That’s an admirable position. In fact, it’s a very admirable position. I think every salesperson should have that position. I support you if you have that position.

But don’t tell me you care about your customers, if you don’t act like you care about them. It’s one thing to say you care about your customers as an argument against becoming a "sleazy salesperson," but it’s yet another thing to act in a fashion that is contrary to your position of caring about customers.

Don’t…

…ignore the child that’s with your customer when she comes into your retail store. What mother doesn’t want a salesperson to acknowledge her child? How old is she? What’s her name? Where does she go to school? Who’s her best friend? Kids are grand. Motherhood is grand. Act like it.

…fail to ask about the prospect’s trip to China when she mentioned she just got back from China. Clients don’t typically mention that kind of thing if they don’t want you to ask about it, so if they mention their trip to China, you’d darn well better ask about it. Try, “Oh, I’ve always wanted to go to China - was that your first visit?” If you care about your customer, you’ll ask about the important events in her life.

…overlook the customer when he says he just moved into his house when you arrive at his home for an in-home consultation. Moving into a new house is a major event in anybody’s life. Try, “How’d the move go?” or “Where did you live before?”  Or “What brings you to town?” or “What’s your favorite feature of your new home.” If you care about your customer, you won’t step over all the cardboard boxes just to get to the kitchen so you can give a price on new granite countertops.

…neglect to control your impatience or frustration when a customer is being a bit difficult. Everybody doesn’t see the world through the same glasses, so cut your customer some slack. Maybe they don’t understand, or can’t think as quickly as you do, or aren’t as familiar with your products or processes as you are. Maybe they’re having a bad day because the last salesperson they spoke to tried to slam them into a deal that wasn’t right for them. Give everyone the benefit of the doubt.

…forget the sincere welcome and body language that communicates to another human being that you care about them and are glad to be with them. I know customers can be a pain. But they can also be a joy; give them each prospect a fair chance to be a joy to you. Don’t pre-judge. Don’t be dismissive.

…let this leave your mind for a moment: your customer pays your salary. Treat them right and you’ll do well. Forget the finer points of treating a customer like a human being and you run the risk of being what you don’t want to become: a sleazy sales person.

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