“Sometimes not having the answer and showcasing that you can pull a team together to provide the right level of support for your customer goes way farther than anything you could’ve done on your own.” – Christie Walters in today’s Tip 46.
Have you suffered from know-it-all wisdom before?
Join the conversation below and check out Christie’s podcast, The Why and The Buy Podcast.
Christie’s LinkedIn
Christie Walter Website
The Why and The Buy Podcast
Transcript
Scott Ingram: You’re listening to the Daily Sales Tips Podcast and I’m your host, Scott Ingram. This week we’re celebrating International Women’s Day and women in sales with all women all week. Today’s tip comes from my friend, Christie Walters. Here’s what she has to share with us today:
Christie Walters: This is Christie Walters co-host of The Why and The Buy Podcast and my daily sales tip for you is don’t be a know-it-all. I will admit I am a reformed no it all and yes, all of my childhood friends and family can stop laughing right now. I always felt like I needed just a little bit more information. One more certification. One more example of how to handle a specific objection. I just started a new job and I think some of my colleagues are wondering, “wow, when will she stop asking questions”? I’m always throwing out the what if scenario and it’s interesting for me, especially now starting a new role, how deeply rooted that need to be a know-it-all or that need to show my worth by showcasing my knowledge really is, and I suspect a lot of you out there experiencing the same thing.
How often have you hesitated to make a phone call or over prepped for a meeting just in order to make sure that you had one more piece of information, and I want to be careful here. I’m not suggesting that you don’t prepare in advance for your meetings. You absolutely prepare in advance for your meetings. You need to do the work to ensure you have the right foundation to support your customer effectively. What you don’t need to do, however, is walking in with all the answers. If you are in any level of complex sale, the last thing your customer wants to feel is that you are the one stop shop like you are the individual who has all the answers and there’s no one else behind you.
Sometimes not having the answer and showcasing that you can pull a team together to provide the right level of support for your customer goes way farther than anything you could’ve done on your own. It shows the depth of your organization. It shows that if something were to happen to you or you were indisposed, that your client would not just be sitting out waiting for you to come back with the right answer. Too often as salespeople, we get close to our clients and shut everyone else out. That doesn’t serve you and it certainly doesn’t your customer. So how do you not be a know it all? How do you become comfortable with walking into an environment and not having all the answers? And I think for me it has always been about asking those clarifying questions. Sometimes even when you do have all the answers, asking those clarifying questions, allowing time for those questions and answers to marinate, meaning not being pressed to always provide every answer within the meeting timeframe.
And then just being fierce with your follow up, not allowing time to drag on while you go and find those answers. But the secret sauce is, it’s connecting those clarifying questions with what your customer objectives are. So that’s my daily sales tip. Don’t be a know it all and go out and sell something. And remember when you know your why, your how’s and your what’s get much better. That’s it for my daily sales tip. Don’t be a know it all, ask the clarifying questions and remember, you have a team of people behind you to support your efforts with your customer. Thanks so much.
Scott Ingram: There’s a lot of great stuff in this single idea from Christy. Have you suffered from know-it-all wisdom before? I’m definitely pleading guilty to elements of this one. Lots to think about and talk about here. So, join our conversation at DailySales.Tips/46 there. You’ll find links to all things Christie Walters, including her The Why and The Buy Podcast. Then come back tomorrow for another great sales tip from another incredible woman in sales.