If you’re a sales manager, you know the drill: Your team needs regular practice, but giving everyone 1:1 feedback on their roleplays is a time suck. It’s even worse if you’re juggling a bunch of reps. Luckily, platforms like Secondnature can automate a lot of the feedback and coaching grunt work—if you set them up right. This guide is for managers who want to spend less time grading and more time actually coaching.
Let’s get into the practical steps, with no fluff or marketing-speak. Here’s how to automate your team’s roleplay feedback and coaching in Secondnature, what actually works, and what’s just noise.
1. Get Clear On What You Want to Automate
Before you start clicking around, ask yourself: What do you want automated? Secondnature can do a lot, but not everything is worth automating.
What’s worth automating: - Scoring repetitive skills (like objection handling, product pitches, compliance phrasing) - Generating initial feedback for common scenarios - Notifying reps and tracking progress
What’s not worth automating: - Nuanced coaching (think: empathy, humor, relationship-building) - Deep-dive debriefs for high-stakes deals
Pro tip: Automation doesn’t mean “set and forget.” It just means you’re not stuck doing the boring, repeatable stuff.
2. Map Out Your Core Roleplay Scenarios
Don’t try to automate every possible call type. Start with the basics:
- Discovery calls
- Objection handling (pick top 3-5 objections)
- Product demos
- Closing conversations
Write out (or pull from your enablement team) the actual scripts, prompts, and desired responses for each scenario. This is what you’ll load into Secondnature. If you skip this step, you’ll end up with generic, “meh” feedback.
What works: Focusing on the real conversations your team faces.
What doesn’t: Trying to boil the ocean. Don’t overload Secondnature with edge cases or weird scenarios no one actually runs into.
3. Set Up Roleplay Scenarios in Secondnature
Log into Secondnature and head to the scenario builder. Here’s how to get started:
- Create a new scenario for each core conversation type.
- Input your script or prompts. Be clear and direct. Vague prompts lead to vague feedback.
- Define expected answers or behaviors. Use bullet points or checklists—Secondnature isn’t psychic.
- Set up scoring criteria. Decide what matters: keywords? Steps in the sales process? Tone?
- Test each scenario. Run through it yourself first. If the AI gives nonsense feedback, tweak your prompts.
Honest take: Most AI grading systems, including Secondnature’s, are good at surface-level stuff—did the rep ask the right questions, mention the right features, etc. They’re still not great at “was this a genuinely good conversation?” That’s still on you.
4. Customize Feedback Settings
Secondnature lets you choose how much feedback gets shared automatically and what’s flagged for your review.
- Automated scores: Set thresholds for pass/fail or “needs review.”
- Automated comments: Edit the default language so it doesn’t sound robotic. (Otherwise, reps will ignore it.)
- Notifications: Decide if reps get instant notifications or a daily summary.
What to ignore: Don’t obsess over every feedback knob. Most teams do fine with simple pass/fail and 1-2 areas for improvement.
5. Set Up Coaching Triggers
You don’t need to watch every roleplay. Use triggers to flag who needs a real coaching session:
- Score thresholds: Anyone scoring below X% gets tagged for follow-up.
- Repeated mistakes: If someone keeps missing the same skill, the system can flag it.
- Custom tags: Want to keep an eye on certain topics (like compliance)? Set up a trigger.
Pro tip: If everything gets flagged, nothing gets flagged. Don’t make “needs coaching” the default. Focus on the stuff that actually matters.
6. Roll It Out to Your Team (Without Overhyping)
When you introduce Secondnature to your team, keep it real:
- Explain how the automation works and what it’s not replacing (e.g., human judgment).
- Tell reps what’s being measured and why.
- Show them how to access their scores and feedback.
Honest take: Some reps will feel weird about AI feedback at first. That’s normal. Emphasize that it’s a tool, not a replacement for real coaching.
7. Monitor, Review, and Adjust
The first month is about ironing out the kinks:
- Check the quality of automated feedback. Is it actually useful? Or is it just “You did a great job!” over and over?
- Spot-check flagged sessions. Make sure nothing important is slipping through.
- Ask reps what’s working (and what’s not). They’ll tell you if the AI is grading them unfairly.
What works: Treat the first few weeks as a beta. Adjust prompts, scoring, and triggers as you go.
What doesn’t: Blindly trusting the system. AI is great for saving time, but it’s still not a sales manager.
8. Use Reports—but Don’t Drown in Data
Secondnature generates a lot of reports. The temptation is to look at every chart and graph. Resist.
What actually matters: - Who’s improving over time - Which scenarios are tripping up the team - Where coaching is making a difference
Ignore the rest unless you have a specific reason.
9. Keep the Human Touch
No matter how slick Secondnature gets, your team will still need you to:
- Explain why something matters, not just what to say
- Coach on gray areas AI can’t catch (awkward silences, weird prospect reactions)
- Celebrate real wins, not just high scores
Automation is a tool. It shouldn’t make you invisible.
Quick FAQ: Common Secondnature Automation Questions
Q: Can Secondnature give nuanced, personalized coaching?
A: Not really. It can spot keywords, steps, and some basics—but it won’t “get” subtle stuff.
Q: Is the AI feedback accurate?
A: For standard scripts and scenarios, yes. For anything more complex, take it with a grain of salt.
Q: Will this replace me as a manager?
A: Nope. It just saves you from the most repetitive feedback. The best managers use automation as a filter, not a crutch.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Don’t overcomplicate this. Automate the repetitive stuff in Secondnature, keep a close eye on what the system misses, and tweak as you go. The goal is to free up your time for real coaching—not to build the world’s fanciest feedback machine.
Remember: Start with your core scenarios, focus on clear prompts, and don’t be afraid to adjust. Simple is better—especially when you’re busy.
Got questions or want to share what’s worked for you? Drop a comment below. Otherwise, go get your time back.