The core concept I struggle with most is #5: never answer an unasked question. I’m an open book, who tries to be as forthcoming as possible – if there’s something that could go wrong, or that hasn’t been mentioned yet, or there’s even a fantastic benefit that no one has brought up – I want to throw everything on the table so that it’s as transparent as possible. While that’s a good mentality to have for life in general, sales isn’t quite the same. That being said, I struggled with whether leaving an unasked question unanswered was a form of lying or not. What the client doesn’t know won’t hurt them, right? Or is it dishonesty that feeds the stereotype of the sleazy salesman? I’ll look at this through the 3 multiple choice answers from Mattson’s book.
- Answering an unasked question will deflect attention and interest away from the central issues of the presentation
Getting bogged down by details can kill a sale, so it is wise to keep your mouth shut and pay attention to what the client is interested in, not what you think they should be interested in. Details are great – for later, when the core elements of the product are understood by the client and the client wants to know more in-depth stuff about the product. The core elements are what matter, anyway – don’t accidentally kill a sale by derailing the presentation and talking about minutiae, because the main parts of your product should be the reason your client wants to buy.
- Answering an unasked question will confuse the prospect and give him a reason to postpone making a buying decision
Have you ever been at an amusement park but you weren’t having fun because it was too overstimulating? That’s what answering an unasked question can do for a sale. The product is fantastic, but your prospect is so confused and their head is swimming in so many details they just need it to stop – so they back out of a potential deal so they can clear their head. Clarity and pointedness matter in a sale, or you can drive a prospect away because there’s so much going on.
- Answering an unasked question could establish reasons for the prospect not to buy from you
Now this one, I think, is where dishonesty can rear its head. If your presentation is providing big reasons for the prospect to back out of a deal, or there are things that you aren’t mentioning that the prospect would be angry about later, then it’s probably best for the prospect and your future relationship with them that you let them get out of the sale. Don’t rope someone into a sale when you know there’s big reasons they wouldn’t want it – that’s definitely dishonesty, and can definitely be done by staying too quiet. If you know that your prospect is already uncomfortable, neglecting to mention important things can damage future potential sales with them.
2 out of 3 is a win for honesty. Derailing a presentation or confusing the client are important and compelling reasons to stay quiet, and they aren’t dishonest reasons to stay quiet either. Always think with your client or prospect in mind, and whether your silence or details will help them make the best decision.
testacr22
Awesome post, definitely helped clear up my understanding of never to answer an unanswered question. And why it would be wrong in a given circumstance to share more information about your product.
I find I have this problem somewhat as well. Sometimes, I fall into the fallacy that knowing more information will make the person more comfortable or help clarify and improve understanding. In actuality, the person’s eyes usually glaze over and I’ve lost them by that point!
I have the same problem, once I get talking to someone about a particular item I just want to keep going and keep giving them all the information. I can see where it has hurt me in the past.