No matter how confident you are or how great a sales rep you are, sales is filled with moments that are intimidating. Whether it’s picking up the phone to prospect, speaking with angry customers, dropping by a business unannounced, or giving an important presentation, there are high-stakes moments where you have to put yourself out there.
And those are times when no matter how good you are, you aren’t feeling as capable or confident as you are.
That’s where body language comes into play.
You know that your body language can influence how others see you. But even more importantly, body language can alter how you feel about yourself.
That’s right. The way you sit, stand, walk and carry yourself impacts your own perception of yourself.
For those oh-so-intimidating moments, you need to strike your power pose. If you’re not familiar with the power pose, definitely check out Amy Cuddy’s Ted Talk “Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are” and my blog post “Want to Win More Sales? Improve Your Body Language!”
For women, this powerful stance is called the Wonder Woman pose; for men it’s known as the Superman pose. (Feel free to play the appropriate theme song if you like! I’m already humming it as I write this post.)
When you assume these superhero poses, it creates the right frame of mind for facing potentially intimidating moments by giving your confidence a much needed boost.
Here are 10 difficult sales situations when striking a power pose will boost your self-assurance and power you through. Use it before you:
- Make cold calls.
- Ask requirements gathering questions your prospect may find uncomfortable.
- Want to reframe a prospect’s frozen thinking.
- Make a recommendation you aren’t sure will be received well.
- Present a financial justification for a high priced solution.
- Deliver a proposal for a high priced solution.
- Ask for a referral from a client who isn’t expecting it.
- Begin a potentially challenging negotiation.
- Close a sale.
- Have any difficult conversation – with prospects, customers, peers, managers and leaders.
Each of these are sales situations, but the power pose works beyond sales. I jump into the Wonder Woman stance before all of my speaking engagements. And when I just want to feel strong.
It’s almost addictive because of the positive feeling it creates.
You’ve probably heard that you should keep a mirror in your office to watch your facial expressions during phone calls. Those expressions stand out in your voice too.
Now, take it a step further.
Don your figurative superhero cape and strike a power pose in the mirror before you pick up the phone. Feel the surge of self-confidence. That self-assurance will transmit through the phone lines and change your prospects’ perception of you and the conversation.
Body language plays a significant role in how you feel about yourself, and how customers perceive you. The next time you find yourself in a potentially difficult sales situation that requires all your confidence combined with your sales skills, use the power pose. You may just find more people stop and listen to what you have to say.
If this topic fascinates you as much as it does me, then you must give Amy’s new book, Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges a read. Her ideas can help you harness the power of your body language even more.