Question

As a salesperson with only six months’ experience, you are somewhat nervous about calling on an important buyer who has been a purchasing agent for almost 20 years. Three minutes after you have begun your presentation, he rapidly raises his arms straight up into the air and slowly clasps his hands behind his head. He leans so far back in his chair that you think he is going to fall backward on the floor. At the same time, he crosses his leg away from you and slowly closes his eyes. You keep on talking. Slowly the buyer opens his eyes, uncrosses his legs, and sits up in his chair. He leans forward, placing his elbows on the desk top, propping his head up with his hands. He seems relaxed as he says, “Let me see what you have here.” He reaches his hand out for you to give him the presentation materials you have developed.

1. What nonverbal signal(s) is the buyer communicating and why?
2. How would you respond nonverbally?
3. What would you do?

Answer 1

i. Let us first understand the audience, he is a regular buyer for the last 20 years and he was attentive in the first 3 minutes of the presentation. Then after he is trying to send the non-verbal clues about either he knows everything that you are trying to tell him by means of the presentation and your presentation is a just another repetition of what he has been listening from other colleagues from your company or he found your presentation extremely non-relevant to his interest.

ii. In such situation it is better to counteract the non-verbal clues or expressions with a non-verbal gesture. Make more direct eye contact while you are speaking to your audience and change the tone or attitude of delivery of your presentation, you need to be more assertive in order to get the audience interest. You may move a bit closer to your audience in order to get the attention of what you are trying to tell.

iii. I would rather begin with the proper homework on the client and will collect some information on his behavioral and personality traits from colleagues who had given him presentation in the past. Then I would make my content more crisp to the point and relevant to this customer only. I need to adopted a different apporach so that he should value my presentation and should get the feeling that I am trying to tell him something which is going to benefit him and he should appreciate the home work which I have done to make his time useful.