Sales doesn't have a great reputation for honesty, as an industry. That's a shame, for a lot of reasons, and one of those reasons is that honesty can actually be very beneficial in a sales conversation. Here's a situation where really unexpected honesty often leads to a sale.
One of my clients manufactures and sells construction parts. Even though they typically sell through distributors, it's not unusual for a contractor to call directly with a difficult question about the materials my client sells.
Contrary to what you might expect, my client has made sure that the associates answering those phones know how to identify when their product isn't the best fit for a contractor's project. They will help the contractor figure out how to execute the project with their product, but they'll also tell him if there are better options for the project he's doing.
In fact, they keep their competitor's phone number on file for those situations!
But what often happens, instead of the contractor calling the competitor? The associates tell the contractors who call in how to complete the project they've started but aren't overly pushy about their product, and that often leads to sales.
When I've spoken with my client about this approach, I've noted how unexpected the approach is to the contractors calling in. So many people sell their product as if it's the only one that can solve a problem for a prospect, when that often isn't really the case.
The prospects that call my client's office are blown away because his associates are focusing on building a relationship with them instead of going for the quick sale. That's what honesty does—it helps you move toward an ongoing relationship.
It's amazing how often honesty does blow people away. If you're finding prospects who really need what you're selling, you can be honest with them about when you will and won't be a good fit.
And even if you aren't currently a good fit, you'll often find that they come to you when they have a problem you can solve.
