Body Language, The Language of Sales

Body language is comprised of the actions, movements and gestures people make as part of the communication process. Communication is made up of two parts, the words you speak and hear, and the body movements and gestures you make and other people see. I heard this statement many years ago; “Your actions speak so loudly in my mind that I can’t hear what you say!” Total communication includes both the vocal and physical gestures of the communicator. If we only hear what the other person speaks, we may be missing out on what he truly said. If I could choose only one medium of communication, I would choose body language, for it does not lie.

The physical actions of body language are referred to as gestures. Understanding physical gestures for most people is similar to learning a second language. Gestures can have different meanings depending on how they are used, just as words in a language can have different meanings, depending on how they are used. The interpretation of gestures must be done in the context of clusters, several congruent gestures in harmony with each other. The understanding of gestures is very difficult when the various elements are separate from their context. However, when gestures are fitted together into their composite positions, a complete picture is revealed. Each gesture is like a word in a language. In order to be understood, one must structure his words into units or sentences that express complete thoughts. Gestures must be interpreted in terms of sentences or clusters of congruent body movements or actions.

By mentally matching congruent gestures that form clusters you can identify the attitudes expressed and understand the meaning. You must look for similar attitudinal gestures that not only endorse one another, but also serve to make a cluster. As an example, a congruent set of gestures for a salesperson who is very anxious and enthusiastic about his product might: be sitting on the edge of his chair, feet apart, possibly on his or her toes in a sprinter’s position, hands on the table, body leaning forward. Facial congruency might amplify the posture: eyes alert, a slight smile, and probably no furrow on the brow.

Understanding congruency of gestures serves as a monitoring device for discovering a person’s attitude and then giving his actions meaning. A particular gesture can have many meanings, and you must look for congruency to understand what the actions of the body really mean. Covering one’s mouth while speaking could have many meanings: lying, unsure of self, doubting, distortion, bad breath. Arms folded high on the chest might mean: adamant, stubborn, not going to listen, or just a relaxed and comfortable position. To truly understand the language of body movements you must watch for congruency combined with gesture clusters and then seek to understand and interpret them.

Here are seven profitable body language ideas for the professional sales person:

1 Walk slowly, deliberately, and tall upon entering the room.
2. When greeting a prospect, give (and, hopefully, receive) a friendly "eyebrow flash": that brief, slight raising of the brows calls attention to the face, encourages eye contact, and (when accompanied by a natural smile) sends the strong positive signal that the prospect has gotten off to a good start.
3. Use mirroring techniques. In other words, make an effort to subtly reproduce the positive signals your interviewer sends. For example, the prospect leans forward to make a point; a few moments later, you lean forward slightly in order to hear better. Another example might be, the prospect leans back and laughs; you "laugh beneath" the prospect’s laughter, taking care not to overwhelm your prospect by using an inappropriate volume level.
4. Maintain a naturally alert head position; keep your head up and your eyes front at all times.
5. Remember to avert your gaze from time to time to avoid the impression that you are staring; when you do so, look confidently and calmly to the right or left; never look down.
6. Pace your movements, do not hurry.
7. Consciously relax with every breath.

Successful Sales People Visualize the End Result

Several years ago my older brother asked me if I would help him build a deck on the rear of his home. I knew when he asked, that the intent was for me to build the deck for him. In turn, I approached my younger brother who was an excellent builder and asked him if he would help me with the deck. Because of my busy schedule, I asked him if he would put together a design, order the materials and then we would work together to build the deck. The night before we were to start construction, I gently quizzed my younger brother to see if he was prepared for the task ahead, and if he felt we could complete the job that Saturday. Without hesitation he responded that he had built the deck a thousand times in his mind and that he had clearly seen and dealt with every aspect of the deck’s construction. The next day we started the construction of the deck and it was as if we had truly built it a thousand times as each phase and step of the process went perfectly. For me, this experience clearly demonstrated the power of visualization. What we see in our minds we can achieve. The unknown, the obstacles, the challenges have all been seen and resolved before we begin the actual physical process.

The other evening I watched a documentary on Steven Spielberg, arguably one of the greatest motion picture directors of our time. I found the documentary to be most fascinating, particularly as he, time after time, described how he would visualize a particular scene, filming sequence, or even the movie in total, hundreds of times before he actually proceeded. If he has had any success in the film industry, he attributes a good portion of it to his ability to see his work in his mind’s eye before it goes to the storyboard, the set, or film. He mentioned in the interview that many of his movies have turned out far better than he thought, even though he new from the beginning, as a result of visually rehearsing in his mind, what the final result would be.

