5. BE TRANSPARENT
For O'Brien, honesty isn't just the best policy, it's the only policy. "It takes a long time to build trust with new customers and a lack of integrity can ruin a relationship faster than a botched project," he said.
Many things can be negotiated throughout the sales process, but going back to Quicksell's earlier point, a reciprocal expectation level isn't one of them. If customers better explained their vision and how the salesperson's work fits in with big-picture goals, the process would run more efficiently, right? O'Brien seems to think so. "Think of it this way: How honest would you like your customers to be with you?" he asked. "[...] One has to extend trust to make trust, and so long as you're motivated to find mutual benefit, you'll know what's appropriate to share to get the job done."