Body Language & SellingSales Meeting

March 30, 2011

“The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said.”Peter F. Drucker

VIDEO

Body Language That Gets ResultsFeaturing Joe Navarro and Jeff Glor

Five primary functions of nonverbal communication:

1. Express emotions2. Express interpersonal attitudes3. To accompany speech in managing the cues

of interaction between speakers and listeners4. Self-presentation of one’s personality5. Rituals (greetings)

Why is it important?• Positive Body language can support your words• Your body language/your demeanor, impacts your success at:

– Conferences– Listing Appointments– Meetings– Trade shows, etc.

• Attract the people you want to do with business with • The success of any encounter begins the moment someone lays eyes on you.

– One of the first things they notice about you is your aura– You create it, and you are responsible for what it says about you and whom it

attracts. • Body language conveys more than half of any message in any face-to-face

encounter• You may be turning people away without even being aware of it.

Statistics

• Studies show that your words account for only 7% of the message you convey.

• The remaining 93% is non-verbal. • 55% of communication is based on what people see and the

other 38% is transmitted through tone of voice. • In the business setting, people can see what you are not

saying. • If your body language doesn’t match your words, you are

wasting your time. • Maintain eye contact about 60% of the time in order to look

interested, but not aggressive.

Persuasion

• We persuade ourselves by the body language we are using.

• If you can get a person to change their body they will also change their mind. – Example: Giving a person who is displaying closed

body language something to hold or getting them to walk; forcing them to open their stance.

Posture

• Do you walk and stand with confidence like your mother taught you? – Stomach in – Chest out – Shoulders back – Head up

• Or do you slouch?– Shoulders drooping– Head forward – Stomach protruding

Posture• Command respect by standing

tall and claiming the space to which you are entitled!

• When you slump in your chair or lean on the wall, you look tired. – No one wants to do business

with someone who has no energy!

• You also tell people through your posture if you are want others to approach you. – 2 People Talking:

• Feet in Rectangle vs Feet in Open Triangle

Mirroring• Always be alert to the signs the

client is exhibiting. • Technique by which you observe a

person’s behavior, and then in a subtle way act the same way they are acting. – If their arms are crossed over you

should sit back relax a little, and then begin to cross your arms.

• It works both ways:– When the client mimics your

gestures, it shows they are receptive to your ideas and open.

– If this is the case close the sale! This point is crucial as you can make or break the sale.

• Reflect the customer's languageMake customers feel more comfortable at first by matching their body language. For example:– If the customer's body language is

very open, match it.– If it is reserved or nervous, tone

down your enthusiasm a bit to make the customer more comfortable.

– If the customer prefers to maintain some distance, avoid moving too closely.

– If the customer moves slowly and makes few gestures, avoid extensive gesturing and quick movements.

Face and Head• Eye Contact

– When: As soon as you engage someone in conversation• Maintain as saying goodbye

– Where: “inverted triangle” base just above your eyes, other two sides descend and come to point between nose and lips. That's the area to "look at" during business conversations.

– How Long: 80 - 90 percent of the time• Less: Boredom, Lack of Confidence• More: Aggressive, too direct

• Eye Movements : – If a person keeps on shifting gaze or blinks

too much, he/she may be taken as deceiving.

– A pull on eyebrows towards the center is indicative of annoyance which need be avoided in all business transactions.

• Keeping your head straight: Appear self-assured and authoritative. – People will take you seriously.

• Tilt head to one side:– Come across as friendly and open.

• Head Position: Bending forward, straight up, and bending backwards.

• These positions make the face positions:– Lowered– Vertical and raised, which

respectively indicate the person to be humble or in thinking gear,

– Normal attentive, – High-alert or high-level of

confidence.

Smile!

• About 80 facial muscles get involved in forming over 50 types of smiles on the face.

• Vary from absolutely fake to absolutely true. – A true smile is always

momentary and keeps on varying from a small facial movement to a broad open expression

– Steadiness of it for long duration is an indication of it being fake.

Arms• Arms: Suggest how receptive you are:

– Crossed or folded over your chest: Have shut other people out and have no interest in them or what they are saying, “I don’t agree with you.”

– Waving them about: May show enthusiasm, uncertainty or immaturity.

• The best place for your arms is by your side. • If this is hard for you, do what you always do

when you want to get better at something—practice. After a while, it will feel natural.

• Fingers:– Composed with each other = self-

confidence– Raising the pointer finger = dictatorial

attitude, aggressive behavior

Hands• Hands: Your hands need to be seen!

– Keep them out of your pockets– Resist the urge to put them under the table or

behind your back. – Open and Up is best for selling situations– Having your hands anywhere above the neck,

is unprofessional

• Hand Movements: Remain beyond conscious control, more reliable indicators of intentions – Closing of hand together indicates a calm

receptivity of the person– Support chin over fist = geared to think,

receptivity goes down momentarily– If the person is playing with or touching things

around, he/she is not interested in the conversation

– Quick changes in positions of hands = bored, wishes to avoid further conversation

Legs and Feet

• A lot of movement = nervousness. • How and where you cross them tells others

how you feel. • Professional: feet flat on the floor or legs

crossed at the ankles. • Least professional: Resting one leg or ankle on

top of your other knee. – “Figure Four”: It can make you look arrogant

Message Clusters:

• Aggressive: Showing physical threat. • Attentive: Showing real interest. • Bored: Just not being interested. • Closed: Many reasons are closed. • Deceptive: Seeking to cover up lying or

other deception. • Defensive: Protecting self from attack. • Dominant: Dominating others. • Emotional: Identifying feelings. • Evaluating: Judging and deciding about

something. • Open: Many reasons for being open. • Power: Demonstrating one's power. • Ready: Wanting to act and waiting for the

trigger. • Relaxed: Comfortable and unstressed. • Submissive: Showing you are prepared to

give in.

Signals and postures, depending on the internal emotions and mental states. Recognizing a whole cluster is thus far more reliable than trying to interpret individual elements

Core patterns: A number of core patterns can be identified that include

clusters of body movements:Crossing

ExpandingMoving away

Moving forwardOpeningPreening

RepeatingShapingStriking

Touching

Distance

• Standing too close or “in someone’s face” = pushy.

• Too far away = standoffish. • Do what makes the other person feel

comfortable. – If the person with whom you are speaking keeps

backing away from you, stop. Either that person needs space or you need a breath mint.

Transitions

• Transitions Count More Than Positions• Individual body positions or movements are

frequently meaningless. – If a person spends the entire meeting leaning

forward, that may be just comfort. – But, starts out leaning back and gradually moves

forward as the meeting progresses, that's non-verbal communication.

Problem with Body Language

• May not convey what you really feel. – You always sit with your arms crossed– Slouching because you're tired, but people read it

as you're not interested.– Some people's faces form a smile or a frown more

naturally than a neutral expression.– Some people lean on their hand all the time.

Be Aware

• Do not judge a person solely by their body language.

• Don't isolate yourself by constantly examining body language when interacting with people. (Paralysis by analysis)

• Do not spend too much time looking at the other person's body language. – Try to look at their face while you are talking to

them.

Government and the Housing Market

Required 20% Down: April 201130 Year Fixed Rate– Is it time to phase it out?

VIDEO

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House Speaker John Boehner discusses the possibility that Washington will wind down government-sponsored mortgage

giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

What do you think about…

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