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Buyer versus Seller
In many typical sales
transactions both parties adopt the ‘‘I am going to win and you are going to
lose ''attitude. This causes an elevation of human reactions with the
interaction going like this:
The buyer sits back, away
from the desk, folds his arms, crosses his legs, and suspiciously says, ‘‘what
do you want to talk about?''
The seller responds by getting up on the edge of his
chair, feet in a sprinter's position, body leaning forward in a take-charge
attitude, waving his hands and using his index finger to drive home his point.
The seller's ‘‘ Tell you what I'm going to do'' approach causes the buyer to
withdraw and become defensive.
Purchasing agent as seen by
a salesman.
Some agents assume this
characteristic pose because they like to make others squirm, talk too much
or simply perform while they act as spectators rather than participants.
Experienced salesmen know how important it is to
‘‘close the gap'' between buyer and seller, so they
are prepared with photographs, reports or visual presentations. With these they
try to move around the desk or at a right angle to the buyer, always making it a
point to return to his original position on the opposite side of the desk,
especially if the buyer reacts by crossing his arms or making some other
defensive gesture
Gesture-clusters seen in a
buyer-seller relationship.
The buyer is leaning far
back in his chair, away from the seller, and is steep ling. His coat is buttoned
and his legs are crossed while he swings one foot as if impatient with what is
being said. A slight scowl
indicates he is not ready to buy or accept what the seller is offering.
The seller is leaning in an
action-oriented position. His gesture with the upturned palms of his hands, his
smile, and unbuttoned coat indicate he is being open and desires the buyer to
feel comfortable. He has reached the critical stage of his sales presentation.
If he says the wrong thing now, the buyer may signal this by crossing his arms
over his chest or crossing his legs so that the elevated foot points away from
the seller and towards the nearest exit.
