The desire to appear intelligent causes founders to avoid simple questions and instead anticipate needs. This leads to incorrect assumptions. Asking basic, even "stupid," questions like "Why did you take this call?" is the key to understanding the customer's real needs and ultimately closing the deal.

When a customer asks a simple question, providing an overly detailed answer is counterproductive. This "waterboarding by help" frustrates the buyer, who just wants their specific problem addressed. At best it wastes time; at worst, it actively convinces them not to purchase.

In initial meetings with enterprise prospects, Nexla's founder didn't pitch a solution. He focused entirely on validating the problem. By asking, "Do you see this problem as well?" he framed the conversation as a collaborative exploration, which disarmed prospects and led to more honest, insightful discussions.

Salespeople become 'narcissistic' when they are so focused on their own solution and capabilities that they fail to listen to the customer. This self-involvement is fatal because customers don't care what a product does; they care about solving their specific problem.

To sell effectively, avoid leading with product features. Instead, ask diagnostic questions to uncover the buyer's specific problems and desired outcomes. Then, frame your solution using their own words, confirming that your product meets the exact needs they just articulated. This transforms a pitch into a collaborative solution.

A successful sales call is not about pitching; it's about asking two simple questions: "Why did you take this call?" and "What do you hope to get out of it?" The entire conversation should be structured around the customer's answers, rendering any pre-planned agenda secondary and potentially counterproductive.

Buyers often volunteer the exact details of their problem—their project, its urgency, and their frustration with current options. However, traditional sales training teaches founders to ignore these cues, interrupt the customer, and pivot to pitching their solution, thereby missing critical information.

Founders often believe leading with their mission will attract customers. This approach is counterproductive, turning the sales call into a "weird moralizing lecture." Customers care about their own problems and to-do lists, not the seller's "why," making this approach ineffective and often annoying.

Instead of pitching a customer, ask them, "Why did you decide to get on this call?" and "Why now?" This forces the prospect to articulate their own pain and why they believe you are the solution, reversing the sales dynamic and revealing core buying motivations.