🐈
» Forums » Coffee Break » Tip of the Week | Don't oversell yourself
Page options
a_lipsey
Community Member

Tip of the Week | Don't oversell yourself

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt." 

 

I am reminded of this adage many times every single day. I've never lost respect for someone so fast as when they open their mouth to pontificate on subject matter that they know very little about or worse, that they know just a little about and do not realize that this little bit is not even the beginning of a mountain of knowledge they do not have. 

 

The other half of this really is "you don't know what you don't know."  

 

 

 

ACCEPTED SOLUTION
wendy_writes
Community Member

19 REPLIES 19
wendy_writes
Community Member

+ 1,000 

bizwriterjohn
Community Member

This adage is taught in sales training.  The version taught to me:  "Once you win the deal, hush up".  This was covered in my first NCR sales training course, circa1986.

You can cover what is presented in this piece as an early step in the (post-win) Project Start-up Phase -- as an alternative.  There is case to be made in doing so and you most surely have made a specific one.

 

The only sacrifice is a final check on client viability as the accept project button will have been engaged.

- - -

Do you engage in any processes or dialogs covering Project Close -- early on in your project.

 

 

gilbert-phyllis
Community Member


Amanda L wrote:

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt." 

 

I am reminded of this adage many times every single day. I've never lost respect for someone so fast as when they open their mouth to pontificate on subject matter that they know very little about or worse, that they know just a little about and do not realize that this little bit is not even the beginning of a mountain of knowledge they do not have. 

 

The other half of this really is "you don't know what you don't know."  

 

 

 


Agree completely. Luckily, a lot of people don't grasp this and it helps us suss out clients we want to avoid!

versailles
Community Member

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt." 

 

No way. I've shut my mouth enough. I will now expose my deep stupidity to the face of the Earth.

 

Take this IQ>84 people!

 

 

 

-----------
"Where darkness shines like dazzling light"   —William Ashbless

Do you perhaps any specific tactics that you use.  One cannot merely be silent all of the time.  What do you cover, consistently, in, say, the Project Win and Project Start-up cycles. 


Rene K wrote:

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt." 

 

No way. I've shut my mouth enough. I will now expose my deep stupidity to the face of the Earth.

 

Take this IQ>84 people!

 

 

 


Sometimes, René, I will actually out my own stupidity in an effort to get a client to get out of their own jargon and "obviousing" of what they do and get them to really break down for me their aims, the problem they are studying, and why it's important. Of course, I work with researchers, scientists, and nonprofits, so it may not be the translatable to other fields. I will suggest they pretend like I have never heard of whatever is they are doing or studying and explain it to me in very simplistic terms. That process often gets them to see very clearly and simply what it is they and I need to do. 

 

So knowing your stupidity and using it to your advantage is different than not knowing your stupidity and blasting it to the masses. 🙂 

lysis10
Community Member


Amanda L wrote:

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt." 

 

I am reminded of this adage many times every single day. I've never lost respect for someone so fast as when they open their mouth to pontificate on subject matter that they know very little about or worse, that they know just a little about and do not realize that this little bit is not even the beginning of a mountain of knowledge they do not have. 

 

The other half of this really is "you don't know what you don't know."  

 

 

 


shut up and take my money for your course

tlsanders
Community Member

I know this is an unusual perspective given that as freelancers we're dependent on our ability to land work, but I've found it best not to make any attempt to sell myself. Even in a job interview, I'm there to find out if it's really a good fit on both sides, and that means not only asking questions and assessing, but also being very WYSIWYG instead of trying to make a positive impression.


Tiffany S wrote:

I know this is an unusual perspective given that as freelancers we're dependent on our ability to land work, but I've found it best not to make any attempt to sell myself. Even in a job interview, I'm there to find out if it's really a good fit on both sides, and that means not only asking questions and assessing, but also being very WYSIWYG instead of trying to make a positive impression.


Can't resist quoting from my fave piece of literature:

This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.

Earlier on, he also says,
Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice;
Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment.

Which dovetails nicely with the theme of this thread.

