We all know that you never get a second chance to make a first impression. But there's another part to that rule: You never get a second chance to judge people if you judge them wrongly in the first place. If you judge your customers' ability to buy, or their willingness to become long-term customers, based on their appearance or their body language, it's easy to make a huge mistake. You can't tell what's on the inside by what's on the outside, and you can't tell people's net worth, their ability to spend money, or their ability to borrow money based on their appearance. The best practice is to assume that everyone may be a prospect who can buy, and then sort them out as you ask questions and get to know each one.
Learn not to make snap judgments based on appearance. Ask some key questions to qualify prospects rather than just depending on how they look.
The owner of a small high-performance auto shop had been having a tough day when a young customer came in and began to ask prices and availability on a page-long list of high-cost items. Somehow the owner managed to keep a smile on his face as he quoted price after price. However, inside he was telling himself: “This is a waste of time. This guy could never afford to buy this stuff.” After pricing many thousands of dollars worth of merchandise, the young man looked at the shop owner and said: “Okay, I'll take it.” To which the owner responded: “You'll take what?” The customer replied: “Everything you just quoted.” With that, he pulled out a roll of $100 bills to pay for the items. The owner learned a great lesson that day. Never judge a person by what's on the outside, and never assume prospects can't or won't buy based on their appearance.
TAKEAWAY
There's no way of knowing for sure whether
the person with whom you're talking is a
pauper or a millionaire. The best practice is
to let them qualify themselves rather than
run the risk of judging them incorrectly.