“Mind-reading is a way to make all your sales and marketing efforts connect. It’s a consumer psychology tool to help you get more customers.” An article that i read recently talked about an important subject in sales- knowing your customers. Prof Sweet talked about being able to read people’s minds and how that can be helpful when you are making a sale. I think this idea is very true. I work for an ice cream shop and I know right away what most people will order. When a big man comes in the shop and asks for a banana matcha, I often clarify that matcha is a green tea that tastes very earthy. Nine out of ten times this leads them to choose something very different, to the tune of Fudge Brownie or Peanut Butter.
But mind reading can do a whole lot more than creating satisfied customers. It can show a great amount of knowledge of your own product. By understanding which flavor, color, or version of your product best suits your customer, you show how much you have studied, tested, and worked with your product. From your knowledge of your product, your customers can trust you and in turn your company. Sweet has mentioned in class that sometimes this can be used poorly, and in turn can come off as cocky. It is important to be aware of that when mind reading during sales.
BoweryJE22
I think this is very interesting because there are different points of view on reading minds. In our book, The Sandler Rules it says one of the rules is to not read minds because you may get yourself into a trap and start talking too much rather than listen. I am not sure what side I agree with more because I can see both viewpoints.
I agree with David Kraus I also agree with both viewpoints. Understanding customer needs by testing and understanding customer preference be it based on gender, geographical regions can be illuminating these assumptions can trap sellers and cause misunderstanding.
I think, like with all things, there is a middle ground. I think “reading minds” or doing some psychoanalysis can be helpful in a sales situation, but it should not lead to concrete assumptions. Perhaps it should just lead to a probing question for a confirmation of your analysis.