We've all probably found ourselves in a research meeting or interview where our contact said something we didn't understand. We are now in an age-old quandary. Do we act like we understand, or admit that we don't? We have been trained to be knowledgeable and confident, and admitting we don't "get it" can feel unnatural. Yet many of us have had the experience of faking it, and having it come back to haunt us later.

One of the best things we can do in this situation is to simply be honest, and ask honest questions. In fact, these types of questions may be some of the most powerful questions we can ask:


Why is that so important?
What does that acronym stand for?
How again does that happen?
What if that effort isn't successful?
I'm not sure I understand...
Could you say that again?
Could you share an example with me?


If we're not sure about what we heard, let's be honest about that as well, and use this as an opportunity to use a very effective questioning/listening strategy of confirming what we think we heard. You might say something like this, "I want to make sure I understand this. I think you said that... Is that right?" This will show that you are listening and truly interested in understanding, and it will get you a clarification if you need it.

Research meetings are tremendous tools, and the better we understand what we learn, the more effective we'll be throughout the sales process. Asking honest questions can help us get the most out of these critical calls.