Why “What Else?” Is the Best Question in Sales

f I could give a salesperson just one question to add to their discovery conversations, it might be this:

“What else?”

It’s ridiculously simple.

And ridiculously effective.

Ask a prospect:

“What’s the biggest challenge you’re dealing with right now?”

They give you an answer.

Most salespeople immediately start exploring that answer.

Or worse, they start solving it.

Instead, try:

“What else?”

And then:

“What else?”

Something interesting happens.

The first answer is often the obvious answer.

The one they’ve given before.

The one sitting at the top of their mind.

But when you ask “What else?”, you make them think again.

And sometimes the second, third or fourth answer is where the real opportunity is.

It works outside sales too.

Ask a salesperson:

“What’s getting in the way of you prospecting more?”

“I don’t have enough time.”

“What else?”

“I’ve got too many existing customers to deal with.”

“What else?”

“I suppose I’m avoiding it because I hate getting rejected.”

Now we’re somewhere completely different.

You’ve moved from the surface answer to something you can actually work on.

That’s the power of “What else?”

It doesn’t lead the other person.

It doesn’t put words in their mouth.

It simply tells them:

Keep thinking.

The next time you’re conducting discovery, resist the urge to jump on the first answer.

Ask:

“What else?”

Then be quiet.

You might be surprised where the conversation goes.