Your handshake says a lot about you. It can convey confidence, warmth, and honesty, or it can signal weakness, uncertainty, and disinterest. Either way, it sends a subtle yet powerful message about who you are, that is not lost on prospective buyers. Use these pointers to make sure your handshake sends the right signals, and creates a good impression with prospects and customers.
• Avoid the power grip. A handshake should be firm, but not overly forceful. Beware of the unconscious tendency to pull the other person toward you as you shake. This can be interpreted as aggressive, and the prospect’s resistance to you will go up a notch or two.
• Nothing wimpy. It may seem painfully obvious, but it’s amazing how many salespeople offer weak, perfunctory handshakes. This is a major turnoff to many customers. Firm and friendly always wins the day.
• Look ‘em in the eye. As you extend your hand, establish eye contact and smile. Show some teeth! A warm and sincere greeting can make you an instant friend—and all things being equal, people prefer to buy from friends.
• Get a grip. Never grasp the other person’s fingers. Take their entire hand completely in yours, and gently pump it two or three times.
• Turn on the charm. You’ve been talking with a customer on the phone for several months, and meet them in person for the first time at a trade show. To express your pleasure at finally meeting face to face, you may want to cover his extended hand with your left hand briefly during the handshake. This increases the familiarity and warmth of the handshake. Do not attempt this with someone you don’t know. However, it is often a pleasant gesture when you are shaking hands with someone you’ve met previously. It simply says, “I’m very glad to see you again.”
• What to say? No handshake is complete without a spoken greeting. You can’t go wrong with, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” When meeting someone of high rank, such as the chairman of the board or founder of a company, you may want to up the ante with, “It’s a great pleasure to meet you.” After the initial greeting, your conversation should begin while you are still shaking hands, for example, “John tells me you’ve made some significant additions to your product line.” Your hand should be slowly and somewhat reluctantly withdrawn as the person begins to speak. This slow withdrawal indicates your keen interest in the person and what he is saying.
The Fine Art of the Handshake - To learn more about this author, visit Michael Johnson's Website.
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Michael Johnson
(Visit Michael's Website)
Michael D. Johnson is an award-winning
publisher and successful entrepreneur with
over 30 years of business leadership.
Michael is the founder of SalesDog.com, a
website for sales professionals. As
Director of Development, he took a
technical publishing and marketing company
from three employees and two products to a
multinational corporation with hundreds of
employees and over 100 products. He has
appeared on NBC's Today Show and been
written about in the Wall Street Journal,
U S News and World Report and many other
leading publications. He has founded
several successful start-ups and authored
two books as well as hundreds of magazine
and newspaper articles. He is the editor
of the bestselling Top Dog Sales Secrets,
a book of sales advice authored by 50 top
experts. To subscribe to his free weekly
sales newsletter, visit www.salesdog.com
.
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