The Art of “Not Knowing”

Articles, Selling

Columbo! A classic! So classic, in fact, that he has a “close” named after him. Peter Falk was the absolute master when it came to acting befuddled. For those of you are too young, he would feign defeat when questioning the suspect, start to walk away (thereby disarming them) and then stop, turn around, and say … “Actually, I was thinking … ” or something to that affect. Try it in a closing situation. It works (smile).

“Not knowing” is also an art form. Even better, it’s often a simple fact. There is just no way on God’s green earth that we can know everything. Yet, when most people don’t know the answer to a question, they feign intelligence and then come back with a lame or obviously incorrect response. Why? Well, for whatever reason, these same folks feel that saying “I don’t know” is roughly akin to saying “I’m incredibly stupid”. They typically translate “I don’t understand” into those same three words. Why in the world would you ever want to admit that “I don’t know”? How about because …..

  1. You actually don’t know or don’t understand the question. Here is your chance to clarify and learn more.
  2. You now have the chance to demonstrate that you can find the answer and follow-up. “I don’t know” is only good when it is paired with “But, I’ll find out and get back to you.”
  3. Congratulations! You are now human. You are also no longer perceived as a “low-life sales weasel”. LOL. In fact, folks will be so impressed that they will go out of their way to help you to understand!
  4. Another opportunity to get back to your customer and meet again face-to-face? What’s not to like about that!?
  5. When things aren’t going so well and/or you know that this deal just is not going to close today, it gives you an opportunity to regroup and come back later and be better prepared … “Mr. Smith, you have raised a lot of great questions today and it is important to me that I provide you with the correct answers. I need to go back to my office and talk with some of our folks in order to determine those. Would you be available to meet next Wednesday at 3 PM, or would Thursday at 9 AM be better, and go over these?”

All positives and even HONEST. Yes? Now, let’s consider the alternatives …..

  1. “I don’t know.” That’s it. “I don’t know” and nothing else.
  2. “I think it will.”. Do you think or do you know?
  3. When in doubt, “dazzle them with your brilliance” or “baffle them with your b__s__”. Sorry, most of your customers are not that stupid.
  4. You answer a question with an honest answer. Problem is, you didn’t understand and clarify the question before you answered it and, as a result, you never answered the question that was posed in the first place. Worst part is that most customers will not correct you. That’s not their job. It’s YOUR job! For goodness sake at least follow-up with “Did that answer your question?”. Better would be …. “I’m not sure if I understand your question correctly. Is it ….?” or “Could you explain that to me in a little more detail please?”. Seeking clarification is not admitting stupidity. It is a sign of good listening and your customer will appreciate it!

Yes, not knowing is an art form. A powerful art form. It’s pretty easy for me because … I’m just not that smart (smile). Now go forth and be stupid 🙂

Thanks for visiting!

Craig

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Craig M. Jamieson

Craig M. Jamieson

Managing Member at Adaptive Business Services
Craig M. Jamieson is a lifelong B2B salesperson, manager, owner, and a networking enthusiast. Adaptive Business Services provides solutions related to the sales professional. We are a Nimble CRM Solution Partner. Craig also conducts training and workshops primarily in social selling and communication skills. Craig is also the author of "The Small Business' Guide to Social CRM", now available on Amazon!
Craig M. Jamieson

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