A theme that has emerged in a number of recent SHOES programmes has been the difference it can make to your business if you shift from a selling mindset to that of a buying one. Here are five simple thoughts to keep in mind if you want to get inside the head of your customers:

• Always know that the customer lives on planet WII FM (What’s in it for me?). So make sure that you tune into that station. If you can’t answer the WII FM question, then you’re wasting your time talking to them in the first place.
  
  
• Know your potential buyer better than they know themselves. They may or may not know what they really require of you, so it’s part of your job spec to help them work out what they NEED as opposed to what they WANT.

• Think like your customer. Five minutes simple role-playing can paint your own offering in a completely different light when you start to see it from the customer’s perspective.
  
  
• See your customer sitting in front of you so you can write sales materials directly for them. It’s a powerful discipline that achieves real results.
  
  
• Know their gender, age, and economic status so that you can maximise the fit between buyer and seller.