The unconscious way you disrespect your members

You’ve asked your customer a question.  It was a good question, perhaps about their financial concerns, or their small business cash flow needs or even what they’re most looking forward to about the new car they’re about to purchase.

Your customer gives an answer then pauses.

You continue with more questions or perhaps you start to talk about services your credit union offers that could be helpful to her or him.

Or you ask your customer a question and he or she doesn’t answer right away.  So you rephrase the question to help them better understand what you mean. And they still pause.  So you move on to a similar but different question.

I see these two scenarios play out all the time.  What’s the problem? You sent a signal of disrespect and didn’t even know it. How?  

You didn’t respect the power of the pause.

When you have asked someone a good question, a question that’s made them think, they may pause before answering, or start to answer and then pause.  The pause is not because they do not know what to say, it’s because they’re thinking.

When you jump into the pause, you don’t give the person a chance to fully articulate their thought.  It sends a message that you don’t really care about what they have to say. It can send a message that you’re in a hurry and more focused on your agenda than on your customer’s agenda.

In addition, when you jump into a pause you may miss out on important information. After a thoughtful pause, a magic nugget of information is likely to follow. They’ve given you a surface level answer, but after a pause, they’re likely to share something more meaningful.

For example – you ask your customer what she likes best about her new car.

She answers she’s looking forward to having a more reliable car, then she looks down and pauses.  If you interrupt, it ends there. If you wait out the pause you learn that she’s been putting a lot of miles on her car because her mother’s sick and she’s been driving a lot to take care of her.  And if you wait and let her keep talking you learn she’s also worried about the time it’s taking away from her small business. There might be a cross sell opportunity for your business lending department.  

Or you’re with a customer and you’ve asked him an important question about his retirement plan.  He doesn’t answer so you rephrase the question. He’s still thinking so you ask a different question.  He’s still trying to answer the first question! Do not assume because someone doesn’t answer right away that they did not understand the question.  Don’t interrupt the pause. If he needs clarification he’ll ask.

Once you look for these pauses, you will see them everywhere. It’s surprisingly hard not to jump in but be patient.

Wait out the pause.  It sends a sign of respect.  And it gives your customer a chance to share information and needs you might be able to help with.  That’s a win for both of you.

Holly Buchanan

Holly Buchanan

Holly Buchanan is the author of Selling Financial Services to Women – What Men Need to Know and Even Women Will Be Surprised to Learn. She is the co-author of The ... Web: www.SellingFinancialServicesToWomen.com Details