Participants in my sales programs quickly discover one of my favorite phrases — “you don’t know what you don’t know.”   This phrase is designed to interrupt the thinking of a “pitch-first, learn-second” sales person who seems to believe that he knows his customers need his product.  Without discovering what is going on in the customer’s world–their challenges, their issues, their frustrations and their priorities, these over-eager and over-zealous salespeople march in and start to pitch and advocate how their program can help the client’s business.

In sales, the right information is better than any scenic route

In SethGodin’s recent post, “Sell the Problem“, he reminds all of us

“No business buys a solution for a problem they don’t have.  And yet, most business to business marketers jump right into features and benefits, without taking the time to understand if the person on the other end of the conversation/call/letter believes they even have a problem.”

Translation: Until your customer acknowledges they have  problem, you have nothing to sell or promote.

Next time when you want to walk-in and start pitching a product or a service that you know they need remember–You don’t know what you don’t know.  Then, start listening and learning.

photo credit: dave dash