TIP: CATCHING ALL BUYING SIGNALS IS CRITICAL
WHY IT IS TRUE: It is estimated that salespeople miss an average of 2.5 buying signals for every sale. A buying signal is defined as a verbal or nonverbal indication by the customer that he or she is ready to buy.
PLAN OF ACTION: Keep a close eye out for these non-verbal buying signals:
- Customer reaches for his wallet.
- Customer (with a lady friend) winks at you at a moment when she is momentarily distracted.
- Customer holds the piece and looks at it for longer than the usual period of time.
- Customer moves the piece toward herself on the counter pad.
- Customer continues to look at earrings, necklace in the mirror for an extended period of time.
- Customer strokes their chin (good sign).
- Customer pulls their nose (a negative sign).
- Customer begins walking toward the register (if you miss this one, you better invest in a new pair of glasses).
- Customer taps their forefinger on the glass countertop.
- Customers hold and look at the piece together, occasionally taking a moment to glance into each other’s eyes.
- The customers’ pupils dilate. This is a great nonverbal sign that they are with you. If the customer’s eyes are constricted, you better make a fast change or they are out of there.
- Sometimes it’s not what the customer says, but what they do not say that indicates their readiness to buy.
This article originally appeared in the May 2018 edition of INSTORE.