The percentage of sales that Jimmi, a good friend of mine, makes
is not to be believed. Even his sales manager doesn't know how he
does it. But I do. Because he told me.
Jimmi says the fancy sales techniques he's learned over the
years (Benefits Selling, Partnering, Selling to Personality Types,
Value-Added Concept, Rejection Proofing, Spin Selling) all pale
next to what he calls "Eyeball Selling."
Eyeball Selling is not memorizing two dozen closing techniques. Nor is it verbally sparring with a customer to overcome
objections. Jimmi says it's quite simply keeping his eyes open,
watching his customer's reactions, and adjusting his sales pitch
according to how his customer's body moves.
While Jimmi is giving his sales pitch, he's concentrating more
on how his customer fidgets, twitches, and squirms than on what
he's saying. He's scrutinizing his customer's involuntary head movements. He's studying her hand gestures, her body rotation, her facial
expressions—even her eye fluctuations. Jimmi says when his customer is not saying a word, even if she's trying to give you a poker
face, she cannot not communicate. She may not say in words how
receptive she is to your pitch, but she's clearly telling you nonetheless. Jimmi says knowing what turns a prospect on, what turns her
off, and what leaves her neutral from moment to moment can make
or break the sale.
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How to Make the Sale
with Your Eyeballs
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Copyright 2003 by Leil Lowndes. Click Here for Terms of Use.
How Jimmi Finds Out Where the
Buck Stops
The product Jimmi sells is expensive lighting equipment. Often
he must make sales presentations to groups of ten, twenty, or more
people. He says, "The first challenge in Eyeball Selling is discovering who the real decision maker is."
Jimmi meets his challenge in an unorthodox (not necessarily
recommended) way. Right after "Good afternoon, gentlemen and
ladies," he says something slightly confusing. Why? Because the
surprised group doesn't know how to react. So their heads all twirl
like weather vanes on a windy day to look at—guess who?—the
honcho, the heavyweight, the head man or woman. Now Jimmi's
got his decision maker so he can continue Eyeball Selling to that
person.
What to Do When You Get Your Cue
Some signals are obvious," Jimmi says. "People shrug their shoulders for indifference, tap their fingers for impatience, or loosen
their collar when they feel uncomfortable. But there are hundreds
of other unconscious gestures I keep my antennae tuned for.
"For example, I watch the exact angle of my prospect's head
position. If it's fully facing me, especially if it's cocked at a cute
little angle, it means they're interested. In that case, I keep right
on talking. But if their head is slightly turning away, that's a bad
sign. I take it as a cue to change the subject and maybe talk about
a different benefit of my product."
Jimmi not only tailors what he's saying to his customers' reactions, but he actively takes steps to change his prospect's body position if he feels it's not receptive. He says, "The body must be open
before the mind can follow." For example, he continues, "If your
customer has his arms crossed in front of his chest, hand him something to look at so he has to unfold them to take it from you." Jimmi
How to Make the Sale with Your Eyeballs 289
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always carries a briefcase full of props to break down the barriers.
He has photos of his wife and kids to hand married prospects, snapshots of his Skye terrier for customers that have a dog, an antique
watch to show antique lovers, and a pocket-size computer to show
gadget fanatics. Jimmi says, "As long as I can get them to open their
arms to reach for something, I have a shot at their minds."
Jimmi also paces the timing of his pitch to match his customers' covert reactions. When his client reaches for an object, he
takes it as a cue to talk slower or just be quiet. Reaching for a paper
clip or fondling a folder on the desk says, "I'm thinking about it."
Of course, Jimmi is on constant lookout for sales-ready signals like picking up the contract, fondling the pen, or turning their
palms up. At that point, he cuts quickly to the close.
Another cue to bring out the contract-signing pen is when
your prospect's head starts bobbing up and down like a plastic
duck. They're silently screaming, "Yes, I'll buy!" Unskilled salespeople just keep on talking until they finish the pitch they learned
in training. Many keep talking so long, they unsell themselves.
Conversely, when customers move their heads back and forth, no
matter what they are saying, they mean "No!"
Eyeballing Is Not for Selling Only
Without a word, your friends and loved ones also show their
wishes. When my friend Deborah became engaged to Tony, it
seemed obvious to everyone—except Deborah—that it was not a
marriage made in heaven. A few months before their wedding I
said, "Deb, are you really sure Tony's the one for you?"
"Oh yes," she said, her head moving right and left, back and
forth, "I love him very much." That marriage never took place.
Her body recognized what her mind hadn't yet realized.
Like a politician, think of your social conversations as sales
pitches. Even if you have no product, you want them to buy your
ideas. If your listener turns away while you're talking, don't con290 How to Talk to Anyone
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centrate on how rude the person is. Like a sales pro, ask yourself,
"How can I change the subject to turn this person on?" If their
whole body starts to turn away, use the time-honored personal
question ploy. Ask about their favorite topic. "George, how big did
you say that bass you caught last week was?" Or use his name and
ask a personal question. That's always a grabber. "Archibald, what
did you say the name of your high school football team was?"
We've talked about only a few responses. Hints for reading
someone's body language could fill a book. In fact, they have—
many of them. I suggest a few of my favorites in the references.21–26
Read up on body language and tune in to its visual channel whenever you're trying to sell to people, get their vote, or convince them
you're the best candidate for the job or the role of life partner.
Wouldn't it be super to have Jimmi's success rate with our listeners
accepting whatever we say? We can if we just keep our eyes open.
A Quick Review
That's all there is to it. You'll remember to eat before coming to
the party (the Munching or Mingling technique) to leave your
How to Make the Sale with Your Eyeballs 291
Technique #77
Eyeball Selling
The human body is a twenty-four-hour broadcasting
station that transmits "You thrill me." "You bore me."
"I love that aspect of your product." "That one puts my
feet to sleep."
Set the hidden cameras behind your eyeballs to pick
up on all your customers' and friends' signals. Then
plan your pitch and your pace accordingly.
08 (265-292) part eight 8/14/03 9:19 AM Page 291
hands free for heavy networking. When you arrive, you'll stop in
the doorway and Rubberneck the Room to get the lay of the land.
While rubbernecking, you'll Be the Chooser, Not the Choosee and
pick your prospects for the evening. When standing around, you
will be relaxing and inviting with Come-Hither Hands.
You haven't forgotten, of course, to use the meeting-people
techniques from previous chapters. If you spot someone you want
to talk to, check them out for a Whatzit you can comment on.
Finding none, just ask the party giver, Whoozat? If the host or
hostess is not in sight, simply stand near your target and resort to
the Eavesdrop In technique.
While chatting with anyone you've previously met, you will,
of course, use Tracking to win their vote or heart and all the techniques in Part Two to ensure the conversation is interesting for
your new acquaintance. Finally, you'll employ Eyeball Selling to
make sure you're on target with every conversation. And don't forget, as you say "so long," to scribble material for your next contact
on your Business Card Dossier.
It's a good feeling when you've done it all right. Continue
using these techniques politicians use to work a room, and you'll
suffer no more unimportant parties. And, following the advice
throughout the book, you'll never strike anyone as an unimportant person.
Now we move on to the advanced section of How to Talk to
Anyone. Some of the following techniques may make you scratch
your head in confusion. Pay special attention to the ones that do
because it means somewhere, sometime, you might find yourself
scratching your head over something much more painful—like the
bump from hitting a glass ceiling, or why the business deal, friendship, or love affair went sour. You might never know, unless you
read it here, that it was your own communications fumble.