Is your sales approach stalling simply because you’ve always just done it the same way? This month, industry training specialist Adam Hankinson (Furniture Sales Solutions, voted Best Staff Training Provider in this year’s Readers’ Choice Awards) explains why being ‘coachable’ may be the key to successful selling …
We recently trained a new-to-furniture salesperson, and they absorbed everything we taught like a sponge! Whereas another salesperson (with 30 years’ experience) from the same business was completely close-minded to anything we said.
It made me realise that there’s a blunt truth everyone in sales needs to acknowledge – you’re not stuck because of your customers. You’re stuck because of your thinking.
Every time you tell yourself “they’re just browsing” or “they’ll come back if they’re serious,” you reinforce a belief that limits your growth. You stop learning. You stay where you are.
Coachability is the opposite of that. It’s the ability to ask a powerful question, one that unlocks everything: “Is it possible there’s a better way?”
That question requires humility. It asks you to set aside your ego and challenge what you’ve always done, even if it’s sometimes worked. Because sometimes isn’t enough any more.
What’s really holding you back?
Let’s say you’re not converting as many customers as you’d like. Do you blame the footfall? Blame the product? Blame the customer’s budget?
Or do you ask: “What am I doing, or not doing, that could be improved?”
That’s the difference between a fixed mindset and a coachable one. Coachable salespeople don’t fear feedback, they chase it. They know the biggest breakthrough usually lies behind the smallest blind spot. A poor habit. A weak phrase. A missed question. A moment where confidence dropped and the customer walked.
A simple model for growth – the PACE check-in
When you feel stuck, use this to explore other ways forward:
- P (Pattern) – what pattern do I keep repeating? (perhaps always giving the price too early, or waiting too long to close)
- A (Assumption) – what assumption am I making? (for example, they won’t buy today, they can’t afford it)
- C (Consequence) – what’s the cost of this habit or belief? (E.g. lost sales, low confidence, missed upsells)
- E (Experiment) – what could I try instead, just for today? (maybe ask a different question, pause longer, or use a new closing line)
It’s simple, fast, and it works. Here are three real-world PACE examples:
1. Closing hesitation
• Pattern: I wait for customers to say “I’ll take it” rather than asking for the sale
• Assumption: If they want it, they’ll say so
• Consequence: I lose sales from people who liked the product but didn’t make the leap
• Experiment: Try an assumptive close today: “Shall we get that reserved for you now?”
2. Overselling features
• Pattern: I talk too much about features before understanding the customer
• Assumption: The more I tell them, the more impressed they’ll be
• Consequence: Customers disconnect or feel overwhelmed
• Experiment: Spend the first five minutes just asking questions. No pitch, no spiel
3. Low confidence with high-value items
• Pattern: I avoid showing the most expensive options
• Assumption: They’ll think I’m being pushy or can’t afford it
• Consequence: I miss out on high-margin sales and devalue what we offer
• Experiment: Show the best option first. Let the customer walk it back if they need to – not you
Coachability removes your internal roadblocks. It forces you to stop defending your habits and start testing new ones. It puts you back in control of your growth.
You don’t need more time, talent or training to sell more. You need more openness to change.
So, start here: “Is it possible there’s a better way?” Ask it daily. Mean it. Then experiment, and let the breakthroughs speak for themselves.
