It could be YOU!
- They might not like the look of you!
- Perhaps your opening line closed the conversation
- Your enthusiasm has overwhelmed them
- Your lack of enthusiasm has disappointed them
- Your garlic/coffee/curry breath has caused their spectacles to melt!
All these factors can have a negative result when attempting to sell. Have you noticed a common theme? They have little or nothing to do with your product or your sales skills.
In fact, many business opportunities are lost even before any attempt has been made to sell. This is simply because the seller hasn’t considered their own personal presentation. Such issues can also play a part in business conducted over the telephone or over the internet. Here the issue is ‘it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it’. We all know this to be true, but how often do we stop to think how this can apply to us and our business approach? First impressions are more about how we look, how we act, what we say and what we do.
Emotion has a huge effect on how we regard the people we meet. The emotion generated can have a positive or negative effect on any business being sought. Before we have even opened our mouths, the new prospect can have made a subconscious decision not to do business with us! Are we guilty of self-sabotage without realising it?
It is true; we do business with people we like. Often, we decide whether we like them or not within just a few seconds of meeting them. Yes, first impressions are very important.
Next time you want to approach someone whom you think may be a prospective customer, take a moment to consider:
- Do I look the part?
- Would a mouth spray help?!
- Am I prepared to listen before I attempt to sell?
- Do I have an interesting opening line and elevator pitch?
- Will my enthusiasm for my business be seen as being keen or aggressive?
- How can I help them?
……and only then, how can they help me?
Give yourself a chance! Once these questions are answered positively, you stand a good chance of winning their hearts and their business.