(By Rick Fink) Growing up, your mom or dad probably told you to “bite your tongue” when you were about to say something that shouldn’t be said. In sales, there are plenty of moments when you should heed your parents’ advice and simply “Bite Your Tongue”!
Here’s a scenario: you’re in a meeting with a potential client, and like magic, you come up with a “BIG IDEA” that you know is the answer to helping the client make a ton of money, no less yourself. In your enthusiasm to show the client how smart you are as a marketing and advertising professional, you blurt out your “BIG IDEA”!
You’re a genius, right? Wrong! This is a moment in sales where you just need to bite your tongue!
If you do have a good idea, as in this situation, and you throw it out spontaneously, the chances of it being accepted are greatly diminished. There’s a much better time to reveal you’re a real genius. It’s when you make your presentation!
Ask yourself this question. Do you think your client would put more value on a great idea that someone came up with on the fly, or one that took a week or two to come up with after much consideration and brainstorming? The client will think, “Wow, they really put some time and thought into this idea!”
Instead of blurting out your “BIG IDEA” during the first meeting, say something like, “I think I may have some good ideas, but I want to do some additional research and give some extra thought to these ideas before deciding and making our recommendations.”
While most good ideas take time to develop, we also know that occasionally we get lucky and come up with that GREAT idea on the spot.
It’ll take discipline, but don’t give up your BIG IDEA so quickly. Simply bite your tongue!
Rick Fink from ENS Media can be reached at 605-310-2062 or at [email protected]. Read Rick’s Radio Ink archives here.
