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Many people argue that the quickest way of judging a situation is to pre-judge it.
Those who trust their instincts to give them the right steer in a situation may often
get it right, and find that there is real benefit in doing so. Certainly, the advantages of
having good instincts are clearly evidenced by good results in terms of sales.
However, it can also be negative to be too quick off the mark in terms of identifying a
customer’s needs. The results of this course of action can be that you appear either
presumptuous or incompetent, and you may even insult the customer by being so bold. It is generally
worth allowing the customer a chance to let you know what they want. They may well leave some
information incomplete, and this is where your sales instincts can be most useful.
There are many ways you can fall into the trap of presuming too much. Many people tend to judge
customers by appearance, and assume that because a customer of the same age, gender or any other
grouping tends to want a specific item, that this will necessarily hold true of any customer in that sector.
It helps to allow the customer to say what they are going to say first, and then fill in any blanks that are
left. It may seem like a neat trick to “know” what the customer wants before they say anything, but
when you get it wrong it seems less like a trick and more like a really stupid thing to do. Appearing
competent is what’s essential.
Apart from any other reason to pause and listen, there is the fact that it is just good manners to do so.
Appearing impolite and almost trying to give the impression that you know the customer’s needs better
than they themselves do, is something that will lose you sales. What you really want to portray is that
you have the wisdom to recognize the customer’s needs, and the good grace to let them make things
clear themselves. You will benefit a lot more from showing consideration than you will from any party
tricks.