According to Mattson’s Core Concept #5, as salespeople we should never try to answer an unasked question in a sales conversation. Throughout the entire history of sales, it has been a huge temptation for the seller to put words into the mouth of the prospective buyer. For myself, I also find it difficult to not jump to any assumptions while I’m having these sort of conversations. Rather, we should try to rely solely on the information that is delivered to us by the prospect and work to glean that information properly and effectively. Tying Core Concept #5 in with the other Core Concepts, we can work to ask the prospect penetrating questions that get at the source of their true pain, and get them to reveal all the information that we need to determine whether or not the sale would be a good fit or not. This process is undermined if any assumptions are made by the seller, or if the seller misinterprets the needs of the prospect.
This is for sure a huge temptation when it comes to sales. You want to be able to make your prospective buyer aware of what you are offering, but not in a way that will overwhelm them. Asking them questions is a great way to truly understand their need so that they can make themselves realize their pain and their need.