__________________________________________________
"No good deed goes unpunished." -- Clare Boothe Luce


Tiffany S wrote:

I know this is an unusual perspective given that as freelancers we're dependent on our ability to land work, but I've found it best not to make any attempt to sell myself. Even in a job interview, I'm there to find out if it's really a good fit on both sides, and that means not only asking questions and assessing, but also being very WYSIWYG instead of trying to make a positive impression.


I love this and totally agree! 

I kudo this to the 10th degree.   WYSIWYG.

What you sell... is what you get.

John.

I have been in corporate sales for the better part of my twenty-year career.  Professional training to the 10the degree.  Responsible for carrying yearly sales objectives measured in the millions.  Responsible for building up a national sales staff.  Training.  And being held responsible in part for their success.  Among the top on Upwork, in my profession of sales services.

I hate selling.

 

Good night.

petra_r
Community Member


Amanda L wrote:

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt." 


I can say that in Latin! Do I get extra points?

I believe Tiffany's words are the primary demarcation between long-term successful FL (biz owners) and all the rest ...

 

"I'm there to find out if it's really a good fit on both sides, and that means not only asking questions and assessing, but also being very WYSIWYG instead of trying to make a positive impression."

Considering the beauty and elegance of the city you live in.  You can say that in Latin and view one of Italy's renown beaches at the same time.

That is not measured in a few points.  That means you won the game.

bizwriterjohn
Community Member

I have pondered the comments on this thread for the better part of the weekend.  This includes several dialogs with my VP of Listening.  Skipper.  He most surely is a master in exhibiting the behaviors of 'speak less, listen more' which is the theme of this thread.  It is one reason I like him so much.  (lol...)

I find it to be a special responsibility, to issue work that is intended to be thought capital-class.  It would distress me if, one day, for example, a newcomer wrote, "I tried what you recommended, John, and it caused problems or lost me work".  That would be horrific.  One assumes great responsibility in issuing opinions of the depth and specificity I do.

 

I also have the capability to revise posts, and as they will be used by URL reference for a while to come, to reference and provide information in link to our main forum (associated with problems stated the piece relates to) --  I  have seriously considered modifying the piece according to some of the perceptions fairly expressed.

My choice is to leave it as it stands and continue to recommend the approach of position the Project End, during the Project Win phase (with common sense applied, not every tactic works all the time in every situation).

 

One of my services is professional sales training.  Companies retain me to actually hire corporate-class salespeople. That is not bragging, or at least I hope it is not construed as such. It is merely a factor and perhaps worth stating. That experience and Upwork experiences indicated in the piece substantiate no changes or reference to the "elephant" tactic.  Big ears, small mouth.

 

- - -
There are two circumstances I have in mind, that this tactic is designed to address.
- Unviable clients not being spotted at the last time possible.

- A client not understanding just how important the JSS is to us.

 

I view the risk of 'losing the deal because the mouth remained open' as mitigated by the power of

 

- Using this tactic to discern at the last possible step - "is this a viable client".  Do they cooperate, do they listen, do they communicate well, do they respond back.

 

- Using this tactic to preposition a successful Project Close stage.  The importance of this is exceptionally high.

 

In short, I have pondered your comments deeply.  Notice, I have not responded in arguement until I listened very closely and said very little.

 

My recommendations stand.  Let me turn a modest cannon of thought your way:

If your prospective client relationship is so weak, as to worry about the risk of having a prospect walk away with this simple tactic, well. Good news.


I am covering how to build steel-weld prospective client relationships next week.

 

 

petra_r
Community Member


Amanda L wrote:

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt." 

 


And once you have removed all doubt, and yet keep proving it over and over and over again, what would that be called?

 

I guess good old Freud summed it up as "repetition compulsion": ”Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome?"

Petra and Amanda - +1000 kudos!

a_lipsey
Community Member

I dont know. My first inclination this morning is to call the behavior pathetic. Desperate, maybe?

It's funny how so many people who disagree so often totally agree on one thing.
Latest Articles
Learning Paths