VIR-I-0055
“I told the buyer about the flaw and they trusted me more, not less.”
Every instinct said hide it — the sale was right there. You pointed at the flaw yourself and watched the buyer relax instead of walk. People are starved for someone who tells them the downside. Honesty about what's wrong is the fastest way to be believed about what's right.
Your Practice
- Notice that naming the flaw made the strengths believable.
- Make full disclosure a fixed part of every deal you do.
- Tell the buyer plainly why you told them — so they know what to expect from you.
- Track how many come back. Honest dealers get repeat business.
The Architects
“Tricks and Treachery are the Practice of Fools, that have not Wit enough to be honest.”
— Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack, 1740