RELATIONSHIP SALES SUCCESS SERIES

Body Language Does Most Of The Talking

We all like happy, positive, upbeat people who make us feel good and put us at ease. In addition to the verbal words that come from those people, what body language conveys “happy,” “positive,” and “upbeat”?

Have you ever walked into a room and immediately had a sense of what mood other people were in? I thought so! Did you gravitate to those you felt were happy and upbeat? The same thing happens to those visiting your tasting room. So how do you identify those in the “happy” camp versus those in the “not-so-happy” camp?

This article identifies how body language affects others’ reactions and decision-making. We’ll also provide key steps you can take to ensure your body language is always perceived as positive so you’ll close more sales.

You may have no control over who wanders into your tasting room. But you can decide, in advance, how you will create a warm, welcoming experience for them, no matter who they are, and how you will sell them some wine!

How Influential Are Your Visuals?

Did you know that 85% of communication is non-verbal?

The combination of how you stand and move, your appearance, and how you use your voice, all create a dramatic image of who you are and how others perceive you. You send messages to others with your posture, tone of voice and speed of speech. Even your hair creates a barrier if it shields some of your face.

If you find some days are easier to be upbeat than others, or your confidence is lagging at times, I recommend a few mental shifts to move you into the warm ‘n’ fuzzy space you need in order to be successful in sales.

Positive Affirmations

By practicing a few mind-training techniques, you can improve and even transform your demeanor. Remember that people see, hear and feel your attitude. Soften your natural reserve by opening up a bit and learning to self-talk. Try these positive affirmations by saying to yourself:

By programming your subconscious mind, you can increase your sales, have more fun at work and create a turning point in your life! You can’t buy a good attitude, you have to work at it! You’ll find that the more you work at it, the better you become.

What is Your Body Language?

Let’s start with your face – usually the first thing others notice about you. Are you smiling? Making and holding eye contact? How about the rest of your body: Is it conveying a closed-up look with hands and arms (and sometimes legs and feet) clasped together, close to the body? Or, are you expressing openness and availability in your gestures?

Be sure to observe others to see what non-verbal messages are being sent to others via their body language: Do their heads tilt down or away, with eyes downcast? Are their voices a low mumble? Do you get the idea that they want to avoid human contact at all costs? With whom would you like to have a conversation?

General aspects of body language involve open vs. closed demeanor. People perceived to be friendly, approachable, trustworthy, relaxed and confident have an erect posture with hands and arms open, head tilted toward their customer, and direct, but undemanding, eye contact. And, they are smiling!

I’ve made this easy with a short checklist you can download. Use it to observe others’ demeanor and your own. Here are some highlights for positive body language.

Great Body Language for Hospitality Professionals

1. Smiling
2. Direct eye contact
3. Open position arms, not crossed or constricted
4. Open posture body, facing guests and conversation partners, receptive to others
5. Legs relaxed, no crossed legs
6. Leaning in to guests and conversation partners, not away from them
7. Vocally clear and strong, no mumbling or low talking
8. Energetic and interested in guests and conversation partners

Use Your Smartphone for Smart Communication

I’m not suggesting you use your phone instead of personal, face-to-face interaction! I’m suggesting you use the video feature on your phone to record practice sessions. You may even want to recruit friends or your supervisor to record you in action with guests (with their permission) so that you can review how your body is communicating with guests at a later time.

Use the magic of video feedback to inform what changes you’d like to make to your behavior. Here are a few things to look for that may be sending the wrong signal to visitors.

Personal Habits That May Trip You Up

1. Do guests ask you to repeat what you said? – Are you speaking too quietly? Too quickly? Or are you mumbling a bit?
2. Watch your body moves. – Are you fidgeting? Do you subconsciously twirl your hair or adjust your clothing?
3. Do you look down when speaking to guests? – Are you feeling a bit shy or nervous about what you’re saying to them?
4. Do you have funky gesture habits, such as an abundance of arm waving to animate what you’re saying?
5. Do you reach out to put a hand on a guest’s shoulder? – This is often a big no-no to touch guests even when done innocuously.
6. Is your hair obscuring the visitor’s view of your face, making it difficult for them to understand what you are conveying? – Consider hair tie-backs or a new style at work.

These are but a few areas that may be short-changing your ability to sell wine.

Review video footage of yourself (or others) in action to observe what is happening physically with your body language habits. Then view the video again watching the guests’ reactions to your movements and body language. What do their reactions tell you about your own behavior?

How to Make Improvements

1. Make your first list: – Everything you are doing well and can be acknowledged as a “pro” in your skill set and personal assets. This is your most important list to keep front and center. Review it often for positive reinforcement.
2. Next, make your list of detractions – what’s in the “con” column? Is your voice too soft much of the time? Do you have a habit of crossing your arms while you wait for guests to make a decision about which flight to try. That’s a big turn off to them. Make this your list of things you should try to change and improve.
3. Making changes is difficult. We all have idiosyncrasies and habits we’ve been doing for years. Don’t beat yourself up for not getting them changed right away.
4. Choose the most important thing to improve right now and focus on changing that behavior or habit for the next week (or two!)
5. Don’t be hard on yourself if you find yourself coming back around the tasting counter and saying to yourself, “Ugh! I forgot again to keep my arms loose by my side! It’s hard to rid myself of this habit!”

Know that every time you repeat to yourself how hard it is to change you are reinforcing the difficulty in changing. Simply tell yourself, “It’s easy for me to change my habits with my posture and arm gestures. I keep my arms relaxed and open with guests.”

Remember it may take up to 21 days to change a bad habit and stick to it. Don’t attempt to change all your negative habits at one time. Tackle each one in turn to ensure the newly-formed good habit sticks.

Ask for Feedback

Give yourself a congratulatory pat on the back! You’ve nearly transformed your detractions in body language and morphed them into positive behaviors that encourage buying from your guests. Congratulations!

If you’re not sure if you’re making solid progress, ask your peers in the tasting room or supervisors for feedback. They’d be honored that you trust them enough to help you improve your habits and skills.

And be sure to record yourself again on your smartphone to compare an older video to a new one. You’ll see how much progress you make, and you’ll witness what a difference in your sales success positive body language can make!

This article is part of the email Relationship Sales Success Series. It provides a step-by-step guide to improving wine sales and wine club sign ups. While it focuses upon techniques for those working winery tasting rooms, the principles of great sales skills can apply to any industry. Sign up for the series here.