The best body language for sales 

Using strategic body language can emphasise your words and make them resonate with your audience – here’s how 

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on Hubspot

How you say something is just as important, if not more so, than what you actually say. Crossed arms, wandering eyes or a stooped posture can drown out your message if you’re not careful.

Want to really drive a point home with your prospect? Consider walking a few steps toward them. Nodding, smiling, and maintaining eye contact will create a positive and receptive atmosphere, and making small, restrained gestures can project an air of authority and confidence.

Here are 10 tips on how to best use body language in your next sales pitch. 

Open your chest and arms

To boost your confidence during your presentation, open your arms and chest and keep your back straight. This position will make you breathe better, and you’ll feel more relaxed – making you an instantly better presenter.

Smile

To make your audience comfortable, smile at them. It’s simple, but smiling is our most powerful weapon during both presentations and face-to-face meetings.

Gesture with your arms and hands

Gesturing with your arms and hands in a natural way engages people. It’s also a good idea to look your audience in the eye. People tend to naturally pay attention to, and like, people who look them in the eye.

Use small, stiff gestures

To demonstrate authority, keep calm and use small, stiff gestures. This type of movement encourages people to trust you and view you as a confident person.

Walk it out

To bring movement to your speech, use the physical space you have available and walk it out. For example, if you’re presenting three points, talk about Point A when you’re at your first position and then move out two or three steps and speak about Point B. This way, a movement that includes space will accompany your speech.

Vary your gestures

To keep your audience engaged, vary your gestures throughout the presentation. Open gestures, small gestures, and gestures that involve your head, arms, and hands are best. It’s also wise to include gestures that involve only your hands or only your head; broad gestures are also welcoming and engaging.

Point to your presentation

To draw attention to a certain element of your presentation, point directly at it and look at it on screen simultaneously; your audience will follow your eyes and finger.

Walk toward people

To encourage audience participation, use open gestures and – when possible – walk around and toward people because we tend to participate more when we have proximity to a speaker.

Pause

To make a hard question seem easier, pause, breathe slowly (this gives you time to think), then answer while looking the questioner in the eye.

Practice mirroring

To make your audience buy your story, use positive gestures during the entire presentation including nodding, open gestures, smiling and mirroring.

Sales people should always have confident, trustworthy body language. If you’re not at ease your prospect won’t be either. Have colleagues sit in while you’re presenting, and consider taking a video recording of yourself presenting at home. It might feel a little weird, but you’ll be able to dissect your body language to make further improvements in your presentation style.