eye
Making Contact
Body language may tell you something about prospectsí response
to your sales pitch, but eye language will tell you a lot more.
by Dr. Allen Konopacki
tís a classic sales clichÈ: The more
eye contact you have with a prospect,
Ithe higher his or her interest. But
the truth is more complex. New research
in neuro-linguistic psychology has found
itís 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 youíve 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 difficultóitís just a matter of prospectís 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, youíll
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
Thatís the marketing link: The direction
another way to get this personís atten-
in which a prospectís 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
Youíre in trouble if your prospect is
Variations in eye movement also show
A stareóusually defined as intense eye
looking straight ahead. He or she is re-
contact for more than three secondsó
ceiving information passively, making
indicates coldness, rudeness, anger, or
Allen Konopacki little effort to analyze the content or
dislike. Socially we have virtually out-
is president of the
meaning of what you are saying. The
Incomm Center for
lawed stares, except to force momentary
look is daydreaming, unfocused, and
Research & Sales
eye contact, for example in elevators.
uninvolved with the surrounding physi-
Training in Chicago,
Egotistical people stare in order to in-
cal environment.
Illinois.
timidate. Sometimes naive salespeople
He can be reached
Watch for this frequentlyóhuman be-
stare in order to show interest in a pros-
at [phone] or
ings have an innate ability to remove
visit his website at
pect, unaware that they are actually mak-
themselves psychologically in less than
tradeshowresearch.com
ing the prospect uncomfortable.
10 seconds. That means you can easily
At a trade show, staring directly at any- Eyes Cast Downward youíve 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 presentedóan unusual
needs your product from stopping by. occurrence at a trade show. Give the
When selling to someone, donít 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 factsóthey need to relate your facts
your pitch. Become adept at these al- to their experiences.
most imperceptible information-gather-
Windows Of The Soul
ing glancesóitís a subtle skill that you
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, ìHow do I get
my boss to approve this great purchase?î
or else ìHow do I end this discussion?î
If a prospect looks downward with arms
folded across the chest and a finger laid
beside the lips, that person is thinking
The eyes, more than any other part of
intensely. Remain quiet and wait for the
the body, function subconsciously and
prospect to re-enter the conversation.
involuntarily, revealing hidden attitudes
to those who know eye language. Say
Extended Looks Away
Even though your prospect is looking
ìHave you got the picture?îóa prospect
away from you, youíve got his or her
may look away to visualize that image.
attention. Someone whose eyes travel
But say ìDo you see what I mean?î and
to the right is either relating your infor-
heíll 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
Getting somebody to say ëyesí is a ploy
movements toward the right side are
taught by many sales consultants, but it
controlled by the left hemisphere of the
can waste a lot of effort in trying to close
brainóthe fact-filled, logical side.
a sale if the prospectís eye language is
Your prospect isnít much of a prospect
saying ëno.í Ask a person in your booth,
Eyes Positioned Upward
at this pointóhe or she is looking to
ìAre you familiar with our widgets?î If
To The Left
break off the conversation. This often
he or she answers ëyesí 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, ìMay I help you?î
prolonged periods, it is nearly impossible
You answer, ìNo, Iím just looking,î 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, youíd better find another
But if you do want help, you might say,
buyeróyouíve lost this one.
person. This look indicates that your
ì Yes, would you...î Meanwhile your
buyer is relating your presentation to an
eyes move up and to the right for a mo-
Eyes Focused Upward
experience farther in the past, which gen-
ment, or off to one side, as you phrase
At The Ceiling
erally requires more intense concentra-
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 saidóyou
an individualís 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