From the course: Selling with Stories, Part 2: Stories Great Sales People Tell

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I'll tell you when I can't help you

I'll tell you when I can't help you

From the course: Selling with Stories, Part 2: Stories Great Sales People Tell

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I'll tell you when I can't help you

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- One of the things I learned from interviewing professional buyers was that there are two things salespeople can do to immediately earn their trust and credibility. Now they generally described it to me this way. First, tell me when you cannot help me, and second, tell me when you made a mistake before I find out from someone else. Now here's the logic behind the first one. If you're honest enough to tell buyers when your company is not the best option, they're more likely to believe you when you tell them you are. Now the only problem with that situation is that it might not happen until you've been doing business with a buyer for a long time. That's where storytelling comes in handy. Even if you haven't come across a problem that they have that you can't solve, you can still give them a sense of confidence that you would tell them if that situation does arise. Now you obviously can't accomplish that by just telling them, of course, I'll always tell you when I'm not the best option…

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