Are you supposed to play it cool? Greeting a customer too fast will cause some customers to automatically respond by saying, “I am just looking.” What this is in reality is a stall tactic. Customers do not like to be jumped on when they first walk into a business therefore they will say almost anything to get rid of an overly aggressive sales person. The only excuse you can have for a fast approach is to beat your competition to the punch if you are on commission. When you are approaching a customer and you are sure no one else can grab them, greet them in a calm leisurely manner so you will not surprise or startle them into saying “I am just looking” or some other stall tactic.
Always greet a customer saying hi or hello. Or good morning, good afternoon, a contagious smile and correct body language. Never keep your hands in your pockets or your arms folded in front of you; do not lean or rest on a counter or other object. If the customer says, “I am just looking” you must give him your name and say, “if you have any questions please call me” or “I would appreciate it if you ask for me, I will be right over here.” I tell customers I speak with to ask for me and give them my name. You want to make your customers feel that by asking for you or calling you, they will get excellent service. When you are very polite, your customers feel comfortable with you and will call you or ask for you every time they come in. This does work because if their first impression is good and they like you, they will ask for you. If you are wearing a name badge, point to it when you give a customer your name, so he can see your name as well as hear it. You must imprint your name in their memory banks. And when they need to call for you later they will have your name on the tip of their tongue. For if they forget your name, you did not make a strong enough impression on them and they can just go to another sales person.
