Why Saying, “Can I Help You?” Doesn't Increase Your Business

You know how when you enter a store, the first thing a shopkeeper asks you is, “Can I help you?” or, “Can i help you find what you are looking for?”

How often do you reply with, “No, im just looking”?

There are a few problems with asking, “Can I help you?”.
Most people don’t pay attention to the fact it's a ‘closed question.’ A closed question is one that only needs a yes or a no response, and does not engage the other person in deeper conversation. This doesn’t help you start a conversation with a customer or prospect.

The other problem is that this question has been used ever since retailing existed, meaning it automatically triggers the ‘You are selling to me’ response. That is why most people respond with, “No, I’m just looking.”

The good news is, there is a simple change and a few magic words which can make a big difference to your success rate, and increase your client/customer interaction.

Start with, “Hi” or, “How are you today?”

This simple phrase works for one reason alone. It’s a polite and normal way to start a conversation with somebody who you want to have a conversation with. It turns off their, ‘I’m getting sold’ response.

Follow that up with, “What are you looking for?”

By asking, “What are you looking for?” you are asking a question that compels them to answer. I can tell you countless stories of situations where retail stores made more sales in an hour than ever before by simply by changing the words they used to interact with customers.

This works the same way when you try to speak with a new client. Don’t ask them if you can help them, which automatically sounds like you are selling something. Instead ask them what they are having trouble with, what are the challenges they are having in their business today, etc.

By doing this, you are asking them to tell you their story or their “pain point”. People always want to talk about what is bothering them or not working in their lives. By giving you all this information they are doing your sales-homework for you.

Once they have told you their pain point, that gives you the information you need to be able to offer them help with their specific problem. If you ask the right questions you can lead them into selling you to themselves without you doing any of the selling.

Learn more by watching this video here:

https://youtu.be/yW9LEwtWjtY

A Bit Of Humour For You

A customer walks into a hardware store to return a faulty light globe.

“Hi, yesterday I bought this energy saving bulb in your store,” he said “but when I returned home it didn’t work!”

The service desk attendant rolled his eyes and replied, “Well of course it doesn’t, it saves energy, duh!”

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