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In My Opinion

Written by: Marshall W. Northcott

Article Overview: Ever consider the potential costs or business losses for sharring your unwanted opinion? It's okay to have any opinion just know when to offer it and when to keep it to yourself, read on...

In My Opinion

In the television sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond," Doris Roberts plays an over opinionated, meddling mother-in-law. She tells everyone what she thinks because in her opinion, they must want to know what is on her mind. Are your opinions getting you what you want in life? Is it possible that the price of sharing your unwanted opinion is greater than you care to pay? Sometimes the best thing you can do with your opinion is keep it to yourself.

Some people are naturally opinionated and they have no problem telling you what you should think! They tend to be those individuals with very strong personalities who just know the right answer and must impose it upon others. Also, people who suffer with esteem problems, feel more important when they share their opinion. Therefore they do so, every chance they get in order to feel better about themselves. They will dominate most conversations that they are involved in and usually turn people off because of their overbearing nature.

What's the difference between giving your opinion and making a professional recommendation? Let's take something as simple as picking a colour for a product. If you had a colour available but in your opinion it is the worst colour option in the world for someone to choose, should you share this piece of information at the risk of losing a sale? What if the client likes the colour but doesn't tell you and instead asks you for your opinion? Now you have a choice, do you tell them that you think someone would have to be blind to choose that particular colour? Here is how I would handle it. First of all, my opinion doesn't matter! What matters is what the client likes and what works best for them. Isn't that why we offer choices for clients? I would ask them how they feel about the colour. If they told me they liked it, I would ask them why? If the colour suited their lifestyle or went with other items they owned then it would be perfect. On the other hand if I were selling a product and I knew based on the conversation that the colour wasn't suitable based on a particular piece of knowledge I had, I would tell them I had a concern and see if they wanted to hear what I had to say. For instance, if someone was purchasing furniture with white leather it is a very poor choice for someone who has children and a very busy lifestyle because it will mark up very easily. Even something as simple as newsprint will discolour the product.

On the other hand, I wouldn't lie or knowingly sell the wrong solution to a client just so that I could make a sale. A student in one of my workshops shared with me that when he was taught to sell suits a few years ago, he was trained to tell the prospects how great they looked in the suits they were trying on, even if in his opinion he didn't think that was the case. If I were asked in a situation like this I would ask them how they felt in the suit. If I knew it was the wrong colour choice based on why they were purchasing the suit I might share this with them. If it weren't a product that I would ever consider purchasing upon being asked I would state, "This definitely wouldn't be my first choice, but I'm not you, and your opinion is the one that counts here."

In the sales profession, there is a fine line between being passionate or excited about your message and being obnoxiously opinionated. The longer you are around and the more knowledge you acquire, naturally the more opinionated you will become. Your opinion can be an excellent tool but choosing the opportune moment to share your opinion is critical to having it received with an open mind. Is your opinion so important that you are willing to sacrifice your commissions over it?

How often do clients ask you, "Please share your opinion with me." or "What advice would you suggest?" If you are effectively building rapport or gaining significant credibility with your prospects or clients, then chances are you are being asked for your professional opinion more frequently. If however you are never asked for an opinion but instead force your opinion upon people then you are likely turning your audience off.

"Do you want to be right, or do you want to get paid?"

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Article Tags: Making Recommendations, Sales Presentations, Sales Proposals, Sales Training, Selling Proposals



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