A few customers will lie to get what they want. Here’s how to detect their lies and handle the situation.
Watch or listen for these six signs customers are lying to you:
- Anxiousness. They’ll fidget, move around, tap pencils, etc., because they’re uncomfortable.
- Vagueness. Liars tend to give as little detail as possible.
- Defensiveness. If you ask questions, they might get defensive and try to turn the tables by saying, “I can’t believe you don’t trust me.”
- Talking up. Liars often dress up their speech, using non-conversational words and phrases and skipping contractions.
- Speeding up. When people lie, they tend to speak faster.
- Distracted. Liars are usually ready to change the subject quickly, and before you can ask more questions about it.
If you suspect a customer is lying, try these tactics:
- Stick to the facts. Reiterate what you know for sure and have documented. They can’t disagree with documentation.
- Avoid accusations. You don’t want to ever tell customers they’re lying.
- Do what you can based on your facts. Explain that unless they have proper documentation you can only go forward using the facts that are documented.
