you learning about yourself? Forget about whether that lesson has anything to do with sales: maybe you’ve just seen what your competitive self is like in any situation, maybe you’ll realize that you don’t like to make quick decisions… Explore.