the details of his problem, whathe is looking for from a supplier and the benefits he isbuying. He is buying on service and he needs a speedyresponsive service. He has also given me the implicationsof his problem - that he will lose business if his computersystem stays down for too long.– 69 –
EASY STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL SELLING
I can now use another necessary skill in the sales process,that of summarising or reflecting as it is sometimes called.This helps the prospect to see that I have listened to himand that I have interpreted and understood his situation.Salesperson: ‘So what you need is a rapid response to anyqueries or problems you have and that if the system goesdown a back-up will be put in place that will minimisedown time.’ (Summarising skills – to show I haveinterpreted his needs.)Prospect: ‘Yes.’Salesperson: ‘Since we provide a 24 hour service we cangive you round the clock support and back-up, therebyminimising any downtime and ensuring you don’t losesales. What’s more, we can also guarantee an engineer willbe with you within two hours.’ (I have sold in therelevant feature and benefit and I have strengthenedit with a further benefit.)So in both the previous chapter and this one, I have usedthe sales process A.D.D.I.N.ApproachDiscussionDiagnosisInterpretationNeedsTo sum up, the essential ingredients for a successful sellingprocess are:
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A CTIVE LISTENING

Make sure you are well prepared.

Get your appearance and opening body languageright.

Ask open questions.

Don’t be afraid to probe - ask ‘Why’ and ‘What doyou mean?’ Get the prospect to explain.

Use summarising skills to demonstrate to theprospect that you have understood and interpretedhis needs correctly.

Listen to what is being said.
Finally in this chapter, I need to examine listening skills,an essential part in the sales process.
Active listeningListening, really listening, is the hardest thing to do andthe highest form of courtesy! It is another part of the lostart of conversation. We are all so busy waiting to get oursay in, to talk about our experiences and ourselves, thatwe don’t really listen.Listening well is vitally important in the sales structure.You have to listen not only to the words themselves (whatpeople are saying), but the meaning behind the words.You have to pick up on the buying signals that can comethrough, like ‘Oh!’ or ‘Really’ or a shift in body language
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EASY STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL SELLING
position, as these will show interest in what you have justsaid. Once you have received and recognised a buyingsignal you will need to capitalise on it by focusing on thefeature and benefit the prospect has picked up on and thenstrengthening it. You can even possibly go on to close afterit.As I mentioned in Chapter 3 there are two types oflistening:
Social or casual.Critical or analytical.
Social or casual listening means we are only payingpartial attention; some of what the other person is sayingis going in, and the rest you are switching off or filteringaway.Critical listening involves really working hard to listen.You are receiving what is being said, you are analysing it,storing some information away in your head for later andthinking of what to ask next. Something of what you havestored away may then need to be retrieved later. If you arereally listening, in the critical sense, you will find that yourhead aches and buzzes with it.Unfortunately we are all becoming less adept at listening.As more and more of our stimulus is visual - e.g. televisionand computers - the skill of listening gets harder for us.So here are some tips to help you listen more critically.
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H OW TO LISTEN CRITICALLY
How to listen critically
Train yourself to start listening with the first wordand then listen intently.

Turn off all negative thoughts you have about theperson talking.

Think at the speed they are talking; don’t jumpahead.

Do not interrupt. When you are having aconversation with someone, receive what he has saidbefore rushing in with your contribution. If you feelyou want to interrupt, think about pausing, and takea breath before you start to talk.

Ask questions once they have finished talking toprobe their feelings, reactions, or to get more details.

Use their name and use ‘you’ in conversation.

Use positive body language. Lean towards them.

Use open gestures.

Maintain good eye contact..Listening and understanding aretwo of the key skills you needfor successful selling.
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EASY STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL SELLING
The sales interview summarisedApproachIntroduction.Check your appearance and body language.Set the tone by making general opening remarks.DiscussionAsk open situation questions to stimulate discussion.DiagnoseAsk open problem questions - try to uncover theirneeds.Use comparative questions.InterpretationUse summarising skills to show you haveunderstood and interpreted the implications of theirproblems and identified with their needs.NeedsTell them what they need by selling in the relevantfeature and benefit which will help them to solvetheir problems/fulfill their needs.Having done the above you will then need to close thesale i.e. ask for the business. A.D.D.I.N: add in yourproduct or service to help the prospect improve hisbusiness, solve a problem or fulfil a need.– 74 –
I N SUMMARY
In summary
In order to make people feel important we need toget them to talk, to open up, and we need to listenand interpret what they are saying.

