12 Body Language Signals Only the Best Salespeople Can Read

by Cara Wood
Source: www.nutshell.com, July 2024

The ability to read body language signals and respond accordingly is an important weapon in a salesperson rsquo;s arsenal.

As a salesperson, you should be actively seeking to ldquo;hear rdquo; your prospect rsquo;s body language, as much as you rsquo;re listening to the words they rsquo;re saying.

zwj;On some level, we humans naturally pay attention and react to body language.

zwj;When you see someone smile, you know instinctively that they rsquo;re happy (or at least indicating positive feelings to you). You know the proper response is most often to smile back.

But great salespeople are experts at paying attention to the full range of customer body language, from dramatic gestures right down to the smallest ldquo;tells, rdquo; which they consciously use to shape and change their presentations and conversations with the prospect.

The best part? Reading body language signals is a skill anyone can learn and, with practice, become an expert at. Here are 12 key indicators that you need to pay attention to, as well as some suggestions of appropriate reactions that will help you close the deal.

Body language signals in the eyes

They say eyes are the windows to the soul. Whether that rsquo;s true or not, they rsquo;re certainly windows into the mind. Your prospect rsquo;s eyes can tell you a great deal, especially because pupils are one of the few areas of the body over which we have no control.

Let rsquo;s start with something you may have already known without realizing it: What your prospect rsquo;s eyes are looking at tells you what they rsquo;re thinking about. That means if a prospect is looking at you, they rsquo;re thinking about you and what you rsquo;re saying

If they rsquo;re looking at the product or paperwork you rsquo;ve brought in, you may want to ask them if they have any questions about it. If they rsquo;re looking at the door, they rsquo;re probably thinking about how they wish they could leave right now; you can re-engage them by turning the floor over to them, so they can air their concerns.

Keep in mind that a prospect may not stare, unblinking, at the thing they rsquo;re thinking about. Often, a prospect rsquo;s eyes will move about the room but will continue to return to the thing they are thinking of.

If a prospect is staring you down (not simply passively watching you), this can indicate a need to control the meeting, as constant staring is considered intimidating in western cultures. Be sure to allow this prospect time to talk, and work through any concerns they have.

Remain calm and relaxed and use a soft-sell approach to ensure the prospect feels in control of their concerns and trusts you. It should be noted that ldquo;staring rdquo; means that the prospect is making eye contact with you around 80% of the time or more. 60-70% eye contact is the sweet spot.

A client making eye contact 60-70% of the time is indicating not only interest in you but agreement.

Pupil dilation can tell you what a client is thinking with astonishing accuracy, and can be particularly helpful during a contract read-through. In general, pupils widening tell you that a contract is happy or interested with what you are saying or what they are reading. Narrowing pupils mean they have concerns or are even upset.

You can ask about your prospect rsquo;s concerns if you see their pupils narrow. Conversely, you can focus more of your pitch on the things that caused their pupils to widen.

Body language signals in other facial cues

From birth, we humans (I rsquo;m assuming none of my readers are aliens) rapidly learn to use our faces to communicate with each other. One of the very first things babies learn how to do is smile.

And while there is a whole range of emotions and thoughts we are able to consciously express with our faces, there is quite a lot we unconsciously convey as well.

First, the obvious: Smiling and nodding = always a good thing. If your prospect is doing either or both, you rsquo;re in smooth waters. Keep doing what you rsquo;re doing.

zwj;By contrast, any tension in the face or neck indicates that your prospect is unhappy or nervous. This can manifest itself, for instance, as pursing of the lips, narrowing of the eyes, or crinkling of the nose.

When you see this reaction, ask your client about their concerns or otherwise encourage them to take the floor. You need to hear their problems in order to solve them.

Body language signals in hands and arms

Hands are extremely expressive. After all, there are entire languages that solely use hand signals. And much like how our mouths can be used both consciously and unconsciously to say and imply thoughts, hands are capable of a vast amount of communication.

• If your customer is drumming their fingers, it suggests impatience. In this case, speed your presentation up, or just get right to the point. You rsquo;re working with someone who either doesn rsquo;t have the time or doesn rsquo;t want to take the time to go through all of the little details up front.
• If your prospect is playing around with things on the table, like paperwork or their pen, this can indicate either boredom or annoyance. To ascertain which it is, you can pay attention to other bodily cues. Either way, you rsquo;ll want to react generally the same. Ask your customer a question, allowing them to air their thoughts or re-engage with the conversation.
• When a customer is resting one arm on their armrest and leaning into it, they rsquo;re subconsciously letting you know that they have a desire to leave the meeting. While not a great sign, you can still save the meeting. Again, get your client to do some of the talking here.
• Pointing and jabbing with fingers tells you that your client is trying to intimidate you. This is a strong hand signal to make, and you can respond, again, by ensuring that you rsquo;re constantly addressing your prospect rsquo;s concerns and questions.
• Another important sign to look for is the openness of the client rsquo;s posture. Whether standing or sitting, if their shoulders are aligned with yours and their hands are open to you, that means they rsquo;re interested and engaged with what you are saying. If their hands are turned away and their body is turned inward or away from you, you rsquo;re looking at someone who doesn rsquo;t like what you rsquo;re saying. The same thing goes if your prospect rsquo;s arms are crossed.

Body language signals in feet

Feet are perhaps a surprising source of body language. However, that rsquo;s exactly why they rsquo;re so helpful. While many people will seek to control their facial expressions to prevent others from knowing their thoughts, they usually don rsquo;t think to control their feet.

You can tell pretty easily that someone is open to your ideas if their feet are pointed towards you mdash;and if they rsquo;re pointed away, that person is typically closed off to hearing you out. This holds true when the prospect is standing or sitting. Ask this prospect about their thoughts. Get them talking so you understand why they rsquo;re not interested.

Much like hand drumming, jiggly feet or legs indicate that your prospect is most likely bored. Check and see if you rsquo;ve been talking for a while, and give your client the chance to take the floor. Bouncing or tapping feet can also indicate that a client feels they have the upper hand in a negotiation mdash;they have literal happy feet!

Ultimately, reading body language signals is not about being a slimy salesperson who knows the right magic tricks to make a quick buck. It rsquo;s about being empathetic to your prospect and forming a relationship with them.

In many ways, reading body language is just another facet of being a great listener. And the best salespeople are also the best listeners. Pay attention to your prospect rsquo;s body language so that you can have a solid understanding of their needs and solve them, not so that you can sell to them.