by Jacques Werth and Carl Ingalls

The belief that “all buyers are liars” is a trap.  It sets up the salesperson for failure.

“All buyers are liars” is also a self-perpetuating belief that makes itself true, once you’ve fallen for it.  The belief makes you do things that sabotage trust.  Salespeople who exaggerate the benefits and ignore the negatives can’t be trusted by their prospects, who often respond by lying about their buying intentions.

However, you don’t hear “all buyers are liars” from the top producing salespeople.  They know that they are more likely to get the truth from prospects when they themselves are completely truthful.

Mistrust breeds mistrust.  If you think your buyers are liars, they will probably think the same about you.