Customers cannot lie successfully

An intimate connection exists between our physiology (the way we look) and our psychology (the way we think), so if you want to know whether someone is bored or exhilarated, a quick scan of their physiology will give you the answer.

As a Sales Motivational Speaker when addressing an audience my job is to be led by the crowds physiology rather than some prepared script!

Indeed sometimes a person’s words may say ‘yes’ but it will be crystal clear from their body language - poor eye contact, a change in posture or voice projection etc - that what they really meant to say was ‘no’. Words just got in the way!

Some time back I was a member of a panel interviewing people for a sales position. One particular candidate strode confidently into the room, pulled the chair right up to the table and placed his hands no more than a couple of inches away from mine and my colleagues.

How would you react to this?

When a stranger invades your personal space like that your first reaction is to withdraw, because at a subconscious level, you interpret this behaviour as an act of aggression.

His actions immediately put the entire interview panel into defence mode!

In the course of the interview, it emerged that this candidate had started a company that had failed. Even after careful questioning he was not prepared to take any responsibility for this failure and blamed other people, the economy, market forces and his competitors for his lack of success.

This spoke volumes to me and the other panel members and confirmed our first impression; this was an arrogant man and not suited to the position.

A person’s physiology rarely lies.

The important point is that you should pay more attention to body language - posture, gestures, the way people walk, blood circulation in their face, breathing patterns, voice projection - than you do to what a person says.

The information you glean from this analysis will dictate whether or not you should persist or leave the negotiating table. If I notice any consistent negative body language during a negotiation, regardless of whether or not it has taken weeks to get to meet the person, I immediately honour this and offer to leave. This strategy has had a major positive effect on my sales figures.

After noticing negative body language I normally will say “Dave/Mary/Madam President, I can see you have other things on your mind. Maybe we can leave it for now and reschedule at a better time for you in the future?”

There are a few possible outcomes (all positive):

The client apologises for their lack of attention and starts to focus on the negotiations – this is usually a good sign that a sale is imminent.

The client agrees to a reschedule in the future. This means that unlike many, many salespeople who persist regardless of the client’s non-verbal feedback, the door is open to future negotiations.

The client is impressed by your exit strategy and precipitates positive word of mouth within his business circles.

A sales motivational speaker knows when it is time to change the style – if there is a lack of energy, time for some interaction and fun. If they are engaged continue with the winning strategy!

Communication, it is definitely far more than words.

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