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.