One of the mistakes, I think, that sales people have is thinking that they have to have answers. My thought is that I would rather have a salesperson that pulls my organization into the unknown. If that happens, we are asking the right questions.
Mario Andretti: “If everything’s under control, you’re going to slow.”
You could argue that by doing this you would never be selling your product, or extending the close of a sale. The truth is when you ask questions that stretch the customers thinking, many find ways to make your product/service work for them in better ways. They place their own limitations not around the product/service but rather around themselves.
Another advantage to this type of thinking is that you typically will bring others into the conversation. You engage with different parts of your customer’s organization, your own and even other vendors from both parties. This type of collaboration strengthens the opportunity.
For collaboration, co-creation and all those other “co-“ words that we like to banter about, if we are unwilling to step into the unknown, I don’t really see the opportunity? Do you?
Liz Wiseman, author of Rookie Smarts: Why Learning Beats Knowing in the New Game of Work, says leaders must remain inquisitive, be able to ask the right questions and share the burden of thinking with their teams. She adds that the best leaders also push people out of their comfort zone, catalyzing a culture of contribution and innovation.