Nothing in sales is more important than having a positive mental attitude. This positive attitude is achieved when we believe in our ability to succeed. Sales people need to be able to visualize their success as a means of overcoming the obvious discouragement found in the world of sales. Nearly a century ago, John D. Rockefeller, the founder of the world’s largest oil empire of the 19th century was pondering different strategies to grow his vast empire. He hired a young man, put him in a very comfortable office, and then instructed him to visualize ways to grow the wealth of the company. Rockefeller encouraged him to lean back in his chair, with his feet on his desk and dream and craft plans of ways to make money. Several months later, Rockefeller stopped at his new employees office only to find that he wasn’t there. After inquiring to his whereabouts, he confronted his visionary who was implementing one of his moneymaking plans. Rockefeller chastised him for spending valuable time to physically work on the project, and reminded him that his value as an employee was to visualize, not to actualize. Rockefeller had other employees who could bring the visions and dreams to reality, but he was needed to create the vision.

When I was in elementary school, I was fortunate to have a wonderful librarian. Several times a week we would have library time to explore the world through books. I was fond of inventors, statesmen and explorers. I remember reading the biography of Thomas Alva Edison. I almost felt I could relate to him during his brief tenure in the classroom. His mind would wander far from the lessons of the teacher. He was reprimanded many times for his lack of attention, and his parents were told that he lacked the intelligence to succeed academically. I often wondered what he must have been daydreaming. Was it the electric light bulb, the phonograph, the electronic voice recorder, the motion picture camera, talking motion pictures, the alkaline storage battery, or one of his other one thousand and ninety-three patents. Thank heavens for the visualization of Thomas Edison. What he clearly saw in his mind, he would later bring to mankind. Robert Schwartz described Edison well when he said, “the entrepreneur is essentially a visualizer and an actualizer. He can visualize something, and when he visualizes it he sees exactly how to make it happen.”

I’ve worked with sales people for more that thirty-three years. Some have been excellent, most have been average, and a few just didn’t get it. The excellent ones, however, had a vision of what they could truly achieve. They had a dream. Cherie Carter-Scott said, “Ordinary people believe only in the possible. Extraordinary people visualize not what is possible or probable, but rather what is impossible. And by visualizing the impossible, they begin to see it as possible.” Recently, one of the sales people I train caught the vision of what was humanly possible. While enjoying his relative success on an incentive vacation that he had earned for setting a sales record, he pondered why he was satisfied with his past success. He wondered what more he could do, and visualized himself selling twice that of his recent record setting annual volume. He returned from his vacation with a clear vision of what he was capable of doing. With the vision in his mind, and having mentally performed the activity necessary for reaching his new goal, he went to work. In the first six months of the year, his sales exceeded that of the prior twelve months. It wasn’t until he visualized this new level of sales success that he was able to achieve it. In his research on peak performers, Charles Garfield said, “I've discovered that numerous peak performers use the skill of mental rehearsal or visualization. They mentally run through important events before they happen.”

If we are to truly rise from mediocrity to greatness, we must have a dream, a vision of what can be. We must create a plan, a virtual road map of that dream, and then be disciplined enough to put the plan into action. Never lose sight of the vision. From time to time we all need to lean back in our chair, put our feet on the desk and visualize and dream of the great things we can accomplish in our lives.

Ninety-Nine Sure Fire Ways To Close A Sale

Just kidding, I don’t really know ninety-nine ways to close a sale. I couldn’t even remember ninety-nine ways to close a sale. I was hoping to capture your attention with that absurd statement. I’ve done some research and discovered an author that know 50 ways to close a sale and one who teaches 7 ways to close a sale and one who explained 25 ways to close a sale. I’ve been selling for thirty-three years, not counting peddling eggs when I was seven years old and hawking home-made root beer when I was twelve. There are several principles and skills that are used by salespeople to close a sale, but to my knowledge, there is only one sure way to close a sale.

My statement, “only one sure way to close a sale” doesn’t mean that sales won’t be closed in different ways or for other reasons. What I am saying is that more sales will be closed more consistently using the method I’m going to explain, than any other way. Keep in mind that selling is not an event, but rather a process, so there are several principles and skills that are applied in the process of successfully closing a sale.

Several years ago, I worked with a man who claimed he was born with the secret talent necessary for closing more sales. He claimed the secret was the “gift of gab.” If he had evaluated the reason for his sales success he would have realized that he was only selling to people with whom he had a relationship. He sold in the Southern States to his “good ole boy network.” John was successful to the extent that he built relationships, not because he was born with the gift of gab.

