When you're asked a question about your industry or your product, how often do you think the question you're asked is the main question?
If someone asks you about the type of work you do, it's possible they're interested in doing business with you. But it's also possible that they used to work in your field and hated it. Or they might have a complaint about someone else in your field and you're about to hear it.
Usually, there's a question behind the questions you're asked. And it pays to find out what that real question is, whether it means you'll save yourself embarrassment or gain a new client.
One of my clients was recently at a chamber meeting and was introduced to someone who was new to the group and was planning on joining that day. My client was talking with someone else in the same industry he is in. When the newcomer introduced himself, he asked both members if they did any work with real estate agents.
My client paused and let the other guy answer first, who said that no, he didn't, and excused himself from the conversation. Then my client said that they do work with professional, organized real estate agents. They had a good conversation after that, and went out for coffee about a week later to talk some more.
There are a couple of things my client did right in this situation. First, he waited until the other guy had answered and excused himself from the conversation, which gave my client time to gauge the agent's intent a bit more. Second, he also didn't assume that the real estate agent was asking to decide if he should work with my client. He simply mentioned the type of agents that he works with.
And third, he followed up with the agent. It turns out that this agent has already proven to be a valuable referral partner for my client, but without waiting patiently and having conversations to figure out what the agent was looking for, it's likely that wouldn't have happened.
Instead of assuming this real estate agent wanted to do business with him and risking an embarrassing situation if that hadn't been the case, my client simply focused on having conversations to figure out what the agent's real concern was.
When people ask you a question, there's usually a question behind the question, especially if it seems like it's coming out of left field. It's your job to figure out why they're asking you a question, without making assumptions.
