One of the simplest traps sales leaders fall into is telling instead of asking. It’s easy to do. You spot a mistake, see a faster route, and jump in with the answer. But the result?

Your team learns little, and you end up stuck as the bottleneck for progress.

It comes from habit. Years spent in classrooms, listening to teachers tell us what we needed to know.

But sales management isn’t about teaching in that sense. It’s about helping people learn for themselves—so they can apply it again tomorrow, next week, next quarter.

When you ask instead of tell, you get the salesperson thinking:

· What’s working well for me right now?

· Where could I make improvements?

· What’s the one area I’d most like to develop?

By asking, you help them reflect, self-correct, and—importantly—own their growth. People are far more motivated when they discover the solution themselves.

That said, asking takes patience. It requires leaving space for silence, letting the person gather their thoughts. And it takes practice. A good self-check: throughout your day, keep score. Am I telling right now, or am I asking?

That’s a basic sales management skill—but getting it right makes all the difference.

If you’d like to sharpen your approach and explore more practical ways to coach your team effectively, feel free to book a call for a chat.

Always happy to share ideas that help sales leaders build stronger, more self-sufficient teams.