When I ask a waitperson what they think about a dish, if they say it’s excellent, I say great and I then ask about another menu item. If they say that one is good too, I then ask about another. If the waiter also says that one is good, I switch my approach and ask, what’s not good. If they say everything is good, I get pissed inside and dismiss them and their responses.

When a sales manager never has any critical assessments of their team. I’m thinking, she’s full of shit! When, a sales person won’t tell me what’s not strong about the product or service, they’ve lost me.

When I interview sales candidates, I ask them where they struggle as a sales person. I ask them what gets in their way. I want to know what it is that gets in their way of making quota? If they give me a negative that’s really a positive like; I work too much, I ask again. If they don’t give me a REAL, negative about themselves, I don’t hire them.

Nothing is perfect, no one is perfect, no product is perfect, no solution is perfect. Everything has it’s flaws and if you are acting as if your product is perfect and has no flaws, you’re lying through omission and that’s just as bad as straight up lying.

It’s our job as sales people to consult and educate our customers and prospects. If we’re telling them everything is good, if we’re not giving them the whole story, we’re not doing our job. We’re lying through omission.

If you’re SaaS offering is weak in a particular area and the customer asks, tell them straight up, don’t beat around the bush. You need to put it on the table. It doesn’t mean the customer won’t buy. But, it does give you the opportunity, as a sales person, to understand why it may be important. Being honest helps you sell a better solution.

If your product is missing a feature, if it can’t do something the other products can, if it has a weakness like everything does, admit and hit it head on. If you don’t you’re lying through omission and nobody likes a liar.

A sales person who lies through omission can’t be trusted. Once trust is gone, the sale is seconds behind it.

If you’re a buyer, don’t trust the pollyanna sales person. If you’re a sales person, tell the truth. It’s not the “perfect” product. We all know it and you just look stupid — cut it out!

Never trust a sales person who lies through omission.