Last week, I shared how important it is to write out your questions before you meet with your customer.

Equally important is what happens AFTER your meeting.

Immediately after your meeting (as you sit in your car or back at your office), write down 3-4 questions you will ask this customer NEXT time you meet.

Ever head into a meeting with a customer thinking you will “remember” everything you want to ask?

You’d be wiser (and likely more profitable) if you write out your questions before you actually meet with the customer.

The big reason why I encourage people to do this is not what you think. You’re probably thinking it’s so you don’t forget what questions to ask. Yes, this is important, but it’s not the most important reason.

Never start off a phone call with a customer with whom you haven’t talked in awhile with a line like, “I just thought I’d touch base with you.”

This is particularly important if you’re selling in a B2B environment and let me explain this one first. If you’re selling in a B2B environment, you’re dealing with people who value their time. It’s hard to find a businessperson who does not have more on their plate than they have time to get it all done.

If your goals aren’t aligned with your boss’s goals, your sales motivation will likely suffer.

Hang on with me until the end as I explain this, because if you only read half of this, you’ll lose the point I’m trying to make about sales motivation and selling skills.

First off, there’s no way you will ever be motivated if you don’t have goals. But let’s look into the real issue of why they need to align with your boss’s goals.

I often ask people what “value” is. Then I tell them why their definition doesn’t matter.

As salespeople, we like to view see ourselves as being smart and knowing not only everything about what we sell, but everything else as well. On the one hand, this can be good as it can help us to be confident and it can drive us to learn more.

The problem we get into is when we start thinking what we know is the only thing we need to know. Ultimately, this will only destroy our sales motivation.