Sales is fast-paced, particularly within the building materials industry; clarity, resilience, and goal alignment are essential. Whether you’re a sales professional or manager, decision-making and goal-setting shape your day-to-day success. A framework that I’ve personally found to be useful and have leveraged for personal coaching, goal achievement, and decision-making is the Cartesian Questions model. This framework helps to explore the depth of any decision or goal, helping me uncover insights that might otherwise go unnoticed.

What Are Cartesian Questions?

The Cartesian Questions model is based on a philosophical approach by René Descartes, who suggested evaluating any theory from multiple perspectives. For sales professionals, these questions are used to challenge and validate your thoughts around a specific decision or goal. By answering each question, you gain a clearer view of the potential outcomes and can confront self-imposed limitations. Here’s a breakdown of the four Cartesian Questions:

1. What will happen if I do this?
2. What will happen if I don’t do this?
3. What won’t happen if I do this?
4. What won’t happen if I don’t do this?

At first glance, these questions might seem redundant. However, each question serves to engage your mind from a different angle, sparking creative thinking and surfacing hidden beliefs.

Applying Cartesian Questions for Personal Coaching

Using the Cartesian Questions for self-coaching provides clarity in complex decisions and reinforces commitment to your goals. Here’s how to approach it:

• Set a Specific Goal: Write down a goal or decision that’s pivotal for you. It could be anything from “increase my monthly sales by 15%” to “improve customer satisfaction ratings.”
• Explore Each Question: Reflect deeply on each question. Allow yourself to go beyond surface answers. For example, if you ask, “What will happen if I don’t increase my sales?” you may identify potential impacts on career progression, income, or even team dynamics.
• Identify Patterns and Insights: As you work through each question, you’ll begin to notice recurring themes or values, which may point to areas of resistance or motivation. This awareness is essential in helping you make informed choices.

Goal Achievement with Cartesian Questions

To achieve meaningful goals, it’s crucial to understand both your motivations and any potential barriers. Cartesian Questions can help break down these goals into manageable insights:

1. Clarify Desirable Outcomes: By asking, “What will happen if I achieve this goal?” you articulate the benefits, which reinforces motivation.
2. Identify Obstacles and Risks: The question, “What won’t happen if I don’t achieve this goal?” may reveal hidden fears or barriers, helping you anticipate and strategize around them.
3. Evaluate Impact: Questions like “What will happen if I don’t pursue this goal?” enable you to consider the consequences, driving commitment to the path you choose.

Making Confident Decisions

For sales managers and professionals, decision-making can often feel like high-stakes poker. The Cartesian model can empower you to make decisions grounded in comprehensive reasoning. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Choose a Decision Point: This could be as specific as “Should I adopt a new CRM tool?” or “Should I pursue this big account?”
2. Answer Each Cartesian Question: Write down honest responses to each question to fully explore the potential benefits, risks, and neutral outcomes.
3. Review and Reflect: Once you’ve answered each question, review your insights. Often, the clarity that emerges reveals which choice aligns best with your professional goals and personal values.

Incorporating Cartesian Questions into your coaching or management toolkit can enhance not only your own decision-making but also help guide your team members in clarifying their goals. The discipline of systematic questioning can be the difference between achieving superficial goals and making impactful, career-advancing moves. Remember, every decision is a step closer to or further from success. Where are your decisions leading you?

Below is a useful tool to use in one-on-one coaching sessions or for personal use.