How many times have we all been inside a shop looking around, not sure if we are going to buy or not, when a salesperson approaches us asking: “May I help you?”, only to get from us the most typical answer: “No thank you, I’m just looking!”

Come to think of it, this is more like an instant reaction, as if we are programmed to do so.  According to Neuroscience, this type of behaviour is linked to Amygdala, the definition of which we find in Britannica.com as: “The region of the brain primarily associated with emotional processes that historically was considered to be involved primarily in fear and other emotions related to aversive (unpleasant) stimuli”.  So, all this is triggered from me wanting to buy a sweater, when suddenly a salesperson approaches and asks me if I wanted some help?

Most of the people love to buy but hate to feel that they are being sold.  This applies from the simplest B2C transaction to the most complex B2B sale.  Thus, we need to constantly remind ourselves that our customers have Amygdala, which could be triggered when he/she feels pressured or guided to make a commitment.  If this happens, then most probably the customer will refrain from further sharing information and as a consequence, we are going to end up with a “superficial” discussion without any value addition.

In order to avoid situations like these, the customer needs to be engaged and feel as an active part of the sales process.  Therefore, we need to study our approach and establish an environment in which the customer feels “safe” and in control.  Once we succeed in this, the flow of meaningful information from both parties will be most probably achieved, hence setting the foundations for a positive outcome.