A Failure to Understand is Your Fault

I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard a frustrated seller complain about a prospect, “Sheesh, I’ve explained how we can help them a million times and he still doesn’t get it.”

Uh, my friend…exactly who is it, that doesn’t get it?

That would be you.

Albert Einstein said “If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it yourself.”

If you’re having a problem communicating with another person; whether you’re trying to explain your product, your point of view, a new concept, a feature, your value, your vision, or tell a story…

And, you have the feeling in your gut that you’re just not getting your point across… that’s on you.

Think about it.

You’re not explaining the theory of relativity.

You’re just selling your product.

And, selling yourself in the process.

Your inability to clearly and simply communicate; your failure to engage and maintain the interest of your prospect, means that you don’t know what you’re talking about.

This failure to understand operates on multiple levels.

It may be that you don’t fully understand what you’re selling. You don’t have a complete grasp on the solution you sell.

It may be that you don’t understand the problem the buyer is trying to solve. You haven’t asked the right questions. You’ve heard but haven’t listened to the buyer’s answers.

It just may be that you don’t understand the value of the outcomes the buyer can obtain from using your product.

It’s in these circumstances that sellers complain that the buyers just don’t get it.

When your buyers don’t have a firm grasp on how your product can help meet their needs, there’s one thing that they fully understand: you’re not the seller to help them make their decision.

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