Gotcha Forewarned

When asked to host a Sales forum over video recently, my brief from the leading salesperson involved included to create an environment that elicited the most intel from those assembled.

This desire swells beneath many a sales-orientated call in general.

I prepped. Discovering what those involved wished to achieve. Or were expected to want to accomplish. As well as uncovering a couple of delicate areas that would need to be touched on for progress to truly take hold.

I had a few days grace before the 'event'.

Knowing it's much better to act ahead of time around these thorny issues.

I didn't want what some of the Americans featuring would likely call curveball questions bringing up the shutters. The English version of these, rather than say the sporting chime of googly, I feel is actually gotcha.

In either case, it's a tricky question. One specifically designed to trap the person answering it. Intent on making them look foolish, contradict themselves, or accidentally admit or reveal something they didn't mean to.

I made effort to informally forewarn some attendees what was likely coming;

"... so your subconscious might happily whirr away".

Others received more specific paths, as well as handling tips.

As I did not want to seed the classic 'bridging technique'. For any pivots in the age old politician deflection of, "well, what's really important here is..." or, "that highlights a broader point about..." would bring unwelcome blur.

A small illustration of joy that can flow, one person not expected to be predisposed to engagement began, 'I thought this might come up, so here's some figures I dug out...'.

In our regular role as sales host, this kind of pre-emptive tip-off is what consistently turns potentially awkward topics into active, useful discourse rather than guarded non-disclosures, then yielding genuine and distinctive progress.