How long do you spend practising how you appear when you sell vs the pitch/script/language you use to sell?
How you say it matters way more than you could have ever imagined.
“Hi how are you?”
In the video Nick uses the example of a woman, arms crossed, scowled face responding to the question “Hi hunny, how are you”.
Even if she answers “I’m fine” this is a clear example of how her body language is overriding the content that she’s saying.
Have you ever had a prospect who said they were “ready to close the deal” but your gut instinct was that they were itching to run away, never to be seen again? You unconsciously picked up on their body language.
This was your cue to ask some deeper questions and find the objections they were hiding from you.
How you say it always wins
99% of the time salespeople should trust what the prospects body language is saying rather than whatever is coming out of their mouths.
Especially so when someone is making a first impression on you.
“When your body language says one thing and your content says another… body language always wins!” – Nick Morgan
It might be counter-intuitive at first but understanding when the prospect is wanting to end the conversation and when they need to know more about your product before you close by reading body language is a powerful tool.
Getting things aligned
The same phenomenon occurs from the other way around – when you’re presenting to prospects.
If your words are saying “this is the greatest freaking product EVER” but your body language is screaming “get me out of here, the big match starts in 30 minutes” over the top then the prospect will pick up on this.
“When content and body language are aligned, then you can get your point across” – Nick Morgan
If your body language when presenting looks –
- Relaxed – shoulders back, smooth movements
- Confident – Strong eye contact, slowed walking, chin up
- Delighted – Big smile, open arms, palms showing
Then you will install confidence into your prospect that you believe what your saying and you will give them less ‘gut feeling’ that something isn’t quite right.
Negative body language will always hold you back if you don’t consciously correct it.
“Sorry, something isn’t quite right”
This is the hardest of all objections to overcome as a salesperson as it’s untangible.
Your can explain “high prices” away with the higher value of customer service which off sets it.
You can explain “specification niggles” by leveraging other more important product features.
You can’t explain “my gut feeling” away as easily as it’s an emotion that doesn’t belong to you so be congruent. Align what you say and how you say it so you don’t have to.
The Expert
Dr. Nick Morgan is one of America’s top communication theorists and coaches. A passionate teacher, he is committed to helping people find clarity in their thinking and ideas – and then delivering them with panache.
He has been commissioned by Fortune 50 companies to write for many CEOs and presidents.
Learn more – Publicwords.com
For more expert sales training check out – SalesSchool.org
