Resist the Temptation

We’ve all been there. You have an important meeting coming up. You prepare for weeks. You collect all the data, analyze it, prepare a report, maybe even create an epic PowerPoint presentation. The meeting happens, you “Wow” the group, discussion starts, and then it happens. Someone asks a question you didn’t prepare for. You have no data, no analytics, no cool PowerPoint slide… What do you do?

Nobody likes to be wrong, or look “stupid” in front of a crowd, especially your boss. You don’t want others to think you don’t know what you’re doing. Many might try to stumble through an answer they hope sounds plausible, which leads to even more questions you also have no answers for. You’ve gone from “Wow” to “hope to get through” in just minutes.

Three words could have stopped the above described disaster – I don’t know. Many shy away from those words, feeling they have a negative connotation, as if not knowing the answer to every question is somehow unacceptable.

I had a former boss once tell me, “I’d prefer you just tell me you don’t know. I’ll know when your faking it, at which point, not only are you’re wasting everyone’s time, I’m losing trust in you.”

The last part of that statement is what stuck with me the most – Losing trust. I learned earlier on the best option was to admit I didn’t know, but reassure I would find out.

“That’s a great question. I don’t have the answer right now, but I’ll research it and get back to you on it.”

In one brief sentence I was able to address the question, assure I would answer it properly, save time AND preserve my reputation and trust.

Make sure when interacting with your marketing professionals they are giving you honest answers to your questions. Don’t be afraid to call them out if you think you’re getting a line of hot air, and at the same time, don’t be put-off by those who admit they don’t know.