Honesty Is the Best Policy

My dad used to have a plaque that read "If you can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with bullshit." I saw this employed quite frequently when I was evaluating test tools.

When I would setup demos from tool vendors, I was always up front about my needs and what I was looking for. Then I'd watch whatever they prepared and ask any questions that sprang to mind. Sometimes those questions would stump the presenter, and he or she would come up with some answer that was choc full of buzzwords that didn't mean anything. I never felt the need to call people on this - because in doing this, they answered a different question, which is how honest they are. I tend to avoid doing business with people who BS me, because I never know if I can trust what they're saying. It's hard to get work done when a trust issue is always nagging in the back of your head.

I have no problem with someone telling me "I don't know", so long as that is immediately followed by "But I'll find out and get back to you." I appreciate the honesty and I respect the person more as a result of it, and I think many people share that sentiment. I would much rather work with someone who didn't know an answer and found out for me, rather than someone who'd invented something that sounded good at the time, in order to turn a quick sale.

Now that I'm the one giving the demos, I always try to prepare well in advance so I can address any questions my client may have. And when they stump me, I don't follow the advice on dad's plaque.