If you're interested in three tips that will dramatically increase your connection with your prospects and clients, you need to read on.
Today's Rocket Fuel is about the importance of eye contact. To illustrate the point, we turn to a favorite fable from years ago: Little Red Riding Hood. In this scene, Little Red Riding Hood sits with the wolf disguised as her granny.
Little Red Riding Hood: Granny, what big brown eyes you have!
Wolf: All the better to see you with!
OK, so a little variation on the tale. What’s the point here? Eye contact is one of the most powerful communication tools you have. Generally speaking, you can achieve a powerful connection with your client when you are eyeball to eyeball.
Why is eye contact so important? Have you ever heard the saying, “He/She won’t look me in the eye, I don’t trust him/her”? In many cultures, we are more likely to trust someone who makes direct eye contact in a conversation.
How can you use eye contact to your advantage? Here are three tips:
If you want to increase the intensity of your message, use eye contact to your advantage. Maybe your message is a high-impact statement about your product or service, or perhaps it is a thought-provoking question. Also, if you want to increase the sincerity of your "Thank you!" or "I’m really sorry," remember, eye contact will be the key!
If you want to improve your eye contact, take note of the eye color of the person you are talking to. Why? The answer is simple. To notice eye color, you must make direct eye contact. So ask yourself when you walk away from a conversation with your prospects or clients, what was the color of their eyes? If you nail the answer each time, you know you're making a key connection.
Excessive eye contact is called staring and staring is just about as bad as no eye contact at all. Typically, eye contact should last about five to seven seconds which generally is about how long it should take to ask or tell them what you want.
So the next time you meet your next great client or prospect, remember what Little Red Riding Hood taught us and look into their eyes to make that critical connection.
Written by
Brian Kjenner
Author of TOP Seller by Brian Kjenner (available on Amazon)