Integrity in selling should not depend on some hollow guarantee. If your product has demand because of what it does, the value it brings to the prospect, and the trust you have developed; a guarantee is the last thing the prospect is looking to buy.
The only thing a prospect really wants is a solution to the problem. The only reason s/he will buy is because they believe you have that solution and can deliver it.
If you’ve ever seen the movie “Tommy Boy” with Chris Farley you’ll remember the scene where the prospect won’t buy because there was no guarantee on the brake pad box. The sales inept Farley uses his own sincere belief in his product to appeal to the prospect who buys the product. Why? Because he believed in the salesperson more than the product or some guarantee posted on the box.
When you’re asked for a guarantee what does that really mean?
It may mean you haven’t found the real problem or the prospect isn’t convinced that what you have will solve the problem. It may mean that you look, act, and sound like a traditional salesperson; and are therefore going to be treated like a vendor rather than a trusted consultant. It may be you haven’t established the trust needed to do business without some idle guarantee. Ultimately you may look like you need the business more than you want the business, and within the five levels of relationship selling you’re at the bottom with the peddlers and vendors.
If you’re offering guarantees, ask yourself, is my selling system and personal integrity working to the maximum?
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