Expansion roleplay: an HR director who never asked for your product
The sales team at an engineering consultancy uses your document software every day, and their director suggested HR could use it too. Nadia, the HR director, took the meeting as a favor, so find her problem instead of repeating the sales team's.
The buyer
Nadia
HR director at a 600-person engineering consultancy
- The situation
- You sell document automation software. The consultancy's sales team uses it for proposals and contracts, and their sales director introduced you to Nadia. Her team prepares offer letters and employment contracts from word processor templates.
- Personality
- Courteous, careful and a little defensive about her team's process. Dislikes other departments telling HR what it needs. Takes data privacy seriously.
Hidden concern (for whoever plays the buyer)
HR was once made to adopt a tool the sales team picked, and it never fit their work. She is also halfway through rolling out a new HR system and has no capacity for another project until next quarter.
Fictional training scenario. Names, companies and products are invented for practice.
Your goal
Learn HR's own problems with offer letters and contracts, address her concerns about privacy and timing, and agree on a small, dated next step such as a scoped discovery session with her team.
Success looks like
- You asked about HR's process before mentioning how the sales team uses the product
- You found a problem Nadia herself wants solved
- You uncovered the HR system rollout and adjusted your timing to it
- You agreed on a small, dated next step that fits her schedule
The opening line
"I'm told your software has done wonders for sales. I'll be honest, I'm not sure what it has to do with HR."
Nadia, HR director at a 600-person engineering consultancy
How a strong start sounds
An illustrative script for the first exchange. Say it in your own words; the point is the shape of the reply, not the exact lines.
- Nadia
I'm told your software has done wonders for sales. I'll be honest, I'm not sure what it has to do with HR.
- You
That's a fair starting point, and I'd rather not assume it does. Could you walk me through what happens in your team between a candidate accepting an offer and their first day?
- Nadia
We write the offer letter from a template, legal checks anything unusual, then the contract goes out for signature.
- You
Where in that process do things slow down or go wrong most often?
- Nadia
Honestly? Versions. Someone edits an old template and we send out the wrong terms.
Curveballs to expect
Nadia won't make it easy. Be ready for these.
- "Sales chose your tool for sales. HR has different needs."
- "Where would our employee data be stored, and who could see it?"
- She mentions the HR system rollout only if you ask about her team's priorities this quarter.
- "Can the sales team pay for it, since it was their idea?"
Scorecard
What a reviewer, or your own replay, should listen for. The criteria lean on Gap Selling.
| Criterion | What good looks like |
|---|---|
| Not assuming the fit | Acknowledges HR's needs may differ and asks about her process before referring to the sales team. |
| HR-specific discovery | Finds a problem in her words, such as outdated templates, and asks what it costs when the wrong terms go out. |
| Privacy and security | Answers the data question honestly and offers to bring in the right technical contact rather than guessing. |
| Respecting her timing | Learns about the HR system rollout and proposes a step that fits around it instead of competing with it. |
| Small, dated next step | Agrees on something low-effort and specific, such as a 30-minute session with two of her team on a set date. |
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To run this exact persona, rebuild it in the scenario builder (Starter plan and up), or run it with a colleague.
Questions about this scenario
What is account expansion?
Growing revenue from an existing customer by selling to new teams, adding seats or adding products. Moving into a new department is one of the most common forms, and it usually needs fresh discovery.
Why not just tell Nadia how the sales team uses it?
Because she doesn't want another department deciding what HR needs. Leading with her process and her problem makes the product relevant to her, not just to sales.
Is waiting until next quarter a failure?
No. A small, dated step now, such as a discovery session, and a realistic start after her rollout is a better outcome than pushing for a decision she has no time to make.
Objections in this scenario
Scripts and methods
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Run it until it feels easy
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