It can either improve the way you sell, or not.
Today’s guest are Jim McCormick and Maryann Karinch. They co-authored the book called, Body Language Sales Secrets: How to Read Prospects and Decode Subconscious Signals to Get Results and Close the Deal.
About Jim:
Jim is an author of a number of books, a professional skydiver, an organizational consultant, and a sales professional. Jim has also held corporate executive positions and does a fair amount of executive coaching and CEO presentations.
About Maryann:
Maryann has been writing about body language and studying it intensely for 13 years. Having had theater experience, she has built on it by collaborating with a body language expert. Then he got together with Jim to focus it on sales.
Here are the highlights of my conversation with Jim and Maryann:
Why Is Body Language Important:
- So much of our communication is non-verbal. And a lot of our body language is involuntary body language.
- So signals are you giving as a salesperson that you may not want to be giving and what signals do you really want to give?
- Alternately, what are you picking up from other people in their resistance to you or in their liking of you? Are they accepting you?
- Knowing all this can help you close deals effectively.
- What manoeuvres do you give off that are self-soothing gestures? And what are other people doing when you see tension come into a sales relationship?
- What level of engagement do you have with your prospect?
Strategies for effective body language:
- Be authentic.
- Make eye contact.
- Be present.
- Listen effectively to them.
5 Sales Situations Related to Using Body Language:
- Relationship selling
You’re working for a creative relationship. You’re not focused on the sale or the product. But on the steps of your relationship by asking genuine questions. Stay away from the transactional mindset. Your goal here is to create a long-term relationship that doesn’t just result in a single transaction but transactions over extended time.
Body language:
- Trust – openness
- Don’t have your front protected like fingers crossed. You’re not putting barriers between you and the other person.
- Don’t clench your hands.
- Use eye contact.
2. Solutions selling
You’re selling the solution that happens to be a product that can benefit the individual and the customer. Do a fair amount of investigating in that process. Show interest in them and the problems they need to solve.
Body language:
Show active listening by leaning towards the person and nod occasionally to let them know you’re listening to them.
Have some mirroring gestures. Adopt the same time of posture so the person feels comfortable with you. Go to where their energy level is then bring them with you in an energy level that you’re in control.
3. Expertise selling
You need to exude credibility. You’re making a point that you’re the expert in this industry and this puts you in control. But be able to present in a way that you’re credible.
Body language:
Sit upright. Speak from a position of authority.
4. ROI selling
You have to have information on the cost structure and the revenue stream of the organization you’re presenting to. So you need to build a lot of confidence in your prospect by getting them to divulge information to you. Be able to make an ROI argument.
Body language:
- When the people look down to the left, that means they’re doing numbers and calculating.
- When people look down to the right, it means deep emotions.
- Do baselining, which means asking questions that involve memory and try to see where do the eyes go. If the eyes go up left or right, that means it could indicate imagination.
5. Fear Selling
This is focused on scarcity but this strategy can be manipulative. And sometimes, people can sense if they’re being manipulated. This could put your long-term relationship in jeopardy. This is the wholesale mentality and this is common in selling women products.
Body Language Remotely
Body language can be done remotely in how you say it. The pace and tone of somebody’s voice gives you a ton of insight as to where they’re at.
Jim and Maryann’s Major Takeaway:
Have the body language of trust if you want a strong, positive, and long-term relationship with somebody. Do open body language. In some ways, look vulnerable then a person will trust you.
From the very beginning of the interaction, be aware whether the person is open or close. And be aware whether you are being open or close.
Episode Resources:
Find more about Jim on www.risks-institute.com and check out their book Body Language Sales Secrets: How to Read Prospects and Decode Subconscious Signals to Get Results and Close the Deal by Jim McCormick and Maryann Karinch.
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