Retail Charades: Boost Your Sales by Learning to Read Body Language

By Allan Pulga

“The ability of the human mind to interpret messages never ceases to amaze me,” writes sales and customer service coach Laura Laaman, in her Bizjournal.com column about consumer body language.  

“It’s been proved that the processing speed of the human brain is far faster and superior than any computer,” she adds.

I, too, am blown away by the human capacity for reading body language. World-class poker players make millions disguising their own and reading that of their opponents. In similar fashion, salespeople can make big gains interpreting subtle customer cues and gestures.

Using this ability, Laaman says, one can predict how a customer is feeling – whether he likes what he’s hearing, is confused, unimpressed, skeptical, anxious, etc. Good salespeople will take this knowledge and use it to their advantage, adjusting their pitch or conversation accordingly.

The key is to take the time to develop your interpretation skills and equip yourself with the right responses. Perhaps most importantly, you need to realize when a customer’s physical warning signs appear because the last thing you want is to miss a negative cue and lose a possible sale.

Laaman offers the following negative signals that could indicate that “your sale is in trouble”:

• Lack of smiling. “Smiling is one of the most powerful, positive gestures around,” she says. “You tend to smile when you see, hear or smell something you like.

“When your prospect is generally positive and smiling and then, all of a sudden, that smile goes away, you need to figure out what was just said or done that triggered negative thoughts and undo it, if possible.”

• Crossed arms. Laaman says customers often cross their arms as a defense mechanism, to things like intrusion into their personal space or hearing something they disagree with.

“Be careful with this gesture, though. Most people will cross their arms when they’re cold, for example, rather than grab a jacket or sweater, so don’t overreact and think they’re shunning you.”

• Fidgeting. “Once a customer starts drumming or tapping his fingers, fidgeting or looking at his watch, he’s bored,” explains Laaman. “Re-engage him – and fast. Use his name, hand him something, pick up the pace, use expressions such as ‘so what this means to you is,’ etc.”

• Rubbing the neck. “This is the crème de la crème of negative gestures and probably where the expression ‘pain in the neck’ came from,” she adds.

“People generally rub their neck when they are frustrated. The brain sends a message of concern down the spinal cord, and the neck muscles become tense. Once your brain realizes it’s not in trouble and relaxes its fight-or-flight instinct, generally without conscious thought, it sends your hand to rub and relax the neck muscles.”

Laaman says the best response to a rubbed neck is to avoid trying to close the sale. “Take your time and figure out how to get your prospect back to happy thoughts.”

Paying attention to these behavioral details isn’t a matter of exerting superhuman Jedi mind tricks. Think of it more as an attempt to empathize with a customer’s unspoken concerns.

Being able to “read” your customers will help you meet the needs they communicate to you AND the needs they don’t even realize they’re communicating.