One important aspect of sales that I touch on in the sales approach I developed and outline in “The Golden 120 Seconds of Every Sales Call” is preparation. Often addressed inadequately and sometimes overlooked entirely, sales preparation entails so many things and much more than I can cover in one blog post. Therefore, this will be the first of a series of posts on sales preparedness that I will write over the next several weeks.
Few things factor more importantly in your sales preparation than your appearance, because, of course, it’s the first impression you make with the prospect. It goes without saying that your appearance needs to be highly professional, but what characterizes a truly “professional” appearance?
While your clothes may be clean and pressed, what you wear and how you wear it and present yourself physically is another matter. I’m talking about body language — how you use your hands, your handshake, your sitting and standing position, your eye contact, etc. Then there are the items you bring to the meeting and are part of how you present yourself — your pens, note pad, business cards, etc. All of these things communicate your level of professionalism, confidence and attention to detail.
Altogether, there are 18 critical elements of nonverbal communication that each salesperson should check before every sales call, no matter how casual the encounter. In addition to the above, salespeople need to consider their fingernails (keep them trimmed, clean and away from your face), breath (think about what you ate and drank before the meeting), make-up (women, don’t overdo it; keep it natural), and shoes (keep them polished and well-soled). Salespeople also need to keep their hair out of their eyes and their hands away from their groin (no scratching!).
These nonverbal communication opportunities can become powerful tools in your selling arsenal. You want your prospects to focus on your selling messages, especially during those “Golden 120 Seconds.” If they are distracted by your mannerisms or turned off by your appearance, even your best efforts to present your product or service will be wasted.
Tags: sales preparation
