How to Make the Sale with Your Eyeballs

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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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

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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

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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.

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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.