The best salespeople ask the best questions.

An idiom is an expression that typically presents a figurative, non-literal meaning attached to the phrase. For example, when you say, I quit cold turkey, you stopped a bad habit immediately.

One of the most famous idioms is, curiosity killed the cat.

People take this to mean that one should not ask questions and that curiosity can lead to danger. It has stuck with many of us over the years and subconsciously hinders those who work in sales. The idiom infers that we will be seen as prying or nosey if we ask questions. Is this correct?

Curious means being eager to know or learn something or wanting knowledge or understanding. Curious salespeople ask questions because they want to know more about a situation. They are inquisitive. Because they are curious, they listen well. They endeavor to learn and understand. They engage because they want answers. They have a thirst to discover. Positive synonyms for curious are:

• Inquisitive
• Interested
• Analytical
• Examining

The idiom, curiosity killed the cat, is a warning. It does not mean don’t be curious. It is a warning not to be prying or nosy. As salespeople, we want to help a prospect or customer solve a problem. How can we understand their situation if we are not inquisitive? The goal is to interview our customers, not interrogate them.

So, curiosity may have killed the cat. But did it? Is that the end of the story? No. The complete idiom is curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back. Being inquisitive brings satisfaction. In the salesperson’s world, satisfaction equates to closed business! After all, a cat has nine lives! Use them all and be curious.