Body Language - The ConsumHERist

Posted on | March 5, 2009 |

by Delia Passi

Body language is one of those subjects that fascinate me, and my fascination with it is the only reason I sometimes watch the popular new Fox TV series called Lie to Me.  It’s about an expert on body language who consults in various criminal cases and exposes liars through the subtle signals they give.  Aside from my interest in the role of body language in the selling process, I find the program obnoxious.

In my occasional web wanderings doing some basic research for my next book on gender differences in selling, I came across an article on body language differences between men and women in business interactions.  Combine body language with gender differences and I get really interested.  Throw in a caveman and cavewoman and I’m hooked.  Unfortunately the article failed to link gender differences in body language to primitive instincts.

But the article did talk about how women and men have variations in the way they send and interpret body language.  Surely some of those differences, as with so many gender differences, have their origins in the prehistoric roles we played.

Body language is so very important in the selling process.  Many signals are given between salesperson and customer without a word being spoken.  I’ve written before on some of them: shaking hands, eye contact, nodding, etc.  The wrong signals can turn a potential sale into a nasty encounter with a few wrong moves.

I found a first person account of just such an incident here.  It’s a blog entry from a woman who was approached by two door-to-door steak salesmen who truly blew it.  It took more than just bad body language to lose the sale, but it was a critical piece of the disaster.  I couldn’t have written a better example.

So if you are going to sell to women, or men, (and remember, life is selling) pay attention to the nonverbal statements you make too.

Delia Passi, Founder of WomenCertified® and author of Winning the Toughest Customer: The Essential Guide to Selling to Women is a regular columnist on ReachingWomenDaily.  Delia can be reached at delia@medelia.com.

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