Every Salesperson Needs This Discovery Skill
Your reps already know the rule: talk less, ask more. But "ask better questions" is where the training usually stops, and where reps get stuck.
Here's the real problem: prospects don't ask questions in a vacuum. When a buyer opens with "give me your pitch" or "what's your turnaround on a job like this," there's a whole story behind it your rep can't see yet. Answer too fast and you can talk yourself right out of a deal, even when you're the right fit.
Take capacity. A prospect asks how big your shop is, how many presses, how many plants. Rattle off the full equipment list without knowing why they asked, and a buyer with a smaller, recurring job might hear "too big, too expensive, not set up for what I need," even if you run short-run digital work all day long. Same question, completely different answer depending on what's actually driving it.
The fix isn't complicated: reverse the question before answering it. "Good question, what's prompting that?" It buys your rep the context to answer in a way that actually lands, instead of guessing.
This shows up constantly in print sales: questions about run minimums, substrate capabilities, who else you print for, how fast you can turn a rush job. Every one of those has a landmine version and a version that opens the door wider.
Share this reversal skill with anyone on your team who still answers before they understand.
The preceding content was provided by a contributor unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Printing Impressions. Artificial Intelligence may have been used in part to create or edit this content.
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- Business Management - Marketing/Sales
Emily Yepes is a powerhouse sales trainer and revenue producer who lives at the intersection of sales theory and real-world execution. What sets her apart isn’t just her deep knowledge of sales doctrine —it’s that she’s still in the trenches, consistently ranking in the top 5% of over 400 Sandler sales executives worldwide. She brings that same performance-driven mindset to every training room she enters. Emily coaches the sales teams of printing and packaging industry leaders, including JS McCarthy Print+ Packaging, The Packaging School, Canadian Printing Industries Association, Norkol, ImageMark, and Sonoco on everything from prospecting and consultative selling to negotiation and account management. Her average training score? A near-perfect 4.9 out of 5—proof that her clients don’t just learn from her, they love learning from her. She doesn’t deal in hype. Emily brings a practical, psychology-based framework to sales, helping professionals rethink the way they approach buyers, conversations, and themselves. Her philosophy is clear: great salespeople aren’t born—they’re trained. With the right mindset, anyone can learn to breakdown buyer resistance and build real trust that lasts. Approachable, direct, and refreshingly honest, Emily’s training style resonates with sales teams at every level. Her sessions leave people not only inspired—but equipped to sell more and sell better.
