I believe that understanding body language or the more holistic and inclusive term non verbal communication (NVC) is crucial to being successful in the sales arena.
Freud said something like ‘If the lips remain silent the finger tips speak volumes’. It is virtually impossible to prevent your self from indicating your mental state by disguising your NVC, which makes it a very good indicator to how well you are doing with a customer.
It is more complicated than looking out for some one crossing their arms or legs though, it is something you should be aware of through out your sales presentation but I would suggest that instead of trying to become a psychologist who can recognize every nuance of NVC, you really need to watch out for closed or open body language to indicate how well you are doing.
I feel it is much more important for a salesperson to learn to manage their own NVC so their body language is congruent with the words they are using.
This is a very good thread though and I just joined this site today and I think it’s brilliant!!
Nvc
