A good sale survives the truth

Every sale can be put to one test. If the buyer knew every single thing you know about it, would they still pay?

Some sellers need the answer to be no. They do well when the buyer is in a hurry or does not know much. Other sellers do better the more the buyer understands.

Picture a small bakery in Muscat at seven in the morning. Two trays of croissants look the same, but one is fresh and the other is yesterday's, warmed up. A regular on her way to work gets one from the old tray and cannot tell. She finds out at her desk, with the first dry bite.

That sale only worked because she did not know.

Which kind of seller you are is a choice. You can count on buyers not knowing, or you can teach them what to look for. Say when something is older, weaker or not quite what it looks like, and price it honestly. Tell people what your product does well and where it falls short.

Some will walk away. The ones who stay chose you knowing the full story, and those are the customers who return.

A sale that cannot survive the truth was never worth making.