I Don’t Do Well with Promises

To me, there’s nothing weaker than a promise because I believe that making promises is a way of avoiding what is really happening. I actually panic when I hear promises and just don’t buy statements such as “I promise that will happen” or “just be patient,” or “just give me more time” and “it will be in the future.”

Today’s the last day of the month and the time we take a hard look at the promises we received this past month or even the entire year and learn the hard reality–it ain’t going to happen. Here are some tough questions to ask whenever you hear a promise from a prospect:

promise: I promise I will make it happen.

response: What is keeping you from making it happen now? What is getting in the way? If you were to remove one obstacle, what would it be?

promise: Just hang in there for a while longer, be patient.

response: What can I expect to get from waiting a while longer? Is the waiting time for me or for you? What needs to happen for you to feel more comfortable? Is being patient a way to sort things out, get clarification, research, analyze, organize, compare? How do you define patience?

promise: I will get that to purchase order to you, I promise.

response: When can I expect to receive that? What may get in the way? In the past, how long did this take?

What promises make you feel impatient?