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I used to puzzle over why potential clients who reached out to me always seemed to get more interested in hiring us if I tried to dissuade them by asking challe

I used to puzzle over why potential clients who reached out to me always seemed to get more interested in hiring us if I tried to dissuade them by asking challenging questions. I think the biggest reason is that pushing back demonstrated that I care. This seems bizarre. I work in sales, and I avoid making things too challenging for potential clients. Pushing back on the scope is one thing, but I think the way to show that you care about a potential client is to listen, identify their issue, and provide them with a solution that meets their budget. So many sales people try to push the envelope, to maximize the sale, for better or for worse, but I've never done that.

petesergeant 3y ago
> I work in sales What are you selling? I imagine that would make a difference
- underseacables 3y ago
  Networking equipment, but also a network monitoring service.
  - mcmcmc 3y ago
    Exactly - you’re selling commoditized products, not bespoke pieces.
    - underseacables 3y ago
      Still seems bizarre.
pasc1878 3y ago
Surely challenging means that you show that you are listening to the client and shows you understand. How does a client tell the difference between what you do and a salesman overpromises both of these salesmen listened and said that they could do it. Many people have experience of the bad salesperson and so will assume that they are all like that.
travisjungroth 3y ago
Asking challenging questions isn’t the same as making things challenging. I had the same experience as the author. It’s not about asking questions that take up their time or are hard for the hell of it. It’s about asking questions that show you’re not only planning on making the sale, but on doing the work. If you’re selling a product, it’s the questions that show you want to make sure the product is successful for them. They’re challenging in the sense there’s a slight tone of “are you sure you really need this?” in them, and they often don’t have top-of-mind answers.
saargrin 3y ago
theres a line between giving a shit and not giving a shit eh

petesergeant 3y ago

> I work in sales What are you selling? I imagine that would make a difference

underseacables 3y ago
Networking equipment, but also a network monitoring service.
- mcmcmc 3y ago
  Exactly - you’re selling commoditized products, not bespoke pieces.
  - underseacables 3y ago
    Still seems bizarre.

pasc1878 3y ago

Surely challenging means that you show that you are listening to the client and shows you understand. How does a client tell the difference between what you do and a salesman overpromises both of these salesmen listened and said that they could do it. Many people have experience of the bad salesperson and so will assume that they are all like that.

travisjungroth 3y ago

Asking challenging questions isn’t the same as making things challenging. I had the same experience as the author. It’s not about asking questions that take up their time or are hard for the hell of it. It’s about asking questions that show you’re not only planning on making the sale, but on doing the work. If you’re selling a product, it’s the questions that show you want to make sure the product is successful for them. They’re challenging in the sense there’s a slight tone of “are you sure you really need this?” in them, and they often don’t have top-of-mind answers.

saargrin 3y ago

theres a line between giving a shit and not giving a shit eh