Let’s face it, you know a lot about your niche but you don’t know it all. Don’t be afraid to say I don’t know the answer to your question. Personally I rather say I don’t know than answer a question with the wrong answer. This is why I never believed in fake it until you make it. For one, there’s nothing fake about me and there never will be. So I will never fake it. If you have no problem with faking it then you have no problem lying to me. So how can I trust you?
This is what you must ask yourself. Should I give him or her the answer even though I don’t know it or simply say I don’t know but I will look for an answer? Simply saying I don’t know, I will look for the answer. Gives you the one thing we all work for in our niches to make money down the road. Credibility!
If you fake it and simply give an answer. You are really just guessing. If you guess right, you gain credibility with that person. If you guess wrong, and the person find the right answer some where else. They now know you can’t be trusted and will never ask you another question. Might even post on their blog or on forums that you don’t know what you are talking about. Which will most likely result in you losing readers.
My point here is always be the trusted source for your readers. Build your credibility with your readers. Don’t be afraid to say I DON’T KNOW!
What would you do if you didn’t know the answer to a question from one of your readers?
as well.
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Amen. Something I have noticed with vendors who are really full of sh(&*) is that when I ask them a question they immediately say, “That is a great question!” Then of course they talk all around it without answering. I’m always a lot happier to hear, “I don’t know, but I’ll find out.” That is an honest, trustworthy person and that’s the person I want to do business with or go to for online information.
I agree. When I worked in retail, I learned to say, “I don’t know, let me find out.” If there was no one I could turn to, then I tried to quickly research it or make a phone call. I think it’s better on your reputation because people will come to see you as more reliable or they may just like that you spend time adequately helping them.
Good point Deneil! There is no reason to fake an answer and risk your reputation just because you don’t know the answer to something. The good thing about the Internet though is you can usually find the answers to most stuff pretty quickly, and if someone asks you something via email or in the comments section of your blog… you usually have enough time to find the answer… if you want to take the time. But there is definitely nothing wrong with saying I don’t know.
I work IT and I don’t know all of the anwsers but I am good at researching to find the answers to the problem. If I don’t know something I will tell the user I don’t know but I can do some research to find the solution. I would say never lie to you customer if its your visitors to your blog or users at your job. Your coworks and friends online can also be a big help. Greg Ellison
I try and help out where I can, but there are definitely times where I have no clue to what is being asked of me. People need to be able to trust you and thats what counts.
I’d try to find out and if I couldn’t or it involved way too much of my time compared to what I was ready to spend, I’d just say “I don’t know, sorry”.
Trust is important nowadays, especially online, so it’s a bad idea to screw it up.
After reading this post I have decided to analyze myself . I will try to follow this worthy habit and make my life worthwhile.
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