One of our biggest challenges in life is self-assessment. We think we know ourselves pretty well, however the science says different.
As a leader, personal self-assessment is critical to success. We have to be able accurately assess our abilities.
We all have a blind spots. Our blind spots are those things that others know about us, that we are unaware of. Our blind spots are those things others see in us, that we can’t see in ourselves.
Johari‘s window sums it up nicely like this:
The Open – what others know about us and what we openly share with others
The Hidden – what we know about ourselves that others don’t know. (What we keep hidden from site)
The Unknown – what we don’t know about ourselves and what others don’t know
The Blind Spot – what others know about us, that we don’t know about ourselves
The blind spot is where we get tripped up. It’s the reason we fail and seem perplexed because we thought we did everything right. It’s the date that we thought went awesome yet they don’t want to go out with us again. It’s the co-worker feeling belittled after you thought you had a super productive meeting. The blind spot is the part of us we just don’t see that the rest of the world does that screws everything up.
Do you know your blind spot(s)? Ask around, everyone else does.
Absolutely! It is just not worth the bad press and fallout. The respect you gain and the integrity you demonstrate in the sales profession leads to loyalty and referrals. Don’t short-change yourself or your client as it will be readily apparent that the solution you offer is not a “one size fits all”.
Great post!
You’re right John, it’s not worth the fallout.
Jim:
I learned this a long time ago. I had a customer who wanted to buy printers from me and install them for the top executives and thier administrative assistants. I knew the printers I had lacked the proper software drivers to work correctly. Company I was with said drivers were to be available within a week. I knew a competitor’s printers worked perfectly with my already installed office equipment.
My customer was ready to buy my printers and gave me the order. I told him, if I were you, I’d buy my competitor’s printers and explained why. The phone went dead for about 30 seconds, and then he spoke up. He said “Thank you”! He purchased my competitor’s printers and they worked flawlessly. He looked like a genius. My company’s promise of printer drivers available in a week turned into 6 months.
My customer never forgot my honesty and always thought I was looking out for him. That account sent me to President’s Club alone for the next 6 years.
Never sell your customer a product they don’t need or may not be a perfect match!
Great story!
Excellent example of how to be a trusted advisor and not an order taker.
Definitely. I’ve also found that mentioning this at the very beginning (“I’m asking these questions because our product isn’t a great fit for every company, and there’s no sense wasting your time or mine”) builds huge credibility with the prospect. It’s an incredible foundation to base a sale upon.