The Eyes Have It!

When you try to convince a friend to read a book you couldn’t put down or go to a restaurant that had great cuisine, you probably talk to their eyes and use your smile and enthusiasm.

It’s especially important to do this when quoting a price or a diamond grade to your customer. Most salespeople look down and quote it to the merchandise. Even worse, they do it with a guarded monotone voice, as if they’re trying to defend the price. That implies the price is negotiable and is one of the reasons customers start bargaining with salespeople. Their eyes were not where they should be, and their enthusiasm and smile were missing.

Observe salespeople in your store and other stores. The customer’s head is down looking at the jewelry and so is the salesperson’s. No one is looking at each other. There is no eye communication and salespeople wonder why they have trouble closing sales. They didn’t have their customer’s complete attention or their trust.

When I point this out to salespeople they are astonished, especially when I ask, “How can your customers trust you when you look away from them when quoting a price, or any important fact? How are they going to believe you?” What usually happens is that salespeople hold up their eyes before they quote a price, but when quoting the price they look down, which suggests shiftiness.

To prevent this, hold your eyes on the customer’s eyes all the time you are quoting a price, a fact, or anything important, and keep your smile. If you drop your smile they will think you’re staring at them. And remember, if you drop your head the customer cannot see you smile.

If your customer is looking down at the diamond ring, keep your eyes on their forehead. As soon as you speak, their eyes will come up and meet yours, they will see your smile, and respond with a smile of their own.

This technique takes discipline but it’s worth it, so start now and practice with another salesperson. You’ll be successful because you’ll be talking to your customer not as a customer, but as a friend in your home.

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