The customer who won’t give you eye contact when asking for a price concession is not serious about their request.
Nothing speaks more than the eyes. When I’m with professional buyers, I always tell them to watch the eyes of the salesperson when they’re quoting prices or trying to close. If there is any hesitation on the part of the salesperson to not give you, the buyer, full eye contact, then there is weakness in the price and the offer and it should be exploited right away.
Confidence is best expressed through eye contact. The point of the sales process where eye contact is needed most is at the closing step. Just because you sell over the phone does not mean you are excused from using eye contact to close a sale. It’s just as important, and that is why I tell telephone salespeople to have the customer’s name and company on a piece of paper in front them. As a salesperson, as you speak, focus your eye contact on their name. By focusing your eye contact you will also focus your tone of voice and delivery, and it will come across more confident.
Quick final point on eye contact and closing if you’re a sales manager. When you’re working with your salespeople, notice their eye contact. The amount of eye contact they are willing to give their customer is a direct indication of their level of sales motivation. Use the amount of eye contact you see to help you determine what you need to do to help them with their sales motivation. Do not allow the salesperson to convince you how they normally give the customer more eye contact, but they’re nervous because you’re around. If a person has a high degree of sales motivation, then they will actually be excited to have you with them, as it gives them a bigger audience.
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