- Emblems
- Illustrators
- Affective displays
- Regulators
- Adapters
In relation to selling and sales techniques, Sundaram and Webster (2000) contend that body language and other forms of nonverbal communication are directly related to the satisfaction of customers, in a sales setting. They state that the following nonverbal cues affect customers’ perceptions in the following ways:
- Smiling, light laughter and frequent eye contact by service providers enhance customers’ perceptions of friendliness and courtesy
- Head nodding by service providers enhances customers’ perceptions of empathy, courtesy and trust
- Frequent eye contact by service providers enhances customers’ perceptions of credibility
- Hand shaking by service providers enhances customers’ perceptions of friendliness and courtesy
- When service providers use a slower speech rate, lower pitch, moderate pauses and less inflection they enhance customers’ perceptions of friendliness and credibility
- When service providers use a faster speech rate, higher pitch, high vocal intensity and higher inflection they enhance customers’ perceptions of competence, but reduce their perceptions of friendliness
- Service providers’ usage of touch enhances customers’ perceptions of friendliness and empathy
- The physical attractiveness of the service provider is significantly related to customers’ perceptions of friendliness, credibility, competence, empathy and courtesy
- The colour and intensity of the clothes worn by the service provider affect customers’ perceptions of friendliness, competence and credibility.
Heinonen and Strandvik (2005) have deemed good communication to be part of the service, in a service encounter with a customer. They argue that customers’ service perceptions relate to how they are communicated with during a face-to-face business transaction.
To quote Gabbott and Hogg, their study revealed, “that the non-verbal communication in a service encounter dramatically impacts on the customer’s evaluation of the service event. This impact is both overall and in relation to specific components. There are some differences between customer groups in how they react to non-verbal behaviour.” Gabbott and Hogg also suggest that nonverbal elements of sales transactions and exchanges in business are in no way beyond the control of managers and employees.
Analysis and Discussion
Dahl (2005) states that kinesics can be segmented into five different groups. Each group accounts for a different area and type of body language. All areas are equally important and need to be understood properly in order to communicate effectively in a sales environment (Cole, 2005 pg. 70-72). Below is an analysis of the five main types of kinesics according to Dahl (2005).
Emblems
Emblems are nonverbal cues or signals that have a verbal counterpart, in other words they have a meaning attached to them. They are used to communicate a message(s) without the use of any words. Sign language is an example of a collection of emblems. Examples include, the universal signal for peace (index and middle finger), and the thumbs up gesture, synonymous with “everything’s ok”.
Illustrators
Illustrators are used to illustrate a point or situation. They are often used in face-to-face communication and in conjunction with verbal communication. For example, when recalling how long or tall something is it is common to illustrate this using arms, hands and legs.
Affective Displays
Affective displays show that a person has been affected by something. They are typically visible in facial expressions and eye/mouth movements. Affective displays show reaction and response to stimuli. An example of this would be a person who has just smelt something horrible, they may make a disgusted facial expression, or a person who has just been hurt or upset may begin to cry.
Regulators
Regulators are a relatively small, however equally important area of kinesics. Put simply, they regulate the flow of information within an act of communication. They are things like nodding the head to show understanding and affirmation, and shaking to show misunderstanding or disapproval.
Adapters
The final kinesic segment, adapters, are movements that usually feature the whole body, and show adaptation to a situation. For example a stressful situation like a job interview, may cause a person to constantly adapt their posture and seating position.
As stated in my research findings, Sundaram and Webster (2000) contend that body language and other forms of nonverbal communication are directly related to the satisfaction of customers, in a sales setting. Their research revealed that a large number a factors relate to customers’ perceptions of a single sales representative and a whole organisation, and that many nonverbal factors present in a sales/exchange setting, link the two. Factors that proved to enhance customers’ perceptions of friendliness, courtesy and trust include: frequent eye contact, smiling, light laughter, handshaking and use of touch, and degree of overall attractiveness. Sundaram and Webster’s research is useful in that the above proven factors can be employed by businesses/companies, to increase the public’s perception of their employees and overall image.
Heinonen and Strandvik (2005) provide evidence from research that a wide cross section of customers believe that participating in active, positive communication whilst in a sales setting should actually be considered by businesses and companies as part of the service. In other words, communication and delivery should be paramount with all other existing services in the sales industry. This conclusion is similar to that of Gabbot and Hogg (2000). The pair also revealed that service encounters in which non-verbal communication (namely kinesics) is present, impact greatly on how a customer perceives and evaluates a service event/transaction or exchange. This means that if businesses and their employees utilize unpleasant, negative kinesics and nonverbal communication, they can destroy customer relations, even without the use of words. The research of Gabbot and Hogg (2000) again proves the importance of using positive body language, such as the strategies mentioned above by Sundaram and Webster (2000).
Conclusion
From my research, I can conclude that the skills and strategies I have uncovered through research, are extremely important in order to be successful at selling. My research has shown that proper use and awareness of kinesics in business/sales settings, is imperative for creating customer rapport and building lasting, loyal relationships.
All of the articles researched claimed both directly and indirectly that positive body language should account for a significant part of a company’s customer service guidelines. It is small things like a smile, a laugh, or eye contact that increase and enhance customers’ perceptions of a business. Awareness and knowledge of body language can give businesses and individuals a boost in sales and the chance to understand their customers’ motives more correctly. Through understanding body language, sales representatives can understand customers, and in turn, customers can understand them.
Recommendations
To increase the effectiveness of sales staff immediately, I recommend that the following action be taken:
- Ensure that all employees are educated about the importance of body language (organise training for sales employees who are not trained or educated in this field).
- Make it top priority that employees are aware that nonverbal communication is just as important, if not more important, than verbal communication.
- Monitor staff use of positive body language; record when its positive use creates rewards for the business; pass these rewards on to staff members to increase motivation and confidence.
Reference List
Sundaram, D.S, and Webster, C 2000, ‘The role of nonverbal communication in service encounters’, Journal of services marketing, Vol. 14, no. 5, pg. 378-391.
Gabbott, M, and Hogg, G 2000, ‘An empirical investigation of the impact of nonverbal communication on service evaluation’, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 34, no.3/4, pg. 384-398.
Heinonen, K, and Strandvik, T 2005, ‘Communication as an element of service value’, International journal of service industry management, Vol. 16, no. 2, pg. 186-198.
Dahl, S 2005, ‘Introduction to Nonverbal Communication’, Middlesex University Business School, viewed 14 Mar. 2006, <http://stephan.dahl.at/nonverbal/non-verbal_communication.html>
Cole, K 2005, Management: Theory and Practice, Pearson Prentice Hall, NSW.
Pease, A, and Pease, B 2004, The Definitive Book of Body Language: The secret meaning behind people’s gestures, Orion, London.
