Fix the Questions, Fix the Results

I’ve worked on 150+ sales improvement projects. Different teams. Different industries. Same pattern:

Salespeople aren’t asking great questions.

If I were a sales manager today, I’d start by listening — not to the pitch, but to the questions.

Because here’s what’s happening:

Too Many Close-Ended Questions

Salespeople default to safe questions:

 • “Do you want to add anything to the agenda?”

 • “Do you need anything else?”

 • “Have you used this before?”

They sound polite. But they shut the conversation down. The answer is almost always, “No, I’m good.”

Then seven minutes later, the customer says, “Actually, there is one more thing…”

It’s not their fault. They weren’t prompted to think.

That’s what close-ended questions do — they kill curiosity. 

Train Customers to Say More

When reps ask yes/no questions, they get short answers.

Customers get used to saying less. Reps get less context.

And suddenly they’re pitching solutions without understanding the problem.

If you want better conversations, coach better prompts:

 • “What else do you want to make sure we cover?”

 • “What are you doing for [related item]?”

 • “Talk to me about what’s driving this project.”

Want better sales?

Start by listening to the questions your team is asking.

Are they helping customers think?

Or shutting them down?

Fix the questions. Everything else gets easier.