We need to stimulate discussion by asking openquestions.

Open questions are questions that can’t be answeredwith a single ‘yes’ or ‘no.’

Open questions begin with: who, what, where,when, why and how.

Closed questions are questions that will provokea simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer.

Closed questions begin with: is/are, shall/ should,have/has, will/would, do/did, can/.

If you ask ‘closed’ questions, you will make life alot harder for yourself, particularly with anindividual who is not naturally forthcoming or whois hostile.

In order to stimulate discussion we need to askopen situation questions. These are questionsthat are designed to probe the prospect’s situation.

You cannot sell in your product or service until youhave information. Miss this vital first stage and youwill miss the sale!– 75 –
EASY STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL SELLING

Beware of asking multiple questions.

Beware of using value-loaded questions.

Be careful of how and where you ask leadingquestions.

To diagnose a prospect’s needs you will need to askproblems and needs questions. You will need toprobe. You can use comparative questions to helpyou with this stage.

Comparative questions can give you moreinformation and can help you explore differentangles.

Summarising skills enable the prospect to see thatyou have listened and that you have a grasp of thesituation.

Listen to what is being said: listening well is vitallyimportant in the sales structure.
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8Handling ObjectionsSo what about objections? These can come at any timethroughout the sales interview and you may have to fieldthem by answering the objection briefly and then goingon to ask the prospect an open question.For example, f the objection comes whilst you are still atthe discussion stage and you haven’t got enough answersto your situation questions, you will need to handle theobjection and regain control of the interview by going backin with a situation question. This is because you don’thave enough information at that stage to close the sale i.e.you don’t yet know what feature and benefit will appealto this prospect - you don’t know what he is buying on.Let’s take an example of an objection that arises whilstyou are still at the discussion stage of your sales interview,before you have diagnosed the prospect’s needs:Prospect: ’But I can’t afford to change suppliers at themoment.’ (Objection.)Sales person: ‘What do you mean exactly?’ (Openquestion.)Prospect: ‘Well I have an agreement with them which tiesme in for another year.’ (Prospect elaborates, givingyou more information.)– 77 –
EASY STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL SELLING
Sales person: ‘Well we may be able to help you with thatbut - before we look at that more closely - tell me, howmuch do XYZ Limited currently supply you with on amonthly basis?’ (Open situation question again.)The sales person has regained control of the interviewand is probing to get more information. The sales personmay be able to come up with a strong feature and benefitthat may encourage the prospect to change suppliers orthe sales person may be able to buy the existing contractout if he has the authority to do so.One of the most common failings in sales people that Isee is that the prospect will ask a question, or voice anobjection, the salesperson will answer it and then sit backand wait for the prospect to ask another question or putup another objection. The sales person loses control ofthe interview and ends up following the prospect. It isthen very difficult to close the sale.Objections and questions should be welcomed becausethey show interest. If you have carried out your discussionstage correctly and diagnosed the need or problem then,when objections and questions arise, see how far downthe positive buying motivations you are. Let me recap foryou.
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P OSITIVE BUYING MOTIVATIONS
Positive buying motivations
I am important.

Consider my needs.

Will your ideas help me?

What are the details?

What are the problems?

