A brief spoken transcript advising salespeople to avoid making assumptions and instead ask clarifying questions. The speaker defines assuming as accepting something without proof, gives four common sales-related assumption traps (thinking you know what the customer wants; assuming clients know their own needs; assuming past prospects know where to find you; assuming prospects don’t want follow-up calls), and offers practical remedies: ask clarifying questions, ask why, seek multiple opinions, play devil's advocate, and openly identify inconsistencies to replace assumptions with facts.
Chapters
Assuming is accepting something as true without question or proof. It's a trap. To assume is easy to do. It is convenient when the truth fits one's own thinking. It is quick as no time is needed to check. It is comfortable as all debate is avoided. And it often happens unconsciously. And because of all of that, it is a trap. One that we all fall into way too easily. Here are four examples from different sales situations. 1. You assume you know what they want. If you assume that you know what the customer wants or where they are in the buying cycle, then you start asking questions and giving information that may not fit where they really are at to the customer. It will now feel like you're trying to sell them instead of helping them to buy. 2. You assume that the clients know what they want. The truth is, they don't. Always part of being successful in observing the places where they are wrong and change their mind. You can make the solution better for them. Never assume clients know what they want. Always be prepared for them to change their minds. You assume they know where to find you. Remember that pitch you gave a couple of years back where the client was interested in working with you but ended up going in another direction? A shame that they didn't engage you, but no further action is required on your part, right? After all, it's only a matter of time before they have another need to outsource. And they certainly know where to find you, right? Perhaps. But like any assumption, it's entirely speculative. 4. You assume they don't want you to call. The problem is sometimes picking up the phone can feel awkward. You don't have to bug or stalk them, and when they have questions, they call wrong. So how do we avoid falling into these traps? How do we make sure that we are always fully aware of someone else's objectives? Here are a couple of Ask clarifying questions. Asking questions is powerful. You're learning new things, expanding your knowledge. You understand more about the people you're with. Establish a common starting point. Make sure you understand the problem and why it is relevant to the person you speak with. Ask for more information. There's room to do so without falling victim to analysis paralysis. Replace some of your assumptions with facts. Ask why. Children play this game of endlessly asking why this needs to be copied and rewarded in business, not discouraged. It leads to a deeper understanding and possibly the realization that an assumption was wrong. Challenge yourself. Seek out second or third or fourth opinions about your key assumptions for critical decisions. Be the devil's advocate. Purposely change your assumptions and replace them with some on the negative side so that the outcome looks distinctively different and finally, openly identify inconsistencies. Honesty, openness, directness. These are all great personality traits. To avoid the assumption trap.
