Instant Feedback

Recently, many organizations have implemented feedback loops that allow them to capture feedback at the point of experience. For example, National Express, one of the UK's leading travel companies invites passengers to send text messages whilst riding the bus. This has been shown to be useful as it allows companies to improve their customer service before the customer defects, thus making it far more likely that the customer will return next time.

Body Language

Body language is a form of non-verbal communication involving the use of stylized gestures, postures, and physiologic signs which act as cues to other people. Humans, unconsciously, send and receive non-verbal signals all the time. The technique of 'reading' people is used frequently. For example, the idea of mirroring body language to put people at ease is commonly used during interviews and deals. Mirroring the body language of someone else indicates that they are understood.

Examples list

• Put your hands on your knees: indicates readiness.

• Put your hands on your hips: indicates impatience.

• Lock your hands behind your back: indicates self-control.

• Lock your hands behind your head: states confidence.

• Sitting putting a leg over the arm of the chair: suggests indifference.

• Legs and feet pointed to a particular direction: the direction where more interest is felt.

• Crossed arms: indicates submissiveness.

Body Language Gestures and Sales

• Negative evaluation: touching the nose or scratching it is called “the negative evaluation gesture”; when someone takes it that means that he didn’t like what he just heard. If for example, you told your customer that a trip costs 1000 USD and at the same moment he took this gesture, be sure that he didn’t like the price. Talking further about the price will definitely result in losing the sale, so instead talk about the excellent time and rest he will get. Whenever you see this gesture while talking change the point you are talking about and shift to another one.

• Positive evaluation: positive evaluation is the opposite of negative evaluation, it happens when the person likes what he is hearing. The gesture can take many forms like rubbing his eye brows, scratching them, scratching the part of the forehead just above the eyebrows or pushing his glasses back in place. If you told your customer that a trip is worth 1000 USD then he took the positive evaluation gesture, make sure that he liked the price. Before leaving, tell him that he won’t find such a price anywhere and this will really impress him because this is already his opinion.

• The defensive position: this is the most famous body language gesture; it is recognized by folding the arms and is sometimes accompanied by crossing the legs. The defensive position is taken when the person becomes offended and when he is not comfortable (you should use common sense to differentiate between both cases). Whenever someone takes the defensive position while talking try to be more flexible.

• Tilted head: a tilted head means that the person is interested in what he is listening to. If your customer was tilting his head while listening to you then keep talking because he is already interested.

• Confidence: clasping hands behind the back or in front of the body reflects confidence. If the customer took any of these confidence positions while talking to him, know that he knows a lot about what you are talking about so the debate may not be on your side, change the topic or the point you are talking about until he releases his hands again.

• Orientation: if you found that the customer is not facing you directly (his shoulders are not parallel to yours) then he may want to leave or he may be in a hurry.

• Evaluation: if he started, touching his chin then he is evaluating what are you saying, keep talking, you are about to convince him.

• Hands on mouth: if he hides his mouth with his hands that means that he either wants to comment on what you are saying or either not convinced by what you are saying.