The other day I got an email from a straight razor aficionado asking if I would recommend someone I don’t really like for honing his blade. The previous contact he had had left some doubts. My answer was very straightforward and positive. Though I don’t like him on a visceral level I know he is an honest man and if he gives an advice, it is really what he thinks. I also know he would keep the same attitude even if his next meal depended on that.
My friends and a few colleagues look at me as if I am crazy. If that person emailed me, they said, he clearly trusted me more than the other one, so why recommend him rather than get the deal? For the simple reason that he did not ask me to hone his razor and, mostly, he keeps my opinion in great esteem.
If I was a razor honer and said that guy is not that great and I could give him a better hone at a better price (and maybe I’m right, maybe I can hone better than the other one) would I have answered my prospect’s question? No! I would have gone beyond his request, putting my ego before him, denying value and respect for his question and, ultimately, for him.
Why should I say bad things about a competitor if I know I’m lying or because I need that sale?
People call and ask for coaching sessions, and if I don’t know that topic or my skills cannot match that request, I simply say I’m not the best choice. Most of the time people stay silent, have a few seconds of indecision and start to mumble the usual thank you formulas. Right then I tell them that maybe somebody I know could be a better choice (and I’m talking, of course, about a competitor.)
Believe it or not, right in the moment you give a person a good advice, you have gained a prospect, a prospect that sooner or later will become a customer.
People may need your products or your services. What you need is people’s confidence, and the best way to gain and keep it is “always do your best and be sincere about your faults.” After highlighting your products or services, mentioning one fault (as Goldstein, Martin and Cialdini point out on their excellent Yes!), increases the chances to get a positive response tremendously. Be sincere, open and straightforward, don’t be afraid to lose the sale. You will lose many others if you keep something quite clear hidden. The unsatisfied customer will tell other people, and bad credit is a coin that has no change. A sale can provide your next meal, but if you want to be sure meals will always be on your table, think long term and be frank. Skip a meal once in a while won’t kill you, but it can teach you not to miss another one.
