In what type of situations is it better to stretch the truth in order to sell a product?
"In my opinion, there is never a situation where you should stretch the truth to sell a product. Selling a product should include asking more questions of the client and talking a little less."
"When selling a product or service, describing features and benefits is the best approach. It is not in the best interest of a company or a customer for anyone to stretch truths."
"I am not in the habit of stretching the truth. I believe that fact-based decision making is the best route for everyone. I would not want to make an important decision with the information that was loosely based on fact, so I would not do the same to my customers."
"Being in a high-pressure sales environment for the past ten years, I have seen it all! Stretching the truth never bodes well in the end. I am upfront with my clients at all times and confident enough in my product line that I can always find the right fit for their needs without lying."
"Stretching the truth can be damaging to a student. I would never do anything to compromise the position of trust that I am in, as a teacher."
"As an advocate for truthful advertising, I think it would be appalling to fib to gain business or client approval."
The interviewer would like to know if you would stretch the truth to sell a product. Of course, you already know that it is not okay to fib to make a sale. Talk to the interviewer about your ability to sell without stretching the truth.
"I feel that if you need to stretch the truth to sell a product, you probably aren't a natural salesperson. If you know what you're doing and understand your product, there should be no need to stretch the truth. Honesty is always the best policy."
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
We should not oversell our features as oftentimes we cannot deliver on those features. However, we should be able to use exaggerated words like "groundbreaking" instead of "good" because the former is a vague claim which doesn't need to substantiate but it does carry strong psychological power.
Amanda's Feedback
With this question, the interviewer is trying to gauge whether or not you'd stretch the truth to sell a product. You're right - it's not a good idea to oversell and under-deliver. You can strengthen this response by talking about how you can make a sale without exaggerating about a product. Do you share customer reviews or ratings, talk about specific features that would benefit the client, or discuss future expected advancements?
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