When Dan Hudock visited class he began his talk with the notion that “selling is like a broadway play performed by a psychologist”. The idea behind this phrase is that the seller, the broadway performer, should be practicing psychology when selling. The sale is intended to entertain the leave them satisfied like a good broadway performance.
If you have ever been to a broadway performance then you know how captive the audience is as they watch some of the best performers in the world bring a story to life before their eyes. This makes for a strong allegory as it implies that the psychological practices of the salesperson must be exceptional and attuned to their audience, the buyer.
In class he gave a few examples of what this looked like in practice, especially as it applied to observing body language. Dan mentioned how men tend to create physical barriers with their arms to protect themselves when they feel uncomfortable and women tend to self-sooth by hugging themselves. He also mentioned how people indicate the object of their attention by the direction of their feet. If someone is positioned to head for the door then they are not interested in talking to you. Recognizing these signs can spare you a lot of painful situations and better cater to the comforts and needs of your prospective customers, making interactions more pleasant and profitable for everyone involved.
BoweryJE22
I agree that observing body language is important. Reading body language can be used so a salesperson can calibrate their approach or try and change what they are doing or even walking away all together. Body language can be a tell tale sign how the prospect is feeling and it is important to be able to read the body language.