| Each of us has a built-in sixth sense:
our sub-conscious mind. It tells us many things—which
people we like and which we dislike, as well as whom
we believe to be trustworthy and sincere versus untrustworthy
and insincere. In your own past, you have met people
whom you liked or trusted from the very first moment.
You felt comfortable around them, as if you had known
them for a long time. You have also met people whom
you instantaneously knew you did not like; you did not
trust them and were uncomfortable around them. Certainly
this applies with salespeople: some of whom you may
have trusted and believed from the outset, and others
you may have not.
We’re told our subconscious minds send us many
signals, some of which we do not comprehend consciously.
As a consequence, sometimes our conscious mind does
not understand the reasons why we feel what we do about
certain things or people. The person you have just met,
for instance, may remind you subconsciously of other
people you have had dealings with or have known. If
it was a sales person you had business dealings with
years ago, the outcome of the experience, whether positive
or negative, could well affect how you perceive the
person you have just met.
Your prospect will draw similar beliefs, feelings and
conclusions about you. This is why you must always have
your prospect’s best interests at heart. You cannot
fake true sincerity. Your prospect’s subconscious
mind will sense if you are there to help him or to take
his money. Sometimes you will make a presentation and
you just know your product (or service) is an ideal
fit for the prospect’s needs and wants, but they
will not order from you. Many salespeople try to figure
out what they did wrong, although they have frequently
done nothing wrong.
Perhaps you reminded the prospect of someone with whom
they have had a previous bad business experience. The
prospect does not even realize why they do not want
to do business with you; they just sense they will not.
This is one reason why it is so critical that you keep
your prospect’s best interests at heart at all
times. Your best interests and your prospect’s
best interests must be the same. There will always be
business out there that serves the interest of both
you and your prospect.
By keeping your prospect’s best interests at
heart and showing them respect, you can often—with
patience—overcome their initial, perhaps-subconscious,
erroneous impressions, and gain their respect. |
