In the process of hosting a podcast I have lot of conversations with a wide range of people. Over the years, I had a season where the focus was on Revenue Ops leaders, one that was focused on CEOs/C-Suite, one that was on sales leaders of all types, and one that was all about professors of sales in higher education.

Discovering the Key Trait: Curiosity

I remember having a question that I would ask most of my guests: “what do you think is the most important trait for sales success?”

I got answers like grit and determination. Which you would expect. I got a few people who said Openness (my number one Sales Success Trait [LINK]).

But time after time I got Curiosity.

The Depth of True Curiosity

It was often paired with words like “Insane level of” and “deep” and “genuine” and “intense”.

Curiosity is truly critical for the modern sales professional. You can be a “salesperson” and not be curious about things. You will probably be okay enough at selling some of the people who just really wanted to buy anyway, which just makes you an Order Taker.

Curiosity is defined as “a strong desire to know or learn something” (Websters Dictionary, online).

It’s even in the definition – strong desire. Not just a general desire. Not a passing thought of wanting to learn or know something. But a strong desire.

Areas Where Curiosity Enhances Sales Success

Where does Curiosity fit in with your sales role? In the following, but not complete, ways:

• What your company actually provides to customers.
• What problem it truly solves.
• The overall industry – past, present, and future.
• What your company has done to get to this point.
• Ways to generate success in your role.
• What other, successful sales professionals do – in your company and industry, as well as outside of your little world.
• What your customers generally want from a company/service like yours.
• How humans operate, why humans do what they do (and don’t do what they should), different traits, personalities, love languages, traumas, etc.
• And then there is the BIG ONE: deep, Curiosity about everything to do with the person you are talking with in that moment – what they want, and if there is a way to help them get to a better place.

Notice on that last one I didn’t limit it to prospects/leads/customers. If you are only using Curiosity as a tool in your sales toolbox with your prospects/leads, then it will feel like it’s just a thing you do to accomplish your goal of making a sale. If its something you do with everyone and anyone, then it will be genuine – Authentic – and come across as such. Otherwise, it will feel like just ‘business’.

Curiosity as a Learned Skill

Just like with trait number one, Curiosity can be learned and developed. You can build your level of curiosity – it’s not something you have to be born with. Most people are curious about some “thing” in their life (cars, games, sports, real estate, money, animals) so it’s a matter of channeling that skill at people as well.

I know from firsthand experience. Growing up – I was not a fan of people, but I really loved dinosaurs. I had every book I could find and collected the balsa wood skeleton models that I would glue together and have all over my room (with the pterodactyl hanging from fishing line above my bed). Then after my dinosaur phase I got really into sharks. Still not into people.

It wasn’t until around 27 years old I started to be curious about people. Slightly. But then it grew over time. It wasn’t something I was born with, and it wasn’t a switch I turned on.

Curiosity will lead to sales success when its deep, consistent, and comes from a genuine place.

Why Curiosity Isn’t Ranked #1

Now, you might be wondering, why is Curiosity not #1 on my list of Sales Success Traits. In my experience, you cannot be Curious without being Open first. If you aren’t Open, then the info you find out through your Curiosity journey won’t do any good. Imagine a die-hard sports fan with their team, and they are Curious about other fans/teams but not Open to any facts or ideas that could lead to a different truth about their team. Without Openness, the Curiosity is incomplete.  (Of course, you can apply that to religion, politics – anything where someone puts something in particular on a pedestal while not being Open to any other points of view or facts.)

Conclusion

What can you start doing today to develop your Curiosity? What can you learn about your company, product/service, industry? Who can you study that might help you learn more about sales? What can you study about humans? What questions would you love to ask your next prospect to find out more about them and the best ways to help them get to a better place?