We have two ears and one mouth, and sometimes salespeople need to be reminded of those facts – it’s often a good idea to talk less and listen more. And then there are some cases when it’s best to say nothing at all. Just keep your mouth shut – and presumably, your ears open. Sometimes a situation is none of your business, and this can cover a wide range of issues. Your relationship with your customer is a professional relationship. Keep it to business. There are other scenarios in which silence is golden, too. This can include many situations that don’t have a direct bearing on your business relationship.
Story
My first time meeting Henry, the Owner and CEO of a large company making heavy equipment was an eye-opener. You couldn’t miss it – right behind Henry’s mahogany desk was a four-foot-high painting of a young woman – very tasteful, but very scantily clad. I’ll often remark on items in an office just to develop a relationship, but some instinct prompted me to stay away from that painting. Henry and I developed a great relationship and over the years enjoyed many lunches together, and we did a substantial amount of business. But I never once mentioned the painting that was staring me in the face every time I sat in Henry’s office. Years later, Henry told me he was retiring and passing the business on to the next generation, and said he’d like me to meet his successor, whom he called into his office so I’d get a chance to meet her. It was his daughter. She said she was glad to meet me, and that I should just go on dealing with the same people in the office. As she turned to leave, I saw the resemblance. She was the subject of the painting. Why Henry would hang a revealing painting of his daughter in his office was a mystery. But this was getting way too complicated for me, and I was now really, glad that I had never mentioned the painting. Then Henry brought up the subject himself. He explained that his daughter had commissioned the painting of herself and was very pleased with it, and offered it to her parents as a gift. She was crushed when her mother said she had no idea where to hang it in the home, but Henry said that if it meant that much to her, he’d place it in his office, and he did.
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RISBJ | rhode island small business journal