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NonVerComm
Week
1
"Overview
of Basic Non-Verbal Communication Strategies"
Week
2
"Using
Non-Verbal Communication at the Beginning of a Call"
Week
3
"Non Verbal Ways of
Becoming a Better Listener and Presenter"
Week
4
"NonVerComm
at Closing"
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For
the Week of Monday, October 4th 2004 Non-Verbal
Communication
The
hidden language of sales...
Week
4: Non-Verbal
Strategies at Closing
This
is the final segment in our 4-part focus on Non-Verbal Communication (NonVerComm)
, thus it's appropriate that we're ending with Closing --
How to Use Non-Verbal Communication at Closing.
Last
week we covered how we can use NonVerComm when listening and
presenting, now it's time to close...to ask for the order...to get the
client to take action on something! And because we're often so
nervous and anxious in this final stage of the sales process, our
NonVerComm usually reflects this and isn't a productive tool to help
facilitate a decision.
How
we show our nervousness at closing:
-
We
speed-up our actions and our words. We don't leave room for
silence, either in body or verbally...
-
We
won't make eye contact with the client for longer than a few
seconds. We're afraid that staring may appear to be
"too pushy", or we're simply trying to avoid potential
conflict and confrontation so it's just easier to look down...
-
We
may show our nervousness through our normal habits...biting the
nails...tapping the fingers...rubbing the hands...humming some
stupid tune. These tendencies certainly don't make for a
pretty closing situation :)
Remember...clients
don't like conflict either, thus they may show some of these exact
same traits as you're moving into a closing mode...
NonVerComm
at Closing --
Now
that we've covered what we DON'T want to do, let's look at some things
we DO want to do when getting the client to take action.
-
Slow
Down the Body...Slow Down the Speech...Introduce More Silence
-- recognize when you're coming to the end of your presentation,
where you're going to be asking for feedback and hopefully a
decision, and slow down your sentences...your body movement
speed...leaving more silence....... in
....between.......your............... words... I know
this sounds odd, but we need to calm not only our own nerves, but
the nerves of the client as well.
-
Hold
Eye Contact -- this seems like it would be easy, but it's
not. You'll want to work on this to expand your
comfort-level -- maybe one call you hold it for 50% of the
presentation and close...the next time it's 60%...then 70%, etc.
until you get where you can hold eye contact for long stretches,
outlasting the client, especially when you're covering your
services, your prices, etc. Staring at a client at the
critical part of closing, when they're reviewing your proposal and
there is silence between you, is a great silent closing
hammer.
Do
Something About Your Hands -- at the point of closing, when
the client is reviewing, thinking of excuses, trying to escape,
etc. we don't want to show our nervousness by tapping a
pencil...drumming our fingers...fidgeting with our tie,
etc...we'll want to be aware of these tendencies, and make
ourselves stop. One way is to go to the hand position
suggest in last week's tip, together in a steeple in front of you,
-- this forces you to keep your hands together and not let them
wander around (you'll want to make sure you don't tap your
fingertips together in this position, displaying your
nervousness)...
Don't
Be Defensive When Attacked ...GET CURIOUS, NOT FURIOUS...--
when we try to close we often hear objections or attacks on our
proposal, or pricing. We must learn not to show
defensiveness, even anger when this happens. Showing
defensiveness non-verbally would be to frown, shake your head no,
start leaning forward getting into a pounce position, etc....we
don't want to show this. Instead, we want to get
CURIOUS...that's why I like the phrase, "Get Curious, not
Furious...", it reminds us to question vs attack. So as
clients attack something in your proposal, we'll want to reflect
back an open, willing feeling...sort of like,
"Interesting...tell me more". This would be done with a
slight head nod up and down (not too long)...raised
eye-brows...maybe a half-smile. Then follow with curiosity
questions:
This brings us to the end of our
skip across the very deep pond of NonVerComm. I hope you've
enjoyed putting some of these basic strategies to use over the past
month and that you'll continue to add new ones to your arsenal.
If you have an interest in
learning more, there are lots of free articles and white papers
on-line just by doing a google-search, or you can drop some coin and
check out one of the many books. Two that I've read and liked
are:
Exercises for the Week:
-
Watch a client and how they express
their nervousness at closing
-
Role-play and watch others
role-play through a closing scenario and pay attention to the
nervous ticks of both parties
-
Just go for it...too many
people are afraid of asking for the order, because they're afraid
of confrontation...I think there is much more potential
confrontation in a lying prospect and a delusional salesperson
(though it will happen down the road)
===============================================================
Greg
Bennett, a partner in the innovative brand expansion and
consulting organization, Altitude Premium Consulting, LLC, has been one of the top sales and sales management
trainers in professional sports and entertainment since 1988. He
has created and delivered training programs for over 80+ professional
sports teams and leagues, along with several Fortune 500
companies. Altitude Premium Consulting provides training as
well as the creation of premium-branded goods for pro sports teams,
entertainment companies and
corporate sponsors, and is in a
partnership relationship with Kroenke Sports Enterprises,
owners of the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, Pepsi Center, the
Colorado Mammoth and several other sports and entertainment entities
throughout the United States. Bennett can be reached at (303)
405-6110, or you can email Greg directly at gbennett@pepsicenter.com
.
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Altitude
Premium Consulting,
LLC
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