Making eye Contact

Body language may tell you something about prospects response

I
ts a classic sales clich: The more
eye contact you have with a prospect,
the higher his or her interest. But
the truth is more complex. New research
in neuro-linguistic psychology has found
its not the quantity but the quality of eye
contact that matters.
Researchers have found, for example,
that too much of the wrong type of eye
contact between you and a buyer may
mean trouble. In some cases, the buyer
may actually be resisting the sale or may
have little interest in the product. The
reverse is also true. Lack of eye contact
may lead you to believe interest is low,
when the prospect is actually concentrat-
ing quite hard on what you are saying.
The findings in essence show a relation-
ship between how people move their
eyes and what they are thinking and feel-
ing. Armed with the results of these stud- how intensely he or she is analyzing the lose a prospect before youve had time
ies, you can become a better judge of sales message. Understanding eye con- to deliver your pitch. Put yourself in the
how people react to your ideas at shows. tact is not difficultits just a matter of prospects shoes: Single out an object
keeping an eye out for certain cues. straight ahead of you and gaze at it for
Reading the Signs
30 seconds. Within 10 seconds, youll
We picture things with our brains, not Eyes Focused Straight Ahead begin to experience a trance-like condi-
our eyes. Light rays bounce off the ob- tion. Such a state resembles self-hyp-
ject being viewed and hit the optic nosis, although you can instantly snap
nerves, which electro-chemically trans- back to another thought at any time.
mit the information to the brain. As this
If your prospect remains too focused for
occurs, the eyes themselves are free to
too long, he or she is probably trying,
wander.
consciously or not, to shut you out. Try
Thats the marketing link: The direction another way to get this persons atten-
in which a prospects eyes wander re- tion, or look for another prospect.
veals his or her logical or emotional re-
actions to what has just been presented. Prolonged Eye Contact
Variations in eye movement also show Youre in trouble if your prospect is
looking straight ahead. He or she is re- A stareusually defined as intense eye
ceiving information passively, making contact for more than three seconds
Allen Konopacki little effort to analyze the content or indicates coldness, rudeness, anger, or
is president of the meaning of what you are saying. The dislike. Socially we have virtually out-
Incomm Center for
look is daydreaming, unfocused, and lawed stares, except to force momentary
Research & Sales eye contact, for example in elevators.
Training in Chicago, uninvolved with the surrounding physi-
Illinois. cal environment. Egotistical people stare in order to in-
He can be reached timidate. Sometimes naive salespeople
Watch for this frequentlyhuman be- stare in order to show interest in a pros-
at (312) 642-9377 or
visit his website at
ings have an innate ability to remove pect, unaware that they are actually mak-
tradeshowresearch.com themselves psychologically in less than ing the prospect uncomfortable.
10 seconds. That means you can easily
 At a trade show, staring directly at any- Eyes Cast Downward youve said. Rather than tuning you out,
one who is walking toward your booth the person is assessing the credibility of
is a sure way to keep even someone who what you have presentedan unusual
needs your product from stopping by. occurrence at a trade show. Give the
When selling to someone, dont stare; ceiling-watcher a chance to form an
take fleeting glances every few seconds opinion, for most people do not believe
to size up how he or she is responding to in factsthey need to relate your facts
your pitch. Become adept at these al- to their experiences.
most imperceptible information-gather-
ing glancesits a subtle skill that you Windows Of The Soul
can improve with practice.
This is a tough call. Your prospect is
Eyes Positioned Upward definitely concentrating, but he or she
To The Right may be thinking either, How do I get
my boss to approve this great purchase?
or else How do I end this discussion?
If a prospect looks downward with arms
folded across the chest and a finger laid
beside the lips, that person is thinking
intensely. Remain quiet and wait for the The eyes, more than any other part of
prospect to re-enter the conversation. the body, function subconsciously and
involuntarily, revealing hidden attitudes
Extended Looks Away to those who know eye language. Say
Even though your prospect is looking Have you got the picture?a prospect
away from you, youve got his or her may look away to visualize that image.
attention. Someone whose eyes travel But say Do you see what I mean? and
to the right is either relating your infor- hell probably look directly at you, read-
mation to a recent experience or analyz- ing your facial expression to try to dis-
ing the logic of your statements. This cern what you want as an answer.
reflex is conditioned by the fact that body
movements toward the right side are Getting somebody to say yes is a ploy
controlled by the left hemisphere of the taught by many sales consultants, but it
brainthe fact-filled, logical side. can waste a lot of effort in trying to close
a sale if the prospects eye language is
Your prospect isnt much of a prospect saying no. Ask a person in your booth,
Eyes Positioned Upward
at this pointhe or she is looking to Are you familiar with our widgets? If
To The Left
break off the conversation. This often he or she answers yes and then looks
occurs when the person believes they straight at you with no eye movement,
have the time to listen. Frequent avoid- you can tell that he or she probably has
ance of eye contact may also denote fear a hidden agenda or your question has not
of involvement, distrust, doubt, lying, or struck a hot button.
a combination of these reactions.
Recall your own experiences at retail
When a prospect avoids eye contact for stores. A clerk asks, May I help you?
prolonged periods, it is nearly impossible You answer, No, Im just looking, and
to motivate that person to consider your you probably look straight ahead, then
offer seriously. If you need to sell to this dart your eyes away in a moment or two.
This is another great sign for a sales- company, youd better find another But if you do want help, you might say,
person. This look indicates that your buyeryouve lost this one. Yes, would you... Meanwhile your
buyer is relating your presentation to an eyes move up and to the right for a mo-
experience farther in the past, which gen- Eyes Focused Upward ment, or off to one side, as you phrase
erally requires more intense concentra- At The Ceiling your request.
tion and deliberation. A person looking Behavioral scientists find that eye lan-
to the left is analyzing your information guage is more accurate than body lan-
on an emotional basis rather than logi- guage when it comes to understanding
cal; it is being reviewed in the right hemi- how people respond to information. Lack
sphere of the brain, the emotional side. of control makes eye language; eye
Take note of when a prospect glances movements are often involuntary and
upward to the right or left. Recall are, therefore, much more apt to reflect
quickly what you have just saidyou an individuals thought process. Know-
have hit some hot button, and that per- ing this may help both you and your pros-
When your prospect does this with arms
son is now calculating the value of your pect to negotiate a better deal.
behind the head or across the chest, he
proposition. Do you see what I mean?
or she is conscientiously analyzing what