I approve.
Will your ideas help me?By this stage you have diagnosed the needs of the prospectand you are demonstrating how the features and benefitsof what you provide can help this prospect.
What are the details and what are theproblems?At these two stages you are receiving questions andobjections from the prospect. See how far down thepositive buying motivations you are - one step away fromclosing! (If I don’t want to be sold to, or if the salespersonhas not switched me over to the positive buyingmotivations, I don’t ask any questions. I sit there whilstthey go through their sales spiel and then I simply say,‘No thank you.’)
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EASY STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL SELLING
You will probably find that the same objections come uptime after time. Be prepared for them. List thembeforehand and also your answers. If you meet a newobjection and you feel you didn’t handle it well then afterthe visit write it down and then think how you shouldhave answered it. Ask your colleagues what they wouldhave said and the next time it comes up you will be betterprepared to answer it.
Golden rules on objection handlingWhen a prospect voices an objection listen carefully andpatiently in order to understand what the objection is andto avoid argument.Get your inner voice right – don’t take the objectionpersonally. Don’t get all defensive. Tell yourself how fardown the positive buying motivations you are and thatobjections show interest. The prospect has the right tomake objections.Don’t leap in with your compensating benefit. Ask theprospect an open question to probe the objection. Is it asincere objection or just a fob off? Has the prospectexpressed what he really means? The open question cansimply be along the lines of:‘What do you mean by that?’‘What makes you say that?’‘Really, why is that?’– 80 –
G OLDEN RULES ON OBJECTION HANDLING
The prospect will answer your question and will furnishyou with more information or re-express the objection ina different way and usually make it clearer to you whatthe real objection is. This technique also buys you time tothink how you will answer the objection but do make sureyou are listening to the prospect and that your mind isn’tracing on to give a benefit that is inappropriate.
Never assume you knowwhat they mean.If you ASSUME you make an ASS of Uand an ASS of ME!!!
In my experience, sales people are too ready to jump inwith their benefits before finding out what the realobjection is.Answer the objection by giving your compensating benefit.Here you need to draw on your features and benefits. Ifthere is no compensating benefit, simply say so. Be sincereand honest. Do not ‘flannel.’ If there is a genuinedisadvantage admit it. Then stress the advantages to theprospect to outweigh the disadvantage. Here you may haveto draw on information gained earlier.For example:Sales person: ‘Yes, you’re right, we are more expensivethan your current suppliers. However, you mentioned– 81 –
EASY STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL SELLING
earlier that service was very important to you. By payingthat extra you are guaranteed a 24 hour service whichmeans you will be saving money by having less downtimeand you will not be losing customers as a result. We canalso arrange payment terms for you so that we can spreadthe costs over a longer period. If we could delay the firstpayment for you, so that you don’t have to pay until thebeginning of your new financial year, would this help you?’Now let’s take a more detailed look at this.Yes, you’re right, we are more expensive than your currentsuppliers. Admit the disadvantage.However, you mentioned earlier that service was veryimportant to you. Draw on information gained at thediscussion and diagnosis stage.By paying that extra you are guaranteed a 24 hour servicewhich means you will be saving money by having lessdowntime and you will not be losing customers as a result.Give compensating feature and benefit.We can also arrange payment terms for you so that we canspread the costs over a longer period. Strengthen bygiving additional advantage or benefit.And if we could delay the first payment for you so thatyou don’t have to pay until the beginning of your newfinancial year would this help you? Convert theobjection into a question and make it the basis ofthe close.
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O BJECTION : ‘I T ’ S TOO EXPENSIVE .’
Here I have asked the prospect if he would be interestedin the proposition if a way can be found of solving hisproblem. If the objection is insincere then the prospectwill probably raise another objection. Ignore the firstobjection and repeat the process on the basis of the secondobjection.If the prospect keeps raising objections then you probablyhaven’t carried out stages one, two and three adequatelyenough, that is:ApproachDiscussionDiagnosisReturn to open situation questions or ask yourself whetherthis person is really the decision maker.Let’s take a look at some common objections and how tohandle them. You will have others special to your industry,service or product - make a list and be prepared to answerthem.
Objection: ‘It’s too expensive.’Probe. Make it specific - ask, ‘What do you mean byexpensive?’ Find out what they are really saying. Is it thatthey haven’t got any money or that they can get it cheaperelsewhere? Or have they misunderstood you, or have apreconception of your pricing that is totally inaccurate?Once you have found out what the real objection is thenanswer it with the compensating benefit.
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EASY STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL SELLING
For example:‘Yes, we are more expensive than XYZ Limited but withthis model you don’t have to keep paying out forreplacement parts and what’s more there is a lifetimeguarantee so you will be saving money in the long run. Ifwe were also to spread the payments over a longer periodwould that interest you?’
Objection: ‘Sorry no budget.’Probe. Ask, ‘When will you be putting your budgetstogether?’ If you know when their budgets are put togetherperhaps you can demonstrate how you can help them tosave money or plan ahead.Objection: ‘How can your company handle a contract likethis. You’re much too small.’Again, probe. Ask what they mean by too small. What arethey really saying? Here I think it is obvious that they areworried that your company won’t be able to fulfil theirrequirements but there could be some other reason andwe need to know if this is a sincere objection. What ismeant by this remark?Once you have found out the real objection you can handleit by mentioning your compensating benefits. In this caseyou could also mention names of other customers thatyou deal with which the prospect may be able to identifywith and therefore reassure him that you really can handletheir needs.
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I N SUMMARY
Remember to probe. Ask ‘Why?’ Usegood open questions and then give thecompensating benefits.
In summary
Don’t take objections personally; don’t argue ordisagree with them.

