The Ultimate Sales Machine book club questions

1. 1.

   What are the twelve things your organization — or you personally — should be doing with mastery right now? Could you actually name them without hesitation?

2. 2.

   If you built a dream 100 list today, who would be on it? What's the honest reason you haven't been pursuing them consistently?

3. 3.

   Holmes claims most salespeople quit too early and most deals require more than five touchpoints. How many attempts do you typically make before moving on?

4. 4.

   How does your organization currently train its salespeople? Is it a one-time event or an ongoing practice, and what does the difference in performance look like?

5. 5.

   Educational selling assumes your buyers care about the problem you solve, not just the solution you're offering. Is that assumption valid in your market?

6. 6.

   What would a stadium-style event — a webinar, workshop, or educational session — look like for your business? Who would attend, and what would you teach?

7. 7.

   Holmes is emphatic that focus beats breadth. Where in your business are you currently spreading effort across too many priorities to master any of them?

8. 8.

   Pick a skill your sales team is inconsistent on. What would it look like to role-play it weekly for three months until the response became automatic?

9. 9.

   The dream 100 approach requires patience. What is your current system for following up with high-value prospects who haven't engaged after the first few touches?

10. 10.

    Holmes argues that hiring one superstar beats hiring three average performers. Does your hiring process actually identify superstars, or does it screen for competence?

11. 11.

    Which of Holmes's twelve competencies does your organization do best, and which has been quietly neglected for the longest?

12. 12.

    The book was written in 2007. Which frameworks still feel directly applicable, and which feel dated given how buyers now research and engage with sellers?

How to run the discussion

• Pick six to eight, not all of them. An hour of real discussion covers fewer questions than anyone expects, and racing the list is what makes a book club feel like homework.
• Open with what people noticed, not what they concluded. Asking for a verdict first hardens opinions before anyone has heard each other.
• Let the disagreement run. The questions below that split a room are the ones worth the time; the ones everyone answers the same way can be skipped.
• Ask the quiet person a specific question. A direct, narrow question is far easier to answer than an open invitation to contribute.