Adaptive curiosity II

Previously I introduced the idea of 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 - the ability to respond with agile, business-focused questions as new information emerges.

All very well, but... “𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘵?”

You don’t coach Adaptive Curiosity during the customer meeting.

The customer meeting is the exam.
The coaching happens before and after.

Before the meeting, many managers help their salesperson prepare a list of questions.
I think there’s a better approach.

Prepare for the possible 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 the conversation might take.

If the customer delays the project…where might that lead?

If they tell us another initiative has become the priority… what might be driving that?

If budget suddenly becomes an issue…what else could be sitting behind it?

You’re not coaching questions.
You’re coaching thinking.

Then comes the customer meeting.
The salesperson listens.
The customer provides signals.

The conversation adapts.
Afterwards comes the most important part.

Don’t just review the deal.

Review the thinking.

Which customer answers changed the direction of the conversation?
Which signals did you recognise?
Which ones did you miss?
Where could your curiosity have gone one step deeper?

Over time, something interesting happens.

Salespeople stop relying on prepared questions.

They begin recognising patterns.

They learn which customer answers deserve another question, and which can simply be acknowledged before moving on.

That’s how experience develops.
And that’s how great coaching accelerates it.

Every customer meeting should create value for the customer.

Every customer meeting should also create learning for the salesperson.

If only the opportunity moves forward, you’ve had a 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘁𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 meeting.

If the opportunity 𝗮𝗻𝗱 the salesperson move forward, you’ve had a 𝗵𝘂𝗴𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹 meeting.

The best sales managers understand the difference.