Global Sales People Ask Great Questions

Your Foundation for Sales Leadership

Recently Dr. John Maxwell published a very thought provoking book called “Good Leaders Ask Great Questions.” I read the book with my usual salesperson bias as I believe the most successful sales people are those who engage the customer by asking great questions.  Lead as a problem solver, teacher and learner of the customer’s situation so as to reach an ethical, mutually beneficial decision on what to do next in the sales call. We sales people ask great questions to craft great solutions to help our customer be more successful.

Today’s blog is powerful as it moves us far beyond the standard knowledge of open and closed questions.

Let’s review some but not all of the nuggets found in John’s book and how you can learn from John to consult and sell better as that ethical sales leader. I have always coached my sales people to ask great respectful questions as they are the doors to build trust for long-term customer relationships.

Why Are Questions so Important for Sales People?

Let’s learn from Dr. Maxwell:

1. You only Get the Answers to the Questions You Ask
2. Questions Unlock and Open Doors that Lead to a Sale
3. Respectful Questions Are Effective in Connecting w Customers
4. Questions Cultivate your Humility and Appreciation for your Client’s Experience
5. Questions Engage You and the Customer in Conversation, not a “Tell and Sell”
6. Questions allow Us to Problem Solve to Build Better Solutions
7. We Gain New Customer and Industry Perspectives when We Ask Questions
8. Questions Challenge our Customer Assumptions and Get us to Discover

As Thomas J. Watson said, “The ability to ask the right question is more than half the battle of finding the answer.”

Why are Good Questions so Important for you to Grow as a Sales Leader? 

These questions I found intriguing in chapter three of Dr. Maxwell’s book. It is very difficult to ask Great Questions if you are not listening!

1. How good a listener are you? Great Sales Leaders are not great talkers but better listeners.
2. Do you listen in a way that demonstrates you value your customer?
3. Do you listen to learn or to craft the next smart answer?
4. How often do you interrupt when others are talking?
5. Am I listening to serve the customer or gain advantage for myself?

The question Dr. Maxwell thinks is most important for leaders to ask is 

“What do you think ?” or, “What do you think about.....?”

This open-ended question accomplishes many objectives. Gathering more information, confirming intuition or assumptions, assessing a customer’s judgment, leadership or feelings, and, determining how to collaboratively move forward.

Accelerating ahead to Chapter 10 in John’s latest book, I found the chapter on “How Can I Develop Leaders?” John starts with his famous quote “Everything Rises and Falls on Leadership.” So true with world-class sales people: “Your Own Sales Success Rises or Falls on your Leadership – Self leadership and Sales Leadership.”

So I read Chapter 10 with the lens of a sales coach and this is what I gleaned from John’s insights and applied them to how one may develop sales people who can truly lead by their sales profession:

1. Sales Leaders are Catalysts. They make things happen, they are self-starters. They move customers to action.
2. Sales Leaders are Influencers. They influence customers to change for the better by offering ethical solutions.
3. Sales Leaders are Relationship Builders. They employ integrity, trust, and good people skills to serve and nurture customer relationships.
4. Sales Leaders are Gatherers. They are professionals who attract customers who respect and value their contribution and expertise.
5. Sales Leaders are Value-Adders. They give more than they take, they are servant leaders who add value to positively impact customer success.
6. Sales Leaders are Opportunists. They see the vision for customer improvement and success usually before the customer. They are proactive in making the world a better place.
7. Sales Leaders are Finishers. They don’t make excuses. They deliver on their promises, they deliver the goods. They exceed customer expectations.
8. Sales Leaders Lead other Leaders. They can lead customer decision makers without position power, they lead from professionalism and integrity.
9. Sales Leaders are Teachable. Humble enough to learn from their coach, their customers, other sales people and from their failures, they grow and succeed.

If you are a sales coach or salesperson who wants to grow as a successful sales leader, get this book. Read it and live it as you are daily in the marketplace building customer relationships and influencing organizations to employ your solutions to help them be more competitive, more successful. Good Leaders Ask Great Questions. Good Global Sales People ALWAYS Ask Great Questions!

Email me with your questions or thoughts on asking great questions and I will be happy to answer them for your sales success! ELAvate also offers various sales probing programs for global B2B sales people and leaders. Contact ELAvate for further information.