This is how you sell...

I was in a store the other day looking for a Christmas present.

An assistant came over and asked if I needed help.

"No I'm fine thanks, just looking."

I then stopped & realised what had happened. I'd put my defenses up. My reptilian brain had taken over.

Even though I was looking for something, this knee jerk reaction had kicked in anyway.

No logic. No rationale.

Neocortex overriden.

It's a reflex to protect us from outsiders - as has been the case for millennia.

It's hard wired into us. Human biology - plain & simple.

This morning though, I had the opposite experience.

I was rushing round, a little stressed out.

A store assistant approached me and calmly said:

'You look a bit stressed, let me help you. Now tell me... What are you looking for?'

What did she do differently?

*She tuned into my emotion

*She showed empathy

*She broke the autopilot response...through a pattern interrupt

And she did this by connecting on an emotional level, one human to another.

I felt comfortable and my barriers came down.

She helped me find what I'd been looking for.

I left the shop less stressed.

Happy buyer!

Great salesperson.