People enjoy being around people who are similar to themselves. They might share common hobbies or cultural interests, sometimes points of view or ways of looking at the world.
The saying “birds of a feather flock together” is well known for a reason. People tend to feel a connection with people who are like them – and trust them more than strangers.
For anyone in sales, it is worthwhile taking this into consideration and establishing common ground with your customers.
Use non-verbal cues to bond
Surprisingly, only a small part of creating this connection is made up of what we say.
Over 90% of our opinion of a person is formed by non-verbal markers, such as gestures, facial expressions, the tone of their voice and body language.
These factors all influence the subconscious, and anyone who knows how to make use of this non-verbal communication can convince the person facing them that they are both “on the same wavelength”.
Giving someone this impression creates the trust that you can use positively in a sales pitch.
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Top tips
Here are a few ways you can adapt your behaviour to do this:
- Discreetly observe the person facing you during the next sales pitch
- Adapt your body language to that of your customer – but do it cautiously and with a slight time delay
- Try to use the same tone and speech rhythm as your customer
- Use similar vocabulary
- Wait until it is clear that your customer feels at ease.
Then give them your best sales arguments!
With a bit of practice, you will notice how this behaviour creates a friendlier impression and can increase your sales and strengthen customer retention.