The Ground Rule is a communication technique as fundamental to playing the SalesGame as any of the techniques listed above are to their respective games. In fact, it is a good communication technique for the "Client Relations Game", the "Internal Politics Game", and the "Family Game.”

One of the most satisfying feedback comments I ever received came from a Dutch participant who e-mailed me to say that while he hadn’t sold any additional business as a result of the workshop, his wife and son told him he was easier to live with since he was using that "silly little white card" I had given to the participants to remember the Ground Rule. The best part is that we all know to use this technique even if we have had never thought of it that way. We just need to make the Ground Rule a conscious part of the way we communicate and continue to practice the technique. After all, that is the way you get better at any game!

In the third part of the Ground Rule, professionals provide information as necessary and end with a question. As much as possible, they should balance the information they provide with the amount of feedback they give to client/ prospects. This information may be used to make an emotional connection with the client/ prospect (sharing personal experiences) or it may be used to position a service (communicating important features, benefits or conditions of satisfaction.

Two mistakes are common when professionals use this third part of the Ground Rule. First, they enter a "danger zone" by providing too much information either boring the client/ prospect or emphasizing the wrong selling points. Second, they fail to provide enough information and only ask questions which make the business development interview seem like an interrogation.