If you don’t get it, it’s OK to say so. If you don’t know, it’s OK to admit it. “Kuuliza si ujinga,” the Kiswahili proverb advises. Directly translated: “Asking is not stupidity”. Admitting you do not know does not imply you’re stupid. To the contrary, it demonstrates humility, and invites teaching. And humility is the key to sales success. So, go ahead and ask. And then do the next thing which is even more difficult. Don’t just hear, listen. Listen with the intention of comprehending. Getting it.
The missing element in sales
It is amazing how rarely this is demonstrated in selling. Most salespeople tend to believe they know. It’s worse when they are operating from experience.
For example. “This customer is just a complainer. He keeps complaining his internet speeds are slow, yet his package doesn’t grant him streaming services; only email usage.” What if you sought to get it? “I notice you are struggling with the internet speeds you have. Tell me about your Internet needs and I’ll tell you what we have and we see if we an find common ground.” And guess what? Don’t be surprised if you hear this: “I used to live alone. Now, I have my nieces and nephews too and as you know teenagers and gadgets are inseparable.” Long story short, he didn’t know he needed a higher package; in fact, turns out he doesn’t even know it exists. “Oh, you mean I can upgrade when they’re around and downgrade when they aren’t. I didn’t know that.” What changed? You admitted you don’t get it and genuinely sought to understand. And because of that, you upsold. Humility is the key to sales success.
Read: Why salespeople don’t ask questions and what they can do about it
Here’s another example “I’m not sure about that. Let me find out and get back to you?” Admitting this to a customer, buys you ore credibility and trust than pretending you know then 6 weeks and millions of shillings later, delivering 5 elevators wrongly fitted.
Humility is the key to sales success. If only Pharaoh admitted he didn’t get it
Here’s another example, “I don’t get these Gen Z protests. I’ve rejected the Finance Bill; I have withdrawn the Land Laws Amendment Bill, 2023. I have even agreed to join them in their Twitter spaces and dissolved cabinet. Why do they keep protesting?” Well, because you still don’t get it, Mr. President. And you don’t want to admit it. Or, like Pharoah, blinded by hubris, you do not want to admit you don’t get it; it does not help that like him, you see vulnerability as weakness. So, you just heard but didn’t listen.
If you had heard, you would have, well, heard, “Quit with the broad based multi sectoral taskforce 6 day dialogue. Just implement the constitution,” and started by dissolving the unconstitutional Office of Prime Minster and not just dissolve the Cabinet with no timeline when you are reconstituting it. You could also have said, “I have rolled back SHIF. We shall continue with NHIF and address the embezzlement within it which is what you are actually concerned about and was the problem in the first place.” And you continue to prove you still don’t get it by defaulting to experience, with completely random untruths that Ford Foundation are funding the protests, while the people tell you,“Anguka nayo.”
Now if only you had demonstrated understanding and said, “The courts have ruled the Housing Levy illegal and so, I have ordered that it be discontinued forthwith and the monies paid so far refunded.”
Read: There is no shame in apologizing.
Navigating financial struggles
You will be amazed how many people struggling with debts do not know they can re-negotiate them. “The bank will sell my land,” they reason panickily. “That’s why I need to borrow from Peter to pay Paul.” In the immediate term the panic is stayed, but shortly thereafter it comes back with the vengeance because unknowingly you are digging yourself into a deeper hole. Now, if you only went to the financial institution and admitted you do not know what to do, since your salary was chopped by half since Corona economy.
“Pole sana,” the Sacco loans or sales officer may share. “Why hadn’t you said so. We’ve been sending you notices of auctioneers because you have not been showing any commitment to pay. You go even three months without paying anything Be depositing something every month at least. Alternatively, let me know what you can pay comfortably monthly and we can restructure the loan.” Problem solved.
Humility is the key to sales success. The importance of genuine discovery
Perhaps, in selling, where this admittance to not knowing and genuinely seeking to do so is most profound is during the discovery session This is when you are seeking to understand the customer problem Your default mental setting should be this: I do not know’ Then you become a sponge. Absorbing information with no sieve. The only interjections you should make are to seek clarity. “So, by, 5mbps you mean…” Or, “I didn’t get that Please repeat it.” “Walk me through your typical day at work.” And you only know get it when you articulate the problem back to the customer and their eyes light up with feeing appreciated. “Exactly. You get it. You were actually listening. Wow!”
Get it?
Read: Embrace humility to thrive as a technical seller
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