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.

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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.

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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.

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Responsibility belongs to the seller

In sales, control equals responsibility.
Which means you must:

1. Clarify intentions and expectations.
2. Help the client articulate thoughts and emotions.
3. Confirm understanding: “Let me check if I understood you right…”

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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.