Last Tuesday, a colleague told me she spent 47 minutes on a client call. She asked about cash flow timing, upcoming hires, and what the owner wanted next year. That wasn’t “just accounting.” That was sales.
What you’ll learn
What you’ll learn
Editor’s note: This article is part of a new series on selling in the accounting profession. The big idea? Many accountants are already using sales skills every day — through questions, conversations, and problem-solving — even if they don’t call it “sales.”
Selling should not feel scary
The word “sales” sometimes makes accountants twitch. You picture a used car lot — sales reps talking nonstop about features, forcing a close, or simply ignoring the needs of the person in front of them.
That’s not sales. And it’s not how you need to approach it.
Real sales works the opposite way. It earns trust by asking sharp questions and listening long enough to understand what’s really going on, your client’s pain points, and how you can provide the solutions they’re looking for..
Do you realize you already do this? You do it every day. You cannot do great work without context, and you can’t get context without questions. When a client mentions buying equipment, you don’t nod and move on to the next talking point. You ask when they plan to buy it, why now, and what success looks like after the purchase.
In a nutshell, that’s selling. You just call it “gathering information.”
Questions beat scripts
Here’s the uncomfortable truth. The questions you ask in meetings, the way you listen, and the way you say “Tell me more about that” will beat any sales script on earth. Great business developers don’t hoard answers. They build better questions.
- Your client says, “We’re fine for now.” Don’t stop there. Listen for what they didn’t say. Ask what they’re protecting.
- A client says, “We might expand next year.” A weak response pitches an expansion package. A strong response asks, “What’s driving expansion right now? What would make you delay it?”
That question changes the whole conversation. If you want clients to tell you the truth, make it safe. People buy when they trust you more than they trust staying stuck. Trust grows when you care more about their problem than your solution.
This is why the silence matters. The decision often happens after your question — not during your explanation. You’ve seen it. You ask, you pause, and they finally say the thing they hadn’t planned on sharing.
For years, I thought that technical excellence alone would bring clients in. It didn’t, because nobody knew how I thought. I wasn’t asking the questions that pulled the real story out of the room.
Then I learned how to ask better questions by reading Warren Berger’s A More Beautiful Question. He teaches a simple sequence that moves from understanding to possibility to action: Why, What if, How.
So, what did I do next? I practiced those questions out loud until they felt natural. Honestly, it felt weird at first. I sounded stiff. I second-guessed the wording. Isn’t that normal when you try something new?
That said, I started using them in discovery calls even when my voice didn’t feel “ready”. And that’s when things started to shift. Clients opened up about pain points faster. I heard the real issue, rather than the polite version.
- Why: “What’s your biggest money stress right now?”
- What if: “If we could fix one thing about your finances, what would it be?”
- How: “What happened in the past when you tried to solve this?”
Those questions did something my old approach never did. They made clients feel understood, making the next step obvious.
One rule for your next call
I get it: Sales can feel scary because rejection feels personal. But the thing is, you likely already deal with it from time to time: ghosted proposals, stalled decisions, and “we’ll think about it” that never turns into anything.
Selling better just means you reduce friction. You get clearer faster. You recommend with confidence. You earned the right to. If you want one practical takeaway for your next call, track your questions versus your statements.
On the podcast, “How Leaders Lead,” Brian Cornell said he tried to ask three times as many questions as statements when he took on a complex new leadership role.
Then add one more move to your list. After they finish talking, wait three seconds before you respond. It feels awkward but it also changes the quality of what they say next.
Here’s the point. You became an accountant to help people make better decisions with their money. That takes trust. Trust takes conversation. Conversation takes questions and real listening. If this feels familiar, that’s the point! Below are a few of the concepts we just covered — see if any sound like things you already do in your day-to-day work.
| Accounting habit | Sales skill (without the label) | Why it matters |
| Asking contextual questions | Discovery | Leads to better recommendations |
| Listening for what’s unsaid | Trust-building | Clients open up faster |
| Clarifying goals and timing | Qualifying | Prevents misaligned solutions |
| Explaining implications | Advisory selling | Helps clients act with confidence |
Seeing a few familiar patterns, right? You’re already building the foundation for strong sales conversations — whether you’ve ever called it that or not. So yes, you’re selling. But you’re also acting like a trusted advisor. You’re asking the questions to uncover the need, and then you deliver the fix. And when it comes to keeping clients for the long term, honing this skill can only be positive.
Bottom line: You’re already selling
So yes, you’re selling — but you’re also acting as a trusted advisor. You’re asking the right questions to uncover real needs, then helping clients move toward a solution. And when it comes to building long-term client relationships, sharpening this skill can only work in your favor.
Up next: We’ll dig into how selling is really just professional problem-solving, and it’s something you’re already doing every day.
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Debra (Debbie) Kilsheimer owns Behind the Scenes Financial Inc. alongside her husband, Harold Hickey. They provide tax, accounting, and consulting services. Debbie believes accounting should be forward-thinking using technology, apps, and the art of personal relationships. She also co-hosts the podcasts “Bookkeepers on Fire” and “Debbie and Donna Do Digits” with Donna Reade.