“Can I help you with something?”

All retail sales staff make this statement every day, much to their ruin in my opinion.

I believe that when you ask ‘Can I help you with something?’ it does nothing to build rapport between you, your business and the prospective client.

The late Charlie Mouser was a nationally known lecturer and editor. For years he spoke to associations and business owners across North America and he was known for his ability to detect business trends far ahead of most. At one of his seminars in 1987, he asked one of the participants to ask him ‘Can I help you with something?’ His response was a gem. He said, “Yes, you can come over to my house this evening and cut my grass.”

I tell you this story because when you ask a dumb question you are going to get an answer that is appropriate to the question. We all need to get smarter. We all need to get more adult. We all need to take stock of how we are approaching prospective clients. I would suggest you answering the following questions;

• Are the people who approach me a little concerned about being ‘sold’?
• What can I do to lessen their fears?
• What type of questions can I ask that would make me appear to be more of an advisor that a sales person?