Wild Card, Success Mindset

Finally! The True Secret to My Sales Success Revealed


sales questionsI owe it all to teenage angst. That's right. I wanted to be popular and have a boyfriend. But it wasn't my natural style to be a big flirt. I'd much rather have been immersed in a good book. Fortunately, I found my salvation in ...

Seventeen magazine. I read it religiously to find out how to get a guy to really like me. (Starting to see the sales connection? And guys -- pay attention here. You never learned this stuff.)

According to Seventeen, the key to dating success boiled down to a girl's ability to get the guy talking about himself. And that meant, she needed to ask good questions. 

That sounded simple enough, but putting it into practice on a real date was a whole different issue. Initially, I was so nervous that it was difficult to even keep a short conversation going. After one or two questions, I'd blank out. What followed seemed like a deathly silence. (It was probably 2-3 seconds long.) To fill it, I'd start blathering about something stupid. It was horrible. 

Finally after a few botched dates, I figured it out. My secret? Preparing the questions ahead of time. I'd start by jotting down a few things I already knew about the guy. Then I'd develop a list of questions that leveraged my limited knowledge, stick it in my purse and take it with me.

Go ahead and laugh. It worked. No, I didn't pull the list out as we were driving along in the car, dancing or eating at McDonalds. I didn't need to. The simple act of writing the questions down solidified them in my mind. 

Then, because I was prepared, I could focus intensely on the young men I was dating. I learned about their interests, passions, concerns, priorities and more -- and they clearly felt important. Although they knew little about me (which is a whole different issue), it didn't matter. They liked me and wanted to get to know me better.

Plus, I can't tell you the incredible sense of relief that I felt! I didn't have to worry about sounding interesting or being funny anymore. Asking questions took me off the hot seat, enabling me to really enjoy the person I was with. 

It wasn't till I started selling at Xerox, that I learned just how valuable this skill was! Turns out that the ability to ask insightful, thought-provoking questions was the single biggest differentiator between top performers and average reps.

Within a few months, the orders were pouring in. I still hadn't learned how to close a sale yet, but it didn't seem to matter. Every time I set up a meeting, I'd prep just like I did on my high school dates. When we got together, I'd tee things up by giving a short overview and then quickly transition to the sales questions.

Because I had a list of questions in front of me, I didn't have to worry about what to ask next. That freed me up to listen intently to what they were saying and to look for ways I might be able to help. And I never talked about my stuff (Xerox copiers) till I totally understood their needs. Before long, they'd be asking me how soon they could get their new copier. 

Go figure. It was happening because an angst-ridden, boy-crazy teenager followed the advice in Seventeen magazine and became a master of asking good questions. 

And you know what? I still do it today!

After a successful career in the sales world, writing five books, and speaking internationally, Jill is now tackling an even bigger challenge. She's focused on bringing the "millions in the middle" together to solve some of the biggest issues facing our country and the world. Jill truly believes so much more is possible if we can work together.