Comments Salespeople Hate Hearing / Part 2
If you sell for a living in any type of retail environment you have heard it said countless times, haven't you? As a salesperson, sales manager and trainer with over 35 years experience, it amazes me how often I've witnessed salespeople hear this comment. They all hate hearing it, yet they keep inviting it, customer after customer by making a huge mistake right at the point of initial contact with their fresh prospect.
Before I explain my comment about 'inviting' the statement, let me explain why I'm just looking is the last thing a salesperson wants to hear when greeting a customer. The comment creates a serious threat to the relationship or rapport building that you must establish to help put your sale together. It allows only two courses of action for the salesperson to take and both lead away from the sale.
If the statement is accepted at face value, the salesperson will usually hand over a business card (or not), disengage and scurry for cover. The prospect will then usually linger for a few moments and head out the door, still looking. Often he or she will be looking for a more masterful salesperson.
If the statement is thought of as a simple throwaway comment, it will almost certainly be ignored by the salesperson who will then try to begin to qualify in some manner. This can easily be seen as extremely rude and 'pushy stereotypical sales behavior' which is not likely a relationship builder, right?
Ok, we see the problem when the statement is uttered but what made me suggest that salespeople usually invite it? The comment comes after the typical less than effective Can I help you? greeting used by your average salesperson.
If you're lucky, you will hear I'm just looking with that greeting. Often, you will just hear No and where do you go after hearing that? The greeting is such an important part of the selling experience. Don't blow it by using the dumbest greeting in the industry.
Asking yes or no questions can and does destroy selling opportunities hundreds of times everyday.
There are masterful greetings available as well as powerful strategies for winning over fear laddened prospects. Just one final thought, if I may. Of course the prospect is looking, otherwise he or she wouldn't be in you place of business, would they?
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