Get a good inner dialogue going and welcomeobjections, they show interest.

Make objections specific; ask probing, openquestions.

Admit a disadvantage if there is one and go on togive a compensating benefit.

Strengthen with another feature and benefit that willappeal to the prospect.

If you make a mistake learn from it and vow to dobetter next time.
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9ClosingThe close should follow logically from the salespresentation without any hesitation but I know this is notalways easy for some people.Years ago, as a rookie saleswoman, I had a dread of closing.I told myself I couldn’t do it, that I would never get thebusiness. I was fine on everything else but asking for theorder was a nightmare. Then I told myself that ‘closing’as a word was out and all I was doing was helping theprospect to buy. I had an excellent product and I couldgenuinely help this company by selling it to them. The‘helping the prospect to buy’ opened up my mind andtherefore doors into companies for me. It wasn’t nearlyso difficult after this. This helped me psychologically. Itmay help you.One simple way of closing is by askingfor the business. Often the fear ofrejection prevents us. Be positive andhave a confident manner.There are other closing techniques that may help you andI will now look at them in more detail.
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S OLVING THE PROSPECT ’ S PROBLEM CLOSE
Solving the prospect’s problem closeWe have already looked at this closing technique in theprevious chapter i.e. if we could solve the prospect’sproblem or objection would he buy?For example, a brewery I worked with found the followingobjection and closing technique came up with some oftheir prospects:Prospect:
‘I’m a bit wary about using a smallindependent brewery like yours?’(Objection.)
Sales person:
‘Really, why is that?’ (Probe openquestion.)
Prospect:
‘Will you be able to deliver thequantities I require?’
Sales person:
‘Yes, we can and we do regularly toother public houses of a similar size toyours and larger.’ (Give testimonialsand relevant features and benefits.)
Prospect:
‘But you only deliver on a Thursdayand Thursday is my day off.’ (Anotherobjection.)
Sales person:
‘So if we could arrange delivery for youat the beginning of the week, would yoube prepared to order through us?’(Solving the prospect’s problem close.)– 87 –
EASY STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL SELLING
Prospect:
‘Well I suppose if you could deliver onTuesday that would be OK.’
Sales person with pen in hand and forms to the ready:‘Right, Tuesday it is. How many barrelswould you like to order for the firstdelivery? Six or twelve?’ (Anotherclose - the alternative close.)Prospect:
‘Better make it fifteen.’
Sale completed.The salesperson used two closing techniques as you cansee. Initially he used the solving the prospect’s problemclose but then he added another close - he asked theprospect how many barrels he would like, giving him analternative to choose from.
Alternative CloseGiving the prospect an alternative will make it easier forhim to make a decision.Here are some further examples of this alternative close.
‘So when would you like delivery, this week or nextweek?’

‘Which colour would you prefer, the green or theblue?’

‘How would you like to pay? By cheque or creditcard?’– 88 –
F EAR C LOSE
This is a very useful technique and one that works well inclosing, both in telephone selling and in face to face selling.
Fear CloseThe fear close is used to put pressure on the prospect tomake a decision then and there, as you will see with theexamples I have listed below:
‘If you place your order now, at this exhibition, youwill get a 20% discount.’

‘This special offer only lasts until the end of the weekso to take advantage of it you’d be advised to placeyour order now.‘

‘We’ve had a lot of interest in this model. If youleave your decision too long we may have sold out.’(Estate agents and car salespeople seem to like thisone!)

