The Desert of Arizona
Sunny 45 Degrees
I used to think that asking a lot of questions of my prospects and clients made it look like I was kind of dumb.
I’m sure we’ve all had situations like that from our childhood. Particularly in school.
Maybe a group of my friends were talking about something I had no clue about. I’d play along because I’d been taught that to do otherwise would make me look stupid.
We’ve all been trained NOT to want to be the only one not “in the know.”
“Of course I know what you’re talking about… “ I’d mutter if someone noticed it didn’t look like I was with the program.
That’s the system baby… it’s training like this that keeps you in line! When you’re scared to death that someone might get the perception you’re not SMART… well the system has done its job. It trains you that there’s nothing worse than that!
When you’re in the client business, however, this is the EXACT behavior you want. You WANT to be the one who’s asking the questions.
You WANT to be asking for clarification, more detail, another explanation, more info.
I called it “playing dumb” above, and that’s what it might look like from the outside. Especially to someone who’s really insecure.
But it’s actually an excellent technique to use because it improves the service you are able to deliver to a client. Better information leads to better decisions leads to better outcomes.
Assume nothing.
Get them to tell you everything. Do it with questions.
You might FEEL stupid but you’re going to end up looking like a genius. Push through it.
If you don’t do this type of thing already, get this. It’ll make you look like a genius in record time.