Dangerous Assumptions
In my very first philosophy class at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, one of the female students argued with the professor that her position was simply "common sense".
If I learned anything in that philosophy class it was this:
1) Don't argue with a philosophy professor as they are professional and you will be humiliated
and
2) There isn't anything "common" about common sense.
Don't believe me? Think of this: In the U.S., we revere McDonalds. In India they revere cows. We think it is common sense that a cow is for milk and cheese and beef (although french fries apparently come from potatoes!). In India, cows roam free on the streets and a person can go to jail for injuring or killing a cow.
So, which is the common sense? The sense understood by 920 million Hindus or the sense understood by 330 million U.S. citizens?
The professor in my philosophy class was making the point that when one is trying to construct an argument it is dangerous to make assumptions. Assuming that we understand the meaning of the language being used by the other person is one of the dangerous assumptions that sales people make all the time.
Just today, a seller came into my office with a proposal for my review. My first question was:
"Is this proposal a representation of your recommendation to the client?"
"I'm not sure I know what you mean."
"I am wondering whether you believe that good things will happen for the client if they invest in this program."
"Yes. I believe they will be happy with the results they get."
"Okay, that's good. Can you say that this is exactly what you want to recommend? Under different circumstances, would you be asking the customer to invest in this program or some other program that you are not proposing?"
"Well, my proposal is my recommendation based upon the client's budget."
"Okay. So, the client told you that their budget is $3500?"
"No. They said their budget was limited."
"And your interpretation of 'limited' was $3500."
"No. My assumption was that the best program we could create for $3500 was the one I am proposing."
"Yes, but stay with me here. The $3500 is stuck in your head as being equivalent somehow to 'limited'. Isn't that right?"
"How much should I be proposing?"
"I have no idea. The thing is you have no idea, either but you are proposing they spend $3500. I'm not saying that you are wrong but I am trying to get you to see whether you are right."
The dangerous assumption that my seller was making was that the client's understanding of the word "limited" was equivalent to her understanding of the word "limited". Yet, there is absolutely no reason to have this belief! My seller's interpretation of "limited" was based on the cost of the products and services that we sell. What if she worked for a radio station that was 3x as expensive as ours? Then, she might be proposing a solution that costs $10,500 and still believe she was responding proportionately to the client's request.
My advice? Ignore the client's "limited budget" and propose a program that we recommend with all of our heart and soul. Ultimately, the seller came back to me with a program that had three different elements. Her original proposal of $3500 was just one of the elements. The other two increased the total cost to $10,000.
The client will now get our very best recommendation and have the choice to customize their program to the budget they have in mind. This approach provides us the added benefit of allowing the client to decide if they want to resist the advice of a professional or invest in the program as recommended.
Even though the final solution was better than the first one being explored, clever readers will recognize the need for the following clarifying question:
"When you say 'limited' do you mean around $10,000, $50,000 or $100,000?"
If I learned anything in that philosophy class it was this:
1) Don't argue with a philosophy professor as they are professional and you will be humiliated
and
2) There isn't anything "common" about common sense.
Don't believe me? Think of this: In the U.S., we revere McDonalds. In India they revere cows. We think it is common sense that a cow is for milk and cheese and beef (although french fries apparently come from potatoes!). In India, cows roam free on the streets and a person can go to jail for injuring or killing a cow.
So, which is the common sense? The sense understood by 920 million Hindus or the sense understood by 330 million U.S. citizens?
The professor in my philosophy class was making the point that when one is trying to construct an argument it is dangerous to make assumptions. Assuming that we understand the meaning of the language being used by the other person is one of the dangerous assumptions that sales people make all the time.
Just today, a seller came into my office with a proposal for my review. My first question was:
"Is this proposal a representation of your recommendation to the client?"
"I'm not sure I know what you mean."
"I am wondering whether you believe that good things will happen for the client if they invest in this program."
"Yes. I believe they will be happy with the results they get."
"Okay, that's good. Can you say that this is exactly what you want to recommend? Under different circumstances, would you be asking the customer to invest in this program or some other program that you are not proposing?"
"Well, my proposal is my recommendation based upon the client's budget."
"Okay. So, the client told you that their budget is $3500?"
"No. They said their budget was limited."
"And your interpretation of 'limited' was $3500."
"No. My assumption was that the best program we could create for $3500 was the one I am proposing."
"Yes, but stay with me here. The $3500 is stuck in your head as being equivalent somehow to 'limited'. Isn't that right?"
"How much should I be proposing?"
"I have no idea. The thing is you have no idea, either but you are proposing they spend $3500. I'm not saying that you are wrong but I am trying to get you to see whether you are right."
The dangerous assumption that my seller was making was that the client's understanding of the word "limited" was equivalent to her understanding of the word "limited". Yet, there is absolutely no reason to have this belief! My seller's interpretation of "limited" was based on the cost of the products and services that we sell. What if she worked for a radio station that was 3x as expensive as ours? Then, she might be proposing a solution that costs $10,500 and still believe she was responding proportionately to the client's request.
My advice? Ignore the client's "limited budget" and propose a program that we recommend with all of our heart and soul. Ultimately, the seller came back to me with a program that had three different elements. Her original proposal of $3500 was just one of the elements. The other two increased the total cost to $10,000.
The client will now get our very best recommendation and have the choice to customize their program to the budget they have in mind. This approach provides us the added benefit of allowing the client to decide if they want to resist the advice of a professional or invest in the program as recommended.
Even though the final solution was better than the first one being explored, clever readers will recognize the need for the following clarifying question:
"When you say 'limited' do you mean around $10,000, $50,000 or $100,000?"
Tim, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the script of your sales coaching interaction with your employee. It is wonderful to see the type of coaching you do, as many companies do not have that kind of sales management going on.
One of my missions as a sales trainer and business consultant is to encourage just that kind of exchange in sales departments all across the land, so it's very refreshing to be able to peek into your world and see that it's really happening there. Great!
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I too, thought it interesting the way you dealt with that situation. A very socratic way of exploring sales management.
Your debate on assumptions is spot on. Assuming you know a particular fact is very dangerous as I have experienced from both sides of the fence. Example: Assuming you have hung up a call to a client and then talk about them while they are still listening. Not quite what you are discussing here, but I think an important point.
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Yikes Nesh - that sounds like a painful experience - you can never be too careful!
Ian
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Tim - as well as the importance of challenging assumptions, your post highlights the value of coaching. Sometimes it's so difficult - near impossible - to see your own assumptions (if you could they wouldn't be your assumptions). But an experienced manager or coach can quickly spot your assumptions and help challenge them.
Ian
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Tim,
All too often we make assumptions. We assume we know what people are saying, we assume that our interpretation is the only way something can be understood. Remember that assumers (my sniglet) usually end up with egg on their face. I always ask my reps to repeat back what they have been told for understanding. Also, I recommened that they question vague comments until the get definitive answers. When someone says they have a limited budget, my question is usually one that uncovers what they spend money on. Then I work on framing questions around what value they are getting from those spends and how that could relate to my offering.
This type of analysis and qualifying eliminates assumptions and will actually help you build a stronger proposal.
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