BODY LANGUAGE IN THE WORKPLACE

THE MAGIC BEHIND THE SALE

up and putting them down, unwinding paper clips, twisting

pencils and fidgeting with pens, playing with your ring—these

are all nervous mannerisms that can annoy your client.

IT'S THE SIZZLE THAT SELLS THE STEAK

I have a good friend, Jim, who's long past the half-century mark.
Jim spent most of his life in sales, and then became CEO in
charge of sales for a nationwide organization. He's retired now,
doing consultant work, but he likes to talk about the "good old
days," and most of what he says is very applicable to what concerns
us today.
"I started out working with the president of the Tested Selling
Institute in New York City. That was back in 1942. He knew all
about subtext way back then. His favorite line was 'It's the sizzle
that sells the steak, not the cow!' Though, to tell you the truth, I
think the cow's pretty important."
I asked Jim to explain that. "Well, you never saw a cow walk
through a restaurant enticing the customers to carve themselves
a sirloin. But let a waiter carry a sizzling platter of steak through,
and everyone's mouth waters. Now everything you sell has to have
a sizzle. You find the sizzle in your product and you're halfway
home!
"Once you've got that down," he went on, "you need a touch
of showmanship. You know, what you do is as important as what
you say. The way you move your hands and feet, the way you
touch the product, that's all important. Watch that eyebrow. Lift
it in surprise, and you can lift yourself right out of a sale. You've
got to be sincere. Your smile has to be sincere without becoming
a smirk. You have to send out an impression."