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Body Language Advice for Sales Professionals

Posted by Mike Stankus on Thu, Jul 23, 2009 @ 02:04 PM
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I recently posted an article in my LinkedIn group that caused quite a stir. If you would like to read the article, the link is posted at the bottom of this blog.
 
The article, originally published in Forbes, provides instruction to women on how to avoid common body language mistakes that might suggest submissiveness, insecurity, or sexual attraction. Many found this article to be outdated and insulting.
 
I decided to contact world-renowned body language expert Nicholas J. Fiore Esquire to get his insights on this controversial topic. Mr. Fiore's bona fides include: Experienced litigator with hundreds of jury trials under his belt, special consultant to the CIA, and 2007 Indian Poker World Champion. He is also well known for his obnoxious behavior at several Chicago-area saloons.
 
I interviewed Mr. Fiore in the basement of his parent's home - where he has been living since graduating from law school some 25 years ago. Mr. Fiore offered to share his insights as long as I donated a case of Smirnoff's vodka to his favorite charity, the Nicholas J. Fiore Foundation.
 
I started out the interview explaining the purpose of my research - help sales people correctly interpret body language cues. Mr. Fiore declared he has no real sales or business experience, but is a regular viewer of the TV show "The Office".
 
After we set the stage for the interview, Mr. Fiore put his head in his hands and became eerily still. I asked him if he was meditating and he responded no, he was just hung over.
 
Eventually, Mr. Fiore was ready to share these pearls of wisdom:
 
"Body language may or may not mean anything but could mean something."
 
"If a person refuses to look you in the eye, you can assume the person is physically attracted to you. Diverting eye contact is an attempt to gain control of one's emotions and physical desires."
 
"Chin stroking should be interpreted as an insult. In many countries, any touching of the chin in a business setting will immediately instigate a brawl."
 
"Facial ticks, twitching, and / or uncontrollable swearing is an attempt to build rapport. You should immediately respond in kind if you would like to take the relationship to the next level"
 
"Chewing on an object such as a pen, pad of paper, or a computer probably means the person recently smoked some weed and is experiencing the munchies. Keep a candy bar in your brief case for such situations."
 
Sadly, my interview with Mr. Fiore had to come to an end. Apparently, he was due at the CNN studios to analyze the latest Osama Bin Laden video. Mr. Fiore did promise to weigh in on other business topics at a future date.
 
 
Link to original Forbes article....
 
http://www.linkedin.com/news?actionBar=&aIdx=34&articleID=46704142&gid=1830832&trk=news_brkout&goback=%2Envr_1830832_1247836829934_4
 
 
 

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