What should a sales rep do If they can't identify a customer's true identity?

The most important thing to do to validate a customer's true identity is to determine if the customer is in a high-risk profile. High transaction value accounts are reliable tip-off—the type of transactions that have been completed and the individual's payment pattern. The focus should be to protect your business against any involvement with questionable activities.

It is also essential that people know that they should not give out any personal information. It would be best to gain a good understanding of the person you are dealing with and any suspicious business activities. In this case, practicing due diligence is necessary. You should always check out the person, as there are many scammers out there hoping to prey on someone who is in a susceptible position.

Sometimes Enhanced Due Diligence is needed, and this should consist of additional information. However, regardless of what you discover about the customer, ultimately, the responsibility of determining the customer's true identity falls on you.

Identity thefts can happen anytime and anywhere so it is always important for people to not give out any information. If the salesperson cannot verify the person’s identity, he should not proceed with doing what the person has requested. For example, a person may request access for something over the phone but is unable to verify the details that are needed.

The salesperson cannot grant that request because there is always a possibility that this is not who he is claiming to be. Salespeople may know different ways to verify information just to be sure. It is also not recommended to ask another person to verify the identity of another person.

In any business organization, the sales reps are very vital, and their roles cannot be underestimated. They can be seen as a bridge between an organization and the customers. In fact, I would say they are like the entrance of customers and money into the company.

However, a serious challenge that a sales rep can face is identifying a customer's identity because they just need to do it. As it is very important for you to as a sales rep to make use of your experience and previous knowledge in your career, still you will always have new encounters every day with new customers.

One very important thing that you should learn to do is listening. Don't overtalk your client; allow them to do more of the talking, pay attention to details, and read words in between lines. Nevertheless, if they ask you questions, do your best in attending to them. Also, you should also not assume, but learn to ask questions.

It would be best if you first decided whether a client or customer fits the standard risk profile. Factors that might contribute to Enhanced Due Diligence include high transaction value accounts, accounts that deal with high -risk countries, or accounts that handle high- risk activities. Other factors to consider in determining whether EDD is necessary to include location of the person, the activity of the person, the type of transactions, expected pattern of interest regarding transaction types, dollar value and consistency, and desired method of payment.

You should make sure that important information has been gathered and stored correctly. Classify the person's risk category and distinguish the kind of customer they are. Following this simple checklist, you are protecting your business against any involvement with questionable activities.