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Dare To Look Them In the Eye

Guest post by: Michael O'Grady

Article Overview: One thing that I was taught at a very young age was common courtesy. Saying please, saying thank you, wiping your feet before you go into someone’s home- things like that. Something that I also remember being taught at a young age was to look someone in the eye when you’re talking to them. In sales it is critical to have good eye contact.

Dare To Look Them In the Eye

One thing that I was taught at a very young age was common courtesy. Saying please, saying thank you, wiping your feet before you go into someone’s home- things like that. Something that I also remember being taught at a young age was to look someone in the eye when you’re talking to them. I’m pretty sure it was my grandfather who explained that when you’re looking someone in the eye while you’re speaking to them, you not only show them respect but you are allowing them to gain respect for you. I find this interesting because it’s such a simple thing that seems to escape some adults let alone children.

In sales it is critical to have good eye contact. Some time ago I was working with a new sales associate named Will. Will was one of the nicest, most professional new recruits who was making the transition from a technical service representative to a sales associate. Will was struggling to close sales. After spending half of a day with him on a couple sales calls, I saw his issue. He wouldn’t look people in the eye very well at all.

Sometimes, you have to put yourself in the customer’s shoes. Or maybe you are already in the customers shoes. Whether you are looking to hire a company to come renovate your home or implement a marketing strategy into your business; you need to feel confident about your decision. Imagine getting estimates for something that you are willing to spend thousands of dollars on. You have to choose between company A and company B. You see the proposals and plans as equal, but the only thing that wasn’t equal was your confidence in the sales representative from company A. There was just something that didn’t seem right, but you can’t put your finger on it. Not making good eye contact is one of those things that you don’t outwardly recognize. You just know you didn’t feel as comfortable with sales guy A as you did with sales guy B.

Now let’s get back to the cure for Will. To get him to practice I sent him on a mission. The mission was for the next 48 hours Will would have to look everyone in the eye. The girl behind the counter at the Dunkin’ Donuts, the guy at the dry cleaner, the receptionist at the doctors office, everyone. Not in a stalker or mental patient kind of way, but in a friendly engaging kind of way. I explained to Will, that you have to engage people in a way that makes them feel like they are having a conversation with an old friend. You have to feel a real connection. This is one of the key ingredients in gaining someone’s trust. In sales, people buy from people they trust. Oh and by the way, actually having an interest in other people helps, too. If you don’t genuinely have an interest in other people you won’t come across as sincere and you won’t gain a persons trust. In the end, Will’s closing rate went from a dismal 25 % to respectable 55%. Sometimes, it’s the little things that make a huge difference.

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Article Tags: body language in sales, contractor selling, nonverbal behavior, sales psychology, selling to homeowners



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New to the forum - My name is John Oda business coach, I write articles for this site, and now I would like to expand my insights to this forum. It's an honor to be around peoiple who would like to improve the quality of their lives. I love to help people in create change in people lives. I am an author, and working on my second book right now. I am here to help and also learn from everyone in the forum. Again thanks for your time and support. Dare to make your life outstanding!
Re: Getting *back* to the next step - I think small things can make a big difference. Cut corners when ever possible. To the point that you don't lose any business. For example: start using cheaper products around the office. You'd be surprised how much money you can save just by going to a less expensive brand for the same items. Start soliciting referrals. People are happy to give you a good one if you've done a good job. You just have to ASK. Word of mouth is the most powerful form of advertising and it's the least expensive = free! Turn off lights and computers and even pull plugs on appliances on the weekends, or even every night if you have time and aren't using them. This saves a lot of energy in the long run and you should be conserving energy anyway. Dare I say this......shake the printer ink and make it go another 50 copies. Over a year you can save quite a bit in ink costs. There are other cuts you can make that won't impact the quality of your service/product if you sit down and really think it over, but this is a start.


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