Reading clients' non-verbal clues
I play poker. I'm working on a novel that involves poker. I even watch poker on TV.
Don’t judge me.
One of the segments they showed during the World Series of Poker last year utilized a retired FBI agent named Joe Navarro to
break down the clues he saw to determine whether or not the player was
bluffing.
In addition to his segment on reading hands, Navarro has been hired by some of the top poker players to help them with their game. Reading non-verbal clues is vital to their success.
He pointed out details of
their body language, facial expression and even voice clues to analyze the
strength of each hand. Amazingly, he had a very good read on each player.
I found it incredibly
interesting because I realized that this is something that I can use in my
professional life. I think back to those meetings
where the client said they liked what we'd produced, but for some reason, we just couldn’t
close the sale.
How many times have you heard "We'll get back to you," only never to hear back. The reason is simple: People are basically nice and don’t want
to hurt your feelings.
There are several pieces
of non-verbal information you should look for when talking to clients to gauge
if they’re interested in what you’re showing them.
Eye
contact
Are they making good eye
contact throughout the conversation? Or are they looking around to avoid your
gaze? Even if they are telling you that they’re interested, if they’re not
making eye contact, it’s probably not completely true. You might be better off
taking another tack and bringing up another campaign idea if you have one, even if it's not polished.
Arm
movement
Look at their arms. If
they’re folded, they are probably not really interested. However, tucked behind
their back indicates a significant level of interest. If their arms are moving
a lot, they’re either very interested or very upset. That's a call you'll have to make.
Posture
Take a look at your
client's posture. Are they slouched? That indicates boredom. If they're sitting bolt upright, it's a good indicator that they’re taking everything in.
Voice
Listen to their
inflection. If their voice raises a bit and they speak quickly, chances are
they’re interested and they like what they see. If their voice is even and quiet, it indicates they’d probably
rather see something else.
Most people think poker
is a card game played with people. Really successful players will tell you it’s
a people game played with cards. If you
get a chance, check out Joe Navarro’s books about poker tells to help you
improve your ability to tune into non-verbal clues.
