The Value of Ignorance
Last week's piece on AI brought up a really important concept in my mind. There's a tremendous amount of value in having the world's collective knowledge in your pocket. Having a tool that can access it with your intended context is even more valuable.
It's natural to get carried away with the thought of actually being a know-it-all, and how that might impact your ability to be a resource to your customers. What if there were no questions you didn't know the answers to? How quickly could you get through the learning curves of new products and applications? It's fun to daydream like this, and even a little bit power-trippy.
But let's get real; knowledge isn't a differentiator. Everyone is going to have access to the same knowledge, including your competitors and even your customers. If you think this is a game-changer, you're right. Your customers will not need you for knowledge in the age of AI- they'll have it in their pockets too.
I've thought a lot about this from the contrary point of view...
What's the value of ignorance?
Ok, you clearly need to know something. You need two things to be a trusted advisor- trust and advice. If you're totally ignorant, then you have no real advice to provide, and if you try, you'll be seen as a fraud. That's obviously no good.
I still believe that there's immense value in learning things right alongside your prospects and customers. When you explore and learn together, you form and galvanize bonds. That's a huge form of relationship building, and it's necessary in complex sales.
Selling is not an instruction manual to be followed (disseminating information). It's a series of problems to be solved (learning and growing together).
Think about this as you're preparing for meetings, especially early in your sales process. How much do you need to know about someone? Where's the line between "Show Me You Know Me" and knowing so much about someone that you have no questions to ask them or means of actually connecting?
My friend Sam McKenna nails the #SMYKM concept, but there's certainly a point at which you're no longer doing yourself any favors. It's not just valuable to learn alongside your customers; it's vital to building the relationships you desire. Trying to know everything is tantamount to getting in your own way.
As you head into your sales, calls, particularly in discovery, ask yourself these questions:
What do I want to learn during this call?
What would be valuable for my customer and me to learn together?
What do I need to know in order to earn the right to ask those questions?
Most importantly, when that voice in the back of your head says, "I wish I knew _______," or "I wonder _______..." do everybody a favor and ask. I've never been let down by paying attention to that voice, and neither has anybody else I've ever talked to in this context.
If a customer is worth selling to, they're worth learning with too. In fact, the latter is often the former.
