Body Language: What your clients are unknowingly telling you.

Sales Training Article by Ross Weber
“Our Actions Speak Louder than our Words”

A friend of mine who is a professional speaker once told me “I am very good at reading body language. In fact, I know when I am making a presentation to an audience where several people have their eyes closed and are snoring… I’m boring the hell out of them!” In most situations it is unlikely your clients will really start to snore in your sales presentations. We need to be aware of much more subtle actions.

To start with, our subconscious minds control the way our bodies react to certain feelings and emotions, often causing us to make subtle movements or actions when we feel or think a certain way. Everyone tries to exude some sort of presence through our dress, words, and actions. This presence is sometimes a disguise and tough to get through, but the subconscious mind makes our body act out our true feelings. Understanding body language allows you to know what a person is thinking without them speaking. Reading a client’s body language will allow you to know whether they are telling you the truth or lying, if they are having concerns, if they are trying to make a decision, or if they have already made their decision.

As I work with different sales organizations, sales people often complain that their clients are just not telling them the truth. Well, the truth is, most people will say whatever they need to say to get out of an uncomfortable situation. Making a purchase is almost always an uncomfortable situation because the buyer is making a decision, often quicker than they would like. Many buyers are afraid to make decisions for one reason or another and as a result their subconscious mind tries to protect them. For this reason, becoming a good body language reader is one of the most important aspects of selling.

Being able to interpret what your client’s body is telling you will enable you to start to turn them early in their decision making process, effectively manipulating them into changing their mind in a positive direction before they have decided “not today”. You can do things to start to move their subconscious mind in the direction you want their body to move.

Consider these questions: Is your client leaning toward or away from you? Does your client have their arms crossed? Does your client rub their face or their nose while they are talking to you? Does your client engage you or look away from you while talking? What direction are their feet pointed? Is your client’s hand under their chin? Does your client rub the back of their neck? Has your client touched you? What about personal space? These are but a few of the potential signs your clients subconscious minds are sending you.

Lets now consider each of these signals and what they mean for your sale. I will also make some recommendations for you to try to “remedy” the body language situation if you read the client’s body telling you things are not going like you want.


Is your client leaning toward or away from you? When a person is interested in something they try to get closer to it. We subconsciously do this by leaning our body toward the interesting person or item. As you are presenting watch the body language of your audience. If the class is leaning toward you, possibly taking notes, or at least attentively leaning forward, they are interested in what you are telling them. When they lean back, their body is telling you they are relaxing and less interested. This can be from several reasons—like boredom, disinterest, or they have already made up their mind. I have seen clients in the decision making process go immediately from leaning forward to closing up their note books and sitting back. This means they heard something they either really disliked or they were ready to buy. Hopefully they are ready to buy.

***Tip- keep your clients leaning in your direction by limiting the amount of one way conversations. People tend to be interested in hearing themselves talk so engaging clients is a great way to get them to lean forward. Also, get them to take notes of certain things. Taking notes will also get them to engage.


Does your client have their Arms Crossed? When a person crosses their arms they are telling you they are closed. Crossing arms is usually done when we are cold and subconsciously we cross our arms to maintain our internal heat or protect ourselves from something. Watch your clients as they interact with you. If they are interacting with you and they have crossed arms they are not open to the discussion you are having. If they are sitting and lean back and cross their arms then they are closed to you. I try to keep clients from crossing their arms by having them hold something. Just the simple matter that they have a paper in one hand will keep them more open to you. If you see your client lean back and fold their arms in front of their body you need to get them to open up.

***Tip- similar to the recommendation above plan carefully any presentation time in front of the client. If you are working with multiple people watch those who start to cross their arms. If there are more and more open up the conversation to get them involved or to get them to tell you about their concerned. “Bill, you seem concerned. Tell me about what’s got you worried.” Simple statement with a request for the client to talk will often get them opened up.


Does your client rub their face or their nose while talking? Rubbing the fact or nose is often linked to deceptiveness. Be aware if the client rubs their nose or face. If so, they are trying to tell you something that is not accurate. This is also something you need to keep in mind when you are speaking. Do not rub your nose or face. Face rubbing can also be a sign of nervousness. Nervousness is caused by many different sources, lack of preparation, need to make a decision, being uncomfortable, telling a lie. Each of these potential sources should be considered.

***Tip- Not every time a person rubs their nose or face does it mean they are lying or deceiving you. In fact, someone may really have an itch. It is just important to recognize what the subject they are talking about when they do the rubbing so you know to beware of that particular information.

Does your client engage you or look away while talking? Many scholars say that people’s eyes cannot lie. Looking into a person’s eyes when you speak with them lets them know you are to be trusted. If you are talking and notice the other person is not paying attention to you or seems distracted they are giving you a telltale sign they are not interested in the conversation. This is almost simple common sense because we often look to see what they are looking at. If they continually look away as they are telling us, and do not want to maintain eye contact they are either telling us something very difficult to divulge or they are not telling the truth.

***Tip- If you are dealing with a client who is easily distracted try to get them to turn so they talk to you when there is nothing behind you to look at. You can also just stop talking and look to see what they are looking at. If they really are distracted by something happening, stop the conversation until you can get them to pay attention. When they are willing to engage let the conversation begin. Remember to start from a point a bit earlier than when they got distracted.


What direction are their feet pointed? Our bodies plan in advance the direction we are considering going. You will notice people starting to look first for where they are going and then their feet will point that direction well in advance of their actually making a move. I have worked and consulted for many years in a seminar setting where I have observed thousands of people sitting and listening to sales presentations. I could often tell who was going to leave by watching the way the client’s feet were pointing. If they were pointed toward the door they were going to try to make a run for it.