My good friend Bill was an excellent salesperson. His secret was his photographic memory. Bill could remember every comment and statement made by the prospect and earned their respect based on knowing what they had said. He never forgot a name and a face, even if years had passed from the time he first met someone. Bill’s brilliance was not the reason for his sales success, but the principle of remembering names and events contributed to his “better than average” performance.

Another associate of mine, Bill Jazalitis, was recognized by his peers, customers and prospects, as the most technically astute sales person in the industry. Bill had forgotten more technical knowledge than I had ever learned. He believed that his sales success was totally attributed to his technical knowledge. Truth be known, Bill lost as many sales due to his knowledge as he ever closed. Knowledge is a vital element in closing sales, but without applying other supporting principles, it will never make a top salesperson.

Jeff was one of the hardest working sales people I have ever met. He never worked fewer than ten hours per day. Every day he gave his total effort to selling. He would generate more quotes than anyone else in the company. He rarely missed an opportunity to bid. He would work and bid and while he was waiting for replies to his bids, he would bid some more. Finding, bidding, waiting, finding, bidding, waiting was his daily grind. Hats off to Jeff, one of the hardest working salespeople anywhere. He had been taught that working hard brought sales. Working hard will bring sales, hard work is a correct principle, but working hard and smart will double your sales.

What then is the one sure way to close a sale? Let me give you an outline by listing several principles that need to be applied during the sales process and then you can determine how best to apply them. All of these principles are important so don’t shortcut the process. The order of the principles listed is also critical, so keep them in order. This process assumes that you will (a) work hard at sales and that you will (b) follow-up consistently. Here are the basic principles, that when followed, will constitute the one sure method of closing the sale. Closing a sale is a process:

1. Prospect every day.
2. Build rapport and sell yourself.
3. Assess the prospects needs (really listen).
4. Present your product as a solution to their need (be honest and specific).
5. Ask for and resolve their concerns (all of them).
6. Ask for the sale.

Remember:

(a) people buy from people they believe, like and trust

(b) people typically only buy when they have a need

(c) people don’t buy if they have unresolved concerns

(d) Never assume, always ask for the sale!

Persistent Follow-Up Prevails When It Comes To Sales

In a recent study done on the number of sales calls it takes to close a sale, the following statistics were reported:

2% of sales were closed on the first sales call.

3% of sales were closed on the second sales call.

4% of sales were closed on the third sales call.

10% of sales were closed on the fourth sales call.

81% of sales were closed on the fifth sales call.

Can you imagine the sales you will close that were left behind by the competition? Conversely, don't be caught planting the seeds of sales and leaving the harvest to your competition. The largest block of time invested in the sales process is setting up the appointment and then making the presentation. The follow-up, or the "courting" process takes the least amount of time and is also the most important. Courting is the process of harvesting the time invested in setting up and presenting our products and services to the prospect. The reward is most often found in the final effort. After all, haven't we always been told that the "pot of gold" is found at the end of the rainbow?

The number one reason sales people don’t succeed as they should, is the lack of follow-up. Selling is a process, and a major part of the process is conducting the appropriate follow-up. Following up is the proactive process of resolving the prospect’s concerns. People don’t make purchases if they have unresolved concerns. The process of following up allows you to ask the questions necessary to discover their concerns and then provides the opportunity to resolve those concerns.

People buy from people they believe, like and trust. If you don’t spend time with the prospect, how will they ever learn to believe, like and trust you? Time needs to be spent cultivating the relationship necessary to earn the sale. If I compared selling to dating and courting in a marriage relationship, how many people fall in love and decide to get married on the first date? Not too many! Most relationships are formed over time, allowing the opportunity to know each other, trust and like each other. Selling is no different than courting. It is not how long people have known each other, but the frequency of their interactions that moves the relationship forward. When was the last time you had a meaningful exchange with your prospects?

In the courting process, it is always beneficial to take gifts. When you follow-up with your prospects, always take them something of value. What you take is up to you, but here are a few generic ideas:

1. Take them something that will help resolve their concerns.
2. Take something that that will help them see the value in your offering.
3. Take them something that will endorse your product or service.
4. Take them something that will support your claims.
5. Take them something that will validate your company.
6. Take them something that will show the value of your product pertaining to their specific needs.

Cultivate the relationship with your prospects and you WILL increase your sales.