How to Enhance Your Sales Presentation with Persuasive Eye Contact

When you present your product, you translate product features into customer benefits. (Verbal selling power.)

You can increase the impact of your benefit statement by synchronizing your eye movements with the discussion content. The key to successful presentations is to maintain eye contact when stating your customer benefits. (Nonverbal selling power.)

Example of persuasive eye movements:

“Mr. Prospect” – eye contact. “This is a vinyl covered chair” – your eyes move toward chair. Pause for a brief moment. “The reason I mention this is” – eyes moving back to prospect “because” – eyes now firmly on prospect’s eyes “it’s easier to clean” – smile, observe prospect’s reactions.

Remember, when you describe a product feature, you have to lead your prospect’s eyes to your sales literature, your spec sheet, your sample or to your product itself.

When you translate the feature into a customer benefit, you have to maintain eye contact.

Studies show that salespeople who avoid eye contact when explaining product benefits send two conflicting messages:

1. A verbal message that explains the benefit.

2. a nonverbal message that neutralizes the benefit.

The prospect may get the impression that you don’t believe in your own product. Salespeople who purposely avoid eye contact may give the impression of not telling the truth!