Call it ego, pride, or vanity, but, however you label it, Americans are hesitant to admit when they don't know something. Really smart people know it is okay not to know, and spend their time and effort on finding the answer. Train your employees to ask for information if they don't know the answer, rather than lie or dismiss a customer request.
ACTION ITEM
When you know you don't know, admit it, and find someone who does. That should be a company policy. Otherwise, you drive away potential customers.
Raymond drove nearly fifty miles to a computer store because he needed a highly technical part. When he asked whether the item would really do the job, the sales clerk responded: “I think so.” That immediately set off Raymond's built-in lie detector. He exited the store and headed to a competitor, where he found a reliable answer to his question. Raymond believed it was okay for someone not to know the answer, as long as that person was willing to get someone who did.