The other day I pulled into a coffee shop drive-thru to order a specific style of brewing coffee. With this style of brewing, they offer a handful of different beans to chose from. Not knowing the different beans, I asked the voice in the box which is the best bean.
To which he responded, “Well…haha…that’s subject to personal opinion.” GRRRR!!!! Uh, yeah, I’m aware of that Columbo! That’s why I ASKED for your personal opinion! This frustrates the entrepreneur in me because I can’t believe that a place that focuses on selling something can’t actually give an opinion on what’s best.
Many times I’ve been asked what the best financial product we offer is. Every time they get the same answer. The best thing we do is our one-on-one counseling. However, that’s not an option for a lot of people, so the next best thing is FPU. Done and done! That’s it. No need for me to think about the question.
No need for me to state that it’s a matter of personal opinion. I know our products! And because I do, I can intelligently articulate to anyone asking for my personal opinion…which is what they asked for in the first place.
It’s the same when you go to a restaurant and ask what’s good on the menu. There’s absolutely no need to tell me, “It’s all good.” That’s a ridiculous answer. It makes me believe that you have no confidence in what items are great. If it’s all good, then it’s all the same to you. Which means I’m now bored because apparently all of your products are equal.
Which one stands out? Which one is better than the rest? Which one is the one that I will be telling my friends about…or blogging to MY TRIBE about?! Think people. If you’re the front line person who gets asked for your opinion, then have one. Be ready to rattle off your favorite, or top three items you sell.
If you’re a leader or entrepreneur, make sure your team has an opinion that’s useful. When I ask for your opinion, and you can confidently tell me what you believe is your best product, half of the sale is already made. Heck, probably more than half.
Question: When have you experienced someone not having an answer, or someone blowing you away because they did?