I went to the mall for exactly 12 minutes today.
I had to pick something up the "perfect" pocket square for one of my suit/tie combos.
I actually don't mind going to the mall and shopping. (Decades ago, I started a personal shopping business, but I
digress).
While I was at the register, I heard a woman on the phone with someone (who sounded like a husband/boyfriend). He told her something and she started crying, almost sobbing.
The salesperson IMMEDIATELY rushed to her side and said:
"No, Don't Cry... NO MORE CRYING!"
She said this thinking the woman had gotten some awful news.
Turns out, they were tears of joy. Her guy is in the military and was just ordered back from deployment.
Those tears were ones of jubilation, not sadness.
A Few Hours Later, This Had Me Thinking...
How often do we make wrong assumptions?
We might see people dressed a certain way, speaking a certain way, riding a particular car, acting in a certain way... and...
... We make assumption after assumption...
Sure, this is not a good thing to do socially... but from a business and sales perspective... it could be a KILLER.
The point is, NEVER make assumptions about people, their ability to pay, their finances, their interest in your product or service until your absolutely
CERTAIN.
You could be missing out on some extraordinary opportunities.
Instead, inquire, investigate (not "interrogate") and simply ask questions. Be genuinely curious, but not nosey (yes, there is a difference in how a question is asked).
A few extra moments of sincere curiosity can give you
a completely different (and more profitable) result than you ever expected.
