subject: Why do people have to pretend to know everything? [print this page] Why do people have to pretend to know everything?
If you don't know the answer to a question, do you ask for clarification before committing?
Have you ever been in a meeting situation where a bunch of information is doled out, and in looking around at the other people there, you notice some looks of confusion come over several of the other attendees? Finally, someone comes out and says, "I hate to ask a stupid question, but what is...?" Then, once the clarification is made, you see a sign of quiet calm come over all of the other people who may not have known, either, but were too timid to ask the question.
If you're the type of individual who feels that the best workers have answers to every question, you may not have had that experience, or you may have felt that the question really was stupid and shouldn't have been asked in the first place.
But it's not always the "best worker" who is afraid to admit that they don't know something. In fact, that kind of behavior can typically get you into trouble with other employees, and with customers. Here's an example from Janine Popick, CEO of Vertical Response Marketing:
"I once worked with a guy who was a stereotypical Sales Shark! His problem? He sold whatever the prospect wanted, even if we didn't have it.
"One particular prospect asked a ton of questions about our service and instead of saying 'I don't know if we can deliver that, I'll check on it and get back to you,' he said 'Yes, we can do that.'
"After closing and signing this pretty big deal, it turned out that the service that our new customer wanted wasn't anything that we could deliver on. The customer wasn't happy, which is the worst way to start a business relationship."
Making commitments when you don't know all the answers can actually make things worse than if you had simply said you didn't know and would get back to the customer with the correct answer.
But it must be remembered that, while saying the words "I don't know" can be a strength, incomplete understanding on your part must be followed up with finding the actual answer and then getting back to the customer right away with the correct information. Otherwise, saying "I don't know" to a customer (or fellow employee) is simply a weakness that demonstrates a lack of caring.
It's much better to earn respect by being confident that you're not expected to know every answer, but that you will do your best to ensure that every potential objection is accounted for. Your customers and fellow employees will be more satisfied and trusting as a result of your honesty.
