How you handle questions during your presentation can completely destroy the outcome or completely knock it out of the park. In our worst case scenarios, we’re concerned about not knowing the answer to a question asked by prospect. How do we handle it? What do we say?  How can we salvage our credibility and save the sale?  It just takes three simple steps.

Step 1:  Tell them you don’t have it

We all know we aren’t going to guess the answer or attempt to fabricate a response.  That is dishonest and unprofessional.  We know we should just tell them we can’t give them the answer.  But, how can we say it best?  Here are a few options:

• “I don’t have that answer.”
• “I can’t give you the answer at the moment.”
• “I don’t have that information.”

What I do NOT recommend is to say, “I don’t know.”  That phrase can poorly reflect upon your intellectual capacity and may cause a substantial drop in your credibility.  Let’s be honest, your credibility may take a hit no matter how you say it, but the “I don’t know” phrase may negatively affect it the most.

Step 2:  Write it down

At this point, most people will say something like, “I’ll find out for you.”  When you take the action item to get an answer for this person, write it down! This will give the person asking the question a sense of confidence that you are going to follow up. If you don’t write it down, this person may question whether or not you will really do it.

It’s similar to the feeling you might get when the waiter memorizes everyone’s order at the table without writing any of it down. Then as the waiter walks away, you have the uneasy feeling that your mayo is NOT going to be on the side. Your anxiety goes up a bit and rather than being impressed when the mayo is on the side, you are actually just relieved! Write it down and you will encourage a feeling of confidence and not a feeling of anxiety.

Step 3: Set an expectation

As you write it down, negotiate an expectation on when you will have the answer to this person. “Let me take a note and I will get you that answer by… close of business on Friday?” Then, wait for the response.  If that deadline is unacceptable, you will hear a proposal for a different deadline. “Actually, I really need that information for a meeting on Friday morning. Can you get it to me by close of business on Thursday?” Assuming that proposal is good, you will accept the deadline.  Then you just need to meet or beat that expectation.

You never know until you ask

When someone asks you a question, what do they want? An ANSWER! When do they want it? NOW! When do they need it? YOU DON’T KNOW, until you ask!  Of course they want the answer now, but you will never know when they need it until you ask. In a worst case scenario for you, if you ask when you need to provide the answer, this person could say, “I need it right now.”  In that case, stop the presentation and take a break while you use a lifeline to phone a friend.

In this Google world we live in, when you are asked a question and don’t have the answer, maintain your credibility by taking an action item with an expectation on when you will provide the answer.

Never stop improving,
Russ

p.s.  In 25 years I’ve only had one executive say to me, “I need that answer right now or this meeting is over.”  I took a break, phoned a friend at the office and got the answer for him.  Sad ending to that story… I didn’t win the business. In sales, you don’t win them all. But I did learn a lesson on preparing for tough questions.

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