The Refreshing Effect of Honesty In Sales

Robby

I spend a lot of time talking to sales organizations in the greater Indianapolis area, and people almost never talk about honesty. But the truth has incredible power when selling.

As a reminder, everyone is in sales. If you have ideas, you have to promote them to others. If you don’t have ideas, you’re going to be part of a team that does. And if you need a job, you’re in the business of selling yourself to potential employers.

© Flickr User Michael Mandiberg

Second: being honest in sales means a lot of different things. Here are four different ways to think about truth-telling that may change your mind.

#1 Admit You’re Doing Sales

Here’s a fantastic script to use when you reach out to someone:

“This is a sales call. My purpose in calling is to see if the product we offer is a good fit for you. If it is, great. If not, that’s fine too. Are you open to this conversation at this time?”

What’s fantastic about this line is that it makes the conversation clear. You’re not just calling to chat, and you can let the person know that they have the ability to back out. But it also gets them to make a decision: yes or no to having the conversation.

People who make decisions are great prospects for any sale. Admit you’re doing sales and move the conversation forward!

#2 Talk To the Customer, Not About the Customer

This strategy for honesty is a little sideways. When we are being dishonest, we are sometimes doing it when we are talking about the client with our colleagues. Maybe we are imagining what the customer might say, or what they know or do not know, or what their budget could be. But all of these statements aren’t entirely honest. They are just guesses.

If you want answers to your questions, ask the customer! There’s nothing quite like talking to the person that has the answer.

#3 Explain How You Make Money

Guess what? Everyone know that businesses are supposed to make money, and everyone knows that salespeople benefit when they close a sale. That’s totally okay!

If they seem confused, consider telling your prospect how you make money. Do you have special access to a service that you are reselling for a higher price? Are you charging a flat fee? Is this particular product a loss-leader? Are you selling something at cost for a reason?

Being honest is profound.

#4 Refuse to Negotiate Prices

Everybody wants a deal. They’d like to know they are getting a special price that no one else is getting.

But when you start to reduce what you charge, you’re admitting that you were getting away with charging more before. Explain that. Tell the customer the truth.

And if they need to pay less, maybe they should buy less. That’s totally okay!

Consider being honest when you sell. You’ll find that it changes the character of the conversation. And you just might find you get an answer faster, which is what you want.