Managesmarter.com offers this article – Express Yourself – to provide salespeople with 6 easy reads of their prospect.
- Nose or face scratch implies dislike.
- Head tilted to the side implies interest.
- Eye rub implies deceit.
- Hand or finger blocking the mouth implies lying.
- Thumb tucked under the chin with index finger pointing up on the cheek implies a critical attitude.
- Chin stroke implies making a decision.
All of them are good reads for observing prospects’ subconscious take on the discussion. However, how do you affect a change in the discussion?
One tool we provide salespeople is our Selling Style sheet which provides salespeople with a quick, 1 page reference sheet to help them communicate more clearly with their prospect or customer. For instance, if you have a “High S” salesperson, they tend to be steady, personable and potentially slow to close a deal. If they are interacting with a “High D” prospect, they better adapt their style to move faster than normal, be strong and friendly and not get overpowered.
These are adjustments that will open the communication channel and put the prospect/customer into a comfort zone for the discussion. Adapt to match their communication style and you won’t have to rely on poker-like tells during a discussion with a prospect.