The simple gesture that makes you 40% more attractive!

(Illustration by Yohei Kanno)
The simple gesture of nodding raises your perceived attractiveness, likeability and approachability by as much as 40% (according to a study by Japanese researcher Junichiro Kawahara at Hokkaido University)
Why is this so important in sales?
This means people will choose to do business with someone they like even if a competitor has a slightly better product or service.
Anything you can do to improve your likeability is a short cut to success! And admit it who does want to be seen as more attractive?
Note: the attractiveness is not related to physical attributes, but rather relates to personality traits. (I know what you were thinking. That headline had me thinking...40% more attractive will put me in George Clooney or Brad Pitt territory?)
For the past month I’ve been sharing this beautifully simple tip with sales people in various fields, with amazing results.
But wait it gets even better!
How and when you nod doesn't just lower people's shield's, it can also cause others to…
Say ‘yes’ to your request. When asking a client if they want to buy your product or service, a couple of small nods combined with a warm smile will cause them to want to say yes to you.
e.g. So (smile) Jared (nodding) how would you feel about driving that super hot red sports car home today because it‘s not going to be on the lot for long?
(Smile) Well Jesse and Jayden (nodding) can you imagine how much fun it would be to entertain your friends on this beautiful family room in front of that fireplace because we could get you possession before spring arrives?
Simple formula: Smile, name, nodding and request leads to an urge to say ‘yes’.
Make you more believable. Nodding when you are making a major point in a presentation will cause your clients to believe what you are telling them.
e.g. (nodding) we take great pride in our after sales service because we want you to be so happy you will want to refer us to your friends!
Encourage clients to open up.
A few slow nods as you client speaks encourages them to keep on talking.
Master Persuaders know that you can only learn a clients wants and desires when you can get them to open up. Your ideal objective should be a 70/30 talking ratio. That’s them talking 70% of the time and you 30%. Maybe that's why ambiverts and sometimes even introverts can out sell extroverts?
Interesting fact: the #1 reason people don't trust sales people is that they don't really listen and they talk too much!
Research has shown that sales superstars aim for this ratio. How do they do it? They ask open ended questions, nodding when the client speaks and they resist the urge to interrupt (which is super annoying).
Now let's talk about the speed and rhythm of the nod -
* Slow and lengthy nods usually show agreement and understanding. It conveys…"Take your time I'm listening"
* Several small barely noticeable nods combined with a smile and a request is irresistible.
* Your nods shouldn’t me more than a few inches. The nods are barely noticeable.
Did you know this happens on a subconscious level? And who knew such a simple psychological tip could be so darn effective. Provided you don’t overdue it, no one will be consciously aware of what you are doing.
Nodding is so addictive that it's hard to resist nodding in return when someone does it to you. And just try to say no when you are nodding yes!
With these facts in mind you gain a new power over your interactions:
A word of caution…

Nodding loses its power if you over do it. You don’t want to look like a bobble head, so use it judiciously.
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Beyond the obvious…Calming the beast
A lady friend cornered me a few days ago and vented about how poorly her boss was treating her. My first thought was oh no, she’s going off the rails again. Her habit was to rant with the persistence of the energy bunny. She just keeps going and going..
So this time I tried using occasional slow nodding as she spoke while throwing in the a few uh huh’s. Five minutes later she calmed down and thanked me for listening to her. She gave me a long warm hug and said it was the first time anyone had ever taken the time to really listen and understand her. I was stunned. She went from raging bull to happy puppy in mere minutes.
So what do you think would happen if you tried this on an upset customer?
Why it works?
Glad you asked grasshopper. Because if you make someone feel that they are being understood and listened to it makes them feel respected. And when they feel respected they feel good and credit you as the source of that good feeling. Now they are open to suggestions and requests from you. Beautiful, huh? Who knew just shutting your mouth and nodding had such magic!
What are you going to do with this knowledge?
* Take it for test drive? Try it out on your clients, your spouse, friends and peers because you just might be surprised how often you can get others to your bidding. How cool is that?
* Review and repeat. After every interaction, I like to do a mental review and ask myself, did I use this ridiculously simple psychological technique as directed and what effect did it have?
* And anyway who doesn't want to be 40% more attractive?
* Make my day and let me know how it worked for you! And if you really want to make me happier than a dog with a bone, hit the subscribe link or hit the facebook share button below for more 'Secrets of Master Persuaders'...