‘If you confirm the order now I could put it throughwith this month’s orders which would guaranteeyou’d get delivery next week.’ (I have had this closeused on me a few times and it does work. When thesalesman threw in a month’s free trial he had it.)
And
‘I really need this order to boost my sales figures,especially as we close the sales order book for themonth today.’– 89 –
EASY STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL SELLING

‘I’ve got a wife and five kids to feed, if I don’t getthis order I’ll be out of a job!!!!’ I will leave it up toyou whether you want to use this one or not!
Assumptive CloseThis is similar to the solving the prospect’s problem close.What you are saying is that if you can satisfy the prospecton a point would he buy? For example:Sales person:
‘Assuming then that we can get thismodel for you by Tuesday, are youprepared to go ahead and place theorder Mr Jones?’
Prospect:
‘Yes.’
Sales person:
‘Right then, I will just make a call toour depot and see if I can arrange thatfor you.’
Another example:Sales person:
‘Assuming then that you are satisfiedthat complete confidentiality isguaranteed, will you buy from us?’If the prospect says that he is not sure then there are someother underlying objections that you have not uncovered.You need to find out what these are and resolve them.Ask an open question and probe the objection.For example: ‘What aren’t you sure about Mr Jones?’ Then
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B UYING SIGNALS CLOSE
handle the objection as detailed in Chapter Eight and tryclosing again.
Buying signals closeAs mentioned before, buying signals can come throughto you at any time by a show of interest. This can be inthe form of the prospect asking you questions or even byraising objections, some of which we have considered. Butit may be in the form of an expression like ‘Oh’ or ‘Really.’Or you may read it in the prospect’s body language, moreabout this in the next chapter.By capitalising on these buying signals you can go on toclose. However, many sales people are concentrating sohard on making their points that they can miss the buyingsignals. Look for them; listen for them in the conversation.When you have heard them, repeat or strengthen thebenefit to the prospect and then close with one of thetechniques mentioned.Regardless of which technique is suitable for you,remember what I said earlier:Closing begins with the approach, sotake time to get this right.When you have closed the sale the tendency is to talk onand then oversell. Don’t. Change the subject and getout.
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EASY STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL SELLING
In summary
Be positive and have a confident manner. Don’t beafraid to ask for the business.

Look and listen for buying signals and capitalise onthem by strengthening your benefit and going onto ask for the business.

Objections are buying signals. Answer them and goon to close the sale.

The alternative close makes it easier for people tomake a decision.

The fear close puts pressure on the prospect to makea decision or lose out in some way.

Another close involves solving the prospect’sproblem to help him buy.

Beware of the tendency to talk on and oversell.

