Me : “Good morning, may I speak to Mike Wright please?”
Gatekeeper : “No, I am sorry, Mike doesn’t take calls”
Me : “OK, no problem. Perhaps you can help, I saw that Mike recently made an announcement about the Hertford project. I have been working on a similar project and wanted to make contact. Is Mike in the office at the moment?

I started my sales career in, effectively, telesales. As that company is long-gone I feel I can now share with you some of the funny/cringe-worthy moments of that first job…. this and the following stories are all 100% true, though names and details have been changed to protect the innocent.
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I’m currently researching a new market segment for my employer. Obviously, part of this is understanding what individual companies do and how they fit into the industry. I have only a decade’s experience in business, but I think that should be enough to understand what it is companies do. However, decoding what these companies do is incredibly difficult. I am not just talking about jargon, but about clear attempts by companies to avoid saying what they do (usually by listing benefits, “we help companies to maximize work flow efficiencies..”).
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Understanding is one of the least acknowledged fundamentals in selling. If we don’t understand what our prospect means we are likely to shape an inappropriate solution. Try these questions – you might be surprised to discover that your understanding is way-off. These questions also work well when a prospect is very vocal and shooting off in many directions and you need to isolate the core problem and get them to refocus.
• (Repeat your understanding) Does that some up the situation?
• (Repeat your understanding) Have I got that right?
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