Who doesn’t like good goss?
It’s only human to lean in when someone sharing a juicy bit of gossip. I tend to have two reactions. First, I hate myself for listening and second, I wonder, “what are they saying about me to others?” The same thinking can be applied to name dropping in sales.
Let’s say a customer asks, “Who else do you work with?” This is certainly a fair question and the inquiry is likely 100% innocent. They might be trying to figure out if you can handle their work. However, the danger in sharing names it’s similar to that of sharing gossip. This customer might think, “I wonder if they will share my information with others?”
A better and more professional way to handle that question is to say something like, “We consider each customer relationship to be sacred. As such, we don’t share the names of our clients. I would never want you to think I’m talking about you and your company to someone else.”
Did you hear that mic drop?