***Tip- Your best option here is to get them to turn another direction or to get them to sit down, in a manner where they are able to sit without crossing their arms and not pointing their feet toward the door. I have also been successful to engage individuals who are leaving and then get them to follow me. I do it by starting a conversation with them and then slowly stepping away from them while we are speaking. Creating too large of a space so they have to follow me to keep the conversation going. It works great.


Is your client’s hand under their chin? People rest their head on their hand when they are making a decision. It is interesting to watch a person lean their chin on their hand when they are trying to figure something out. It happens all the time. Do not put pressure a person when they have their hand under their chin. You are best to let them make the decision or at least make the next comment.

***Tip- If you see negative signals feel free to ask the client what is concerning them. Openness is the best way to help them in their decision. Seeing the hand under the chin is a good sign. It is best to let them be the first one who breaks any silence at this time. The old saying the first one who speaks looses is the perfect phrase to remember at this time.


Does your client rub or scratch the back of their neck? When a client rubs their neck they are unsure of their decision. Rubbing or scratching the back of the neck is a sign that they have additional questions or concerns. This also applies to rubbing the head for many men. If you see this, you need to get them to open up to you and to let you know what they are worried about.

***Tip- When you see your client rub their neck ask them something like “tell me about any potential concerns a person may have at this point in the process.” Be sure to keep the question phrased in the third person so you are not specifically calling them out to tell you what they are concerned about. You may even want to tell them about a common concern other clients have at this point in the purchasing process. Concerns are good! Find out what it is and then Close the Deal!


Has your client touched you? Touching is a way of telling someone you are comfortable with them. When your clients touches you they are telling you they like what you have to offer. Be aware of subtle touches of your hand. Also be careful if you find yourself over touchy because you can turn off a buyer. I make it a point not to be the first one to touch a client. I let them be the one who touches me first. Many people will put their hand on my arm. Or touch the back of my hand. It is a sign of comfort and trust. When this happens I make sure to reciprocate and to touch them back in a similar manner within a minute or two. Once they have touched you and you have touched them back your bodies are aligned. You also need to try to make the touch something that will later trigger that comfort. When you touch them make sure you say their name as you speak. This will help you make the touch a trigger.

***Tip- If you and your client have touched and they start to get cold feet. It is easy to trigger the comfortable feelings they had earlier when the two of you touched. I often will put my hand on their arm and quietly tell them that “it is alright to be a little nervous at this point in the process. Most of my clients are very nervous and in fact if they were not nervous I would be worried.” I will then touch them again a few minutes later and comment on how much warmer they feel now. This almost always gets them to both laugh and calm down.


What about personal space? Personal Space- In western culture our personal space is highly valued. Feel free to stand a little further back from the client to allow them to set the distance of their personal space. It is interesting once you allow them to be the one to approach you to notice how they will actually end up closer to you than if you are the one who sets the distance. Once they are close or touch you then you are safe and considered in their circle.

***Tip- When you are dealing with international clients keep in mind that different cultures have very different rules with regard to personal space. Some will want to be very close, almost touching, while others will stand a little further. As a westerner you are probably safe to allow them to set the distance. Just be aware that personal space is something that gets smaller the closer of a relationship you have. I remember an older gentleman who was from India actually holding my hand as we did his deal. It was a little weird, but it got the deal done. Be aware of your client’s personal space and how much they are allowing you inside their protective zone.

Being a great body language reader will win you Sales! Learning to interpret what your clients body language is telling you will enable you to make more sales than just about any other single strategy. The specific meanings of body language are varied depending on the circumstances but the signs your clients send you with their body do not lie.

Watch the body and read its actions. You’ll soon notice your clients making many of the same motions at similar points in the purchasing process. Read their actions so you can stop problems before the client walks out the door.

(c) 2009 P. Ross Weber This article MAY be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, as long as the author’s name, website and email address are included as part of the article’s body.  All inquiries, including information on electronic licensing, should be directed to ross@InYourFaceClosing.com
http://www.InYourFaceClosing.com



P. Ross Weber
http://www.inyourfaceclosing.com
ross@inyourfaceclosing.com


About the Author:

Ross Weber is a Global Sales Executive with a rich career in B2B direct sales, seminar direct sales, and IT sales consulting. Ross has leveraged his expertise in personality profiling, consumer buying behaviors, multi-cultural influences in decision making, high pressure sales tactics, in-person closing strategies, and consultative sales strategies to author “In Your Face Strategies for Selling More” to help sales professionals close deals more quickly.

Ross first gained exposure to the world of sales at the early age of nine. This experience taught him several basic principles of sales, and how to clearly understand why customers would or would not make buying decisions. As his career progressed, he became a recognized authority in sales and new business development. He has generated hundreds of millions of dollars in sales; in part due to influencing decision makers to make buying decisions in the early stages of the sales process, often without follow up strategies. He personally negotiated and won several thousand sales deals as he traveled nationally and globally. Ross has taught colleagues to use personality and specific sales strategies to help transition the buyer’s emotions into a favorable decision without pressuring the potential buyer or facilitating long sales cycles.

The author believes each seller-buyer interaction has only two possible results: either the seller closes the deal or the buyer closes the deal. “In Your Face Strategies for Selling More” will enable you to have a transparent view of the multiple stages in the sales cycle, and to leverage new sales tools to close more sales. His new book will teach you how to influence the buyer to move forward with a positive sales decision, skyrocket your sales performance, and accelerate your personal income.

Ross’s sales career is complemented by a LL.M. in International Business from American University Washington College of Law, a MBA in General Business Management from Washington State University College of Business and Economics, and a Juris of Doctor from the University of Idaho College of Law. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the Utah Valley State College.