Customers probably expect exactly what they get when they come to your store.

You meet, greet and qualify them in an attempt to fi nd out their needs and wants from the very beginning.

The problem with this approach is that while you are qualifying, the customer’s fi rst instinct is to be standoffi sh. These two elements don’t mix. The harder you try to qualify a customer, the harder they resist.

One thing you can count on with certainty: When you fi rst meet the customer, what he or she says is probably not what he or she means. If you can decode what the customer is saying and truly understand what he or she is really feeling, you will be in a much better position.

Imagine if a customer says, “I just want your best price.” What he likely means is “I am afraid of you and your sales tactics. I just want to be treated fairly.” This will cause some sales people to become defensive.

Others will immediately resort to a sales pitch. Neither works effectively.

Let’s decode other common phrases: “I just want to look around for awhile.” What he probably means is: “If you stay with me, you will try to sell me something and bother me the whole time, just like the last guy did.”

Let’s make one thing clear: A customer is thinking one thing to him or herself throughout the entire process — “What’s in it for me?” If there isn’t anything in it for the customer, then you lose. If a customer is listening, he or she is probably only patronizing you. If he or she is walking with you, it is most likely only physically.

What if you have an idea that could benefi t the customer? You must let him or her know before you tell them about it, otherwise their force fi eld is engaged.

For example, a customer comes into your store and explains she wants to buy a car for $3,000 cash, but you have nothing to sell her at the price. So you suggest she put the $3,000 down and finance the rest. She refuses
by saying, “No, I really want to pay cash, but thanks anyway.” You try to justify why she should fi nance, and she puts up her defenses or force fi eld.

You go to your manager after the customer leaves and say, “Man, what a waste. That was just another person wanting a $3,000 car. She told me she was in a rush, but that she would be back.”

The fi rst thing you need to do is disengage the customer’s force fi eld. This will help you fi nd out the reasons for her actions. There are many reasons a customer may not be honest with you until he or she trusts you. Perhaps this particular customer was embarrassed to tell you that another dealership rejected her credit and she was told she would have to pay cash.

Remember, you will not progress fi ghting the force fi eld, you must disengage it. The fi rst step is to answer the customer’s question of “What’s in it for me?” If the customer believes he or she has something to gain by listening to your ideas, then they will. And if they feel they have something to gain by spending time with you, they will.

Try this approach the next time you encounter a stumbling block.

“Because I am also here as a consultant, I would like to share some ideas that you might fi nd quite interesting. Sometimes they make sense and sometimes they don’t.”

This opens the line of communication and allows you to consult from the inside of the customer’s force fi eld. More than likely, you will encounter less resistance and more willingness from the customer and therefore be able to confi dently introduce other options.

Your customer needs to believe in you and feel as if you truly appreciate him or her. This does not happen with sales pitches.

It happens when you answer the question, “What’s in it for me?” Focusing on this question will enable you to set the pace, stay in control and make the experience enjoyable for both you and the customer.