On my summer vacation we went to Two Harbors MN and while we were wandering around, an older Army vet (Sidney Sugarman) said hello and handed this rock to my friend Christy.
“Teach kids to think but not what to think.”
I wonder in business how often the time is actually taken to teach inside salespeople to think. Instead of what to think.
This week observe the salespeople on your team for their ability to
> solve problems on their own
> come to a conclusion based on what they know
> think things through
Then figure out how to bring each person to a higher level. One way I know to do this is – when asked a question INSTEAD of giving your answer, ask what they think first.
PLUS, how did they come to that idea?
Then go from there in your discussion.
As a sales manager, I even took it further once I understood that one of my salespeople was thinking – when they came to me with a question I’d first ask “do you have an idea of what you want to do?”… if they said yes, I’d say “ok tell me the result after you try it.”
Yup I didn’t even have them tell me what it was – rather I had them go do it & then we debriefed.
of course that is AFTER I knew their thought process.
Take the time to teach your inside salespeople to THINK, it will save you time – energy – effort in the long run.
Comments (0)