Hands, Eyes, Mouth

Hands, eyes, and your mouth. Those are the three things you use to communicate with others. Body language and the way you carry yourself is crucial in the sales process.  Avoiding eye contact, a weak handshake, or a certain tone of voice can doom a sales call before it really even gets started.  I want to focus on some basic things in this post that are often overlooked in day to day life.

Studies have shown that 93% of your communication has nothing to do with your verbage.  55% of communication is through body language, while 38% is tone of voice.  WOW.  When you see those numbers, it really makes you think about things you don’t normally think about when having a conversation.  Those oft forgotten things is what I am going to focus on in this post.

Firstly, start every meeting with firm handshake.  Look the person in the eye, smile, and shake the person’s hand you are meeting with firmly.  Everybody knows how dreadfully terrible a “dead-fish” handshake is.  Avoid these like the plague.  Likewise, you do not want to be overly enthusiastic and have a pain-inducing, digit-crushing vice grip.  Find a nice middle ground. That’s why I normally go with the word “firm.”  A firm shake will make you come across as a confident, trustworthy person who brings professionalism and sincerity to the meeting.

Secondly, look the person in the eye.  The truth is, in any situation we look at, and focus on things on which we are interested.  Hence the importance of eye contact.  It show the person you are talking to that you are interested in what they have to say, and who they are as a person. It makes them the focal point of the conversation.  You don’ thave to stay locked onto their face 100% of the time, in fact, that would be a little awkward. But for the supermajority of the time, you should be making eye contact with them. It is a way of interacting with them without talking.  Most imporantly, much like a good, firm handshake, it communicates respect.

Finally, the mouth.  I am not talking about the words that come out of your mouth, as that only accounts for a meager 7% of total communication.  I am talking mostly about smiling and tone. Smiling is  one of the most underrated tools in any professional interaction. Mother Teresa once said, “We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.” And boy is she right.  Often there can be a level of awkwardness in a business meeting, interview or other professional interactions.  A simple smile lightens the mood and reminds the person you are a human not a robot.  As for tone, 38% of your interaction is a result of your tone.  So be mindful of it! Use it to guide and create the feel of the conversation.

While these three things might seem like no-brainers, they are often poorly misused.  Mastering these three simple things will go a long way in building your reputation as a respectful, sincere and professional person.  So don’t underestimate them!