No Assumptions
No Assumptions
One of my favorite questions for salespeople:
“Did the client actually say that?”
Half the time, the answer is no.
The rest is interpretation — stories we tell ourselves about what clients might think or feel.
How distortion happens
We hear what we want to hear,
not what’s actually said.
The result: a distorted version of reality —
and a sales process built on fiction instead of facts.
A real case
I once worked with a company selling to foreign clients.
The key milestone was getting them to fly in for negotiations —
tickets paid, hotels booked, full hospitality.
Before clients even arrived, reps were labeling them:
“tourists,” “hot leads,” “investors.”
All based on tone and assumptions.
They ended up selling free trips, not products —
and forecasting based on fantasy, not data.
Responsibility belongs to the seller
In sales, control equals responsibility.
Which means you must:
- Clarify intentions and expectations.
- Help the client articulate thoughts and emotions.
- Confirm understanding: “Let me check if I understood you right…”
The discipline of clarity
At the end of every conversation, ask:
“Let’s summarize to make sure we’re aligned.”
It takes two minutes —
but builds trust and precision instantly.
And always write it down —
in CRM, notebook, trip report, client sheet — anywhere,
as long as it’s visible and retrievable.
In sales, if it isn’t written down — it’s made up.