Having won the business, change the subject anddepart gracefully.
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10Body languageJust as someone will form an impression of you throughyour choice and use of body language, you can read whatthe other person is thinking and feeling through the useof their body language.In order to be an effective salesperson therefore you needto be aware of your own body language and to be able tointerpret the use of the prospect’s body language. You canalso use body language to build rapport with the prospect.Some people are very good at disguising their bodylanguage; others tend to wear their heart on their sleeve.Their emotions are quite clearly visible through theirexpressions and how they stand or shift position.You need to develop an awareness of how you use yourbody language and this is where role-play in front of avideo camera can be helpful. You will quickly see whetheror not you have any bad habits that need to be corrected.You also need to understand some of the body languagesignals, to look for and interpret them at the same time asyou are driving the sales structure through and listeningto your prospect, so it is not that easy to do. In addition,something that you may interpret as a telling bodylanguage signal may just be a habit, so you will need to beable to discriminate between these.– 93 –
EASY STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL SELLING
Listed below are some body language signals you need tobe aware of. However, you will need to remember thatdifferent nationalities have different body language signsso if you are selling internationally or to different cultureswithin your own community you need to be aware of whatthese body language signals are.
Distance - personal body spaceThis can vary so you will need to know what is acceptableto people of different nationalities. Generally speaking,with British nationals, the personal space distance is aboutthree feet - hence the old saying ‘Keeping them at arm’slength.’ An arm’s length is three feet. When we know andlike someone we allow them to get much closer to us. Sodo be careful you don’t ‘crowd’ people. This is also whyyou shouldn’t place anything on the prospect’s deskwithout asking his permission; the desk is his personalspace.
Body movementsWatch for movements in the prospect’s body language.For example, do they lean forward when you saysomething, if they do that shows interest in what you havejust said? If they sit back, fold their arms or rub their earthat means they don’t much like what you are saying. Findout why that is by asking an open question.Rubbing the eyes can mean that the person doesn’t likewhat they see; equally it could mean they are tired, or
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B ODY MOVEMENTS
have something in their eye. You need to look at the otherbody language signals that are being sent. For example,has the person shifted position, moved away from you?Or have you just shown them a brochure or catalogue orgiven a demonstration of a piece of equipment and perhapsthey are not keen on what they are seeing?People who put their hand over their mouth whenspeaking are often said to be lying. This may be so but itcan also be a habit with some individuals. I once workedwith a young woman who always did this and when I toldher about it she said she had formed the habit because shehad once suffered with skin problems and had beenembarrassed by it and wanted to cover it up. Again, ifsomeone covers their mouth when they are speaking toyou look for any movements in body posture, any shiftingof position and dropping of eye contact. If you get all threethe prospect is probably not telling the whole truth.Rubbing the neck can often mean someone is tired butit can also mean the individual is embarrassed aboutsomething. Again, do any other body language signalsaccompany this gesture?You can also build rapport by mirroring the prospect’sbody language but not in an obvious way. You can moveforward when they do and gently ease yourself back inthe seat when they do. Don’t mimic of course, just subtlymirror.
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EASY STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL SELLING
Facial expressionsThis can say it all. Frowning, looking puzzled, surprised,interested or bored. There is no secret to reading this bodylanguage except the ability to train yourself to look for itand recognise it when you see it.
Eye contactMake sure you give good eye contact. If your prospectisn’t looking at you, or doesn’t want to look at you, tryand get him talking, then he will need to bring his eyecontact up. Once he has you can lock onto it. If he looksaway, do the same. And watch for when you do win eyecontact as this means you have just said something ofinterest to the prospect.I remember pitching to a group of partners in a legal firmto win them as a marketing client. There were fifteen orso, seated around a boardroom table. At that stage I didn’tknow who the main decision maker was. I couldn’t go onthe basis of it being the senior partner as he might nothave been the decision maker, or key influencer, in thiscase.Whilst I was giving my presentation I was receiving a fewsmiles and nods from a few friendly faces. The dangerthen is to play to these friendly souls rather than to thosenot looking at you. One man in particular was busywriting, sitting well away from the table and not givingme any eye contact. His body language was telling me hewas superior to the proceedings and that he didn’t think– 96 –
B ODY POSTURE
he needed me at all. He was very much in the first stagesof the negative buying motivations.By his superior, non-participatory body language I judgedhim to be the main decision maker. I needed to get andkeep his attention if I was to win the contract. Halfwaythrough my presentation I started talking about the imageof a legal firm being extremely important and his headcame up and he gave me eye contact.I discarded the rest of my presentation and focused solelyon image. He had given me a clear buying signal throughhis body language. I asked a couple of questions, he startedanswering them and yes, I won the contact.
Body postureAvoid giving out defensive gestures (although you maybe on the receiving end of them) i.e. closed body language.This means crossed legs, crossed arms and sitting well backand stiffly in your seat.You will also find that hostile or defensive people willeither be avoiding eye contact with you or giving you hardeye contact. If your prospect is doing this then you knowyou are definitely on the negative buying motivations;i.e. I don’t trust you - I don’t need you.Get the prospect talking about himself or his business andwatch for the body language. When it begins to unfoldand relax you know you’re doing the job well and theprospect is beginning to thaw and move into the more
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EASY STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL SELLING
positive buying motivations; e.g. I am important,consider my needs.Maintain good eye contact with your prospect throughoutthe sales interview.Sometimes you will see men shift their body language sothat they clasp their hands behind their head thusexposing the full front of their body. This is a male bodylanguage position. Women rarely if ever sit like this andtherefore do not naturally mirror this signal. This meansthat it puts a woman at a disadvantage and any malesalesperson going into this posture will therefore not getthe sale. It denotes supreme confidence which can alsosometimes be read as arrogance. I would urge all salespeople not to exhibit this body language signal, either tomen or women.
Impressive signalsThe following is a list of impressive signals you’ddo well to adopt:
Sit upright and alert.

Sit forward to convey real interest.

Keep your eyes on the speaker.

If you need to take notes always ask permission first.Don’t take too many, as you will lose eye contactwith the prospect. Jot down key points.
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I MPRESSIVE SIGNALS

Turn your body to the prospect but not head on.Angle it so that it is less confrontational, especiallyif the interview is taking place across a desk or table.

When listening keep your body language open, nofolded arms. If you have to cross