Positive body language displaying interest in you or your offer:
• Eyes/pupils open slightly.
• Eye contact increases, head tilts showing interest or intrigue.
• Facial expression lightens.
• Arms uncross, palms open, legs uncross, feet flat to the floor.
• Body squares on to centre, moves or leans forward.
Negative body language displaying a lack of interest in you or your offer:
• Eyes/pupil close slightly.
• Eye contact decreases or they continue with another task.
• Forehead/jaw or facial expressions stiffen.
• Arms, legs or ankles may cross, leans back, moves away.
• Body moves or turns away from you. They are disengaging.
The key to being even more successful at
selling is to understand what your customer
is not saying and connecting that to what
you are hearing so that you can form a view
of what they really are looking for. Easily
said but difficult to do, so you will need
to practice. Some other key tips to being
successful with body language are:
• Match either the friendliness or the
formality of the greeting you receive.
Match the energy level. Pay attention to
the pace, tone and pitch and match it the
best you can. People like people who are
similar to them.
• A general rule is to always try to remain
comfortable. If you’re standing, be
relaxed. If you’re in a chair, don’t fold up,
get tense or sink into the chair. When
you are in a sales situation, you may feel
nervous, especially when your customer
is firing some difficult questions or
objections at you. During these times,
stay open, relaxed and confident.
• Don’t put your hand to your mouth. If
you are unsure of your answer or if you
are not very confident about a product
or service, you may want to make this
motion with your hand. Don’t do it! It
is perceived as being deceptive. The
gesture of hand to face can increase
five fold if someone is lying. Avoid this
gesture!
people try to see how comfortable you
can be with it. Remember he who speaks
first loses!
Keep it simple: Ask the right questions, listen
for the answers and look for the clues. You
will become a champion. Couple this with
practice, practice, practice. Happy selling!
• When you feel emphatic about something
and you want to indicate that you are
interested, lean forward. When you want
to show that you’re knowledgeable and
confident, say something important and
then lean back in your chair.
• Do not be afraid of silence. Some
customers will deliberately create silence
to see what you will do with it, particularly
when negotiating. Silence is a profound
non verbal communicator and some
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