1. Never answer a question that the customer hasn’t asked.
2. Never provide information that the customer hasn’t requested.
2 Essential Rules Most Salespeople Forget, by Geoffrey James
(In some way, we are all in Sales, aren’t we?)
1. Never answer a question that the customer hasn’t asked.
2. Never provide information that the customer hasn’t requested.
2 Essential Rules Most Salespeople Forget, by Geoffrey James
(In some way, we are all in Sales, aren’t we?)
I did both these mistakes several times in my professional life, I have lost many customers on these subject.
Sep 15th, 2014 / 7:12 am
On the surface, this seems good advice. But I’m resisting.
My ‘product’ is government relations for businesses, and part of my pitch is showing them how I have a solution for a problem they didn’t know they were having. To do that, I must introduce information/answer a question they haven’t asked – know what I mean?
In addition, providing information above what the customer has asked is, for me at least, a way to underline my proficiency for my clients.
This is my mindset today – but I’m relatively new in the selling myself business, after years of selling other things and people in politics. So I’m open to arguments…
Sep 15th, 2014 / 10:42 am
Thats just wrong. Well designed and well served information are the USP to a lot of products.
Sep 15th, 2014 / 1:34 pm
I disagree.
Working at creating art for scientists, two similar but academically divergent fields has taught me that scientists often don’t know what to ask for when it comes to visuals to help their work. Providing information they haven’t requested often demonstrates expertise, leads to new collaborations and provides solutions to problems not in the project brief.
Sep 15th, 2014 / 4:35 pm
I disagree.
Working at creating art for scientists (similar but academically divergent fields) has taught me that scientists often don’t know what to ask for when it comes to visuals to help their work. Providing information they haven’t requested often demonstrates expertise, leads to new collaborations and provides solutions to problems not in the project brief.
Sep 15th, 2014 / 4:39 pm
It seems that these two rules simply make clear that first we need to ASK the customer what they need (to know). Reading their reality allows us to find the right/appropriate answers/solutions to offer.
Then it becomes a conversation, engaging both sides…
Sep 15th, 2014 / 5:02 pm
You can’t really agree with this?
Plenty of customers don’t know the hearty questions to actually be asking… They don’t know what they don’t know.
The best consultants I know violate both of these rules in the sales cycle. In fact, I often offer up the questions they should be asking me or my competitors. My giving away free advice or consulting actually engenders loyalty and goodwill, which for me just closes the deal that much more.
Sep 15th, 2014 / 7:53 pm
Aren’t these both points same
Sep 16th, 2014 / 9:47 pm