How Your Sales Prospects Can Trust You In Less Than A Second

There is an old saying that you don’t get a second chance to make a good first impression. When meeting people for the first time, this impression may be forming long before you even have a chance to talk to them.

In sales, it is commonly taught that the cornerstone of any successful selling process is the ability

for the salesman to build a sense of credibility and trust with the buyer. For years sales experts have been teaching salespeople how to build up credibility and trust with their prospects but new research reveals that the your prospects may already know whether or not to trust you long before you open your mouth.

A recent study of University students asked them to rate pictures of actors faces that they were able to view only for a faction of a second. They were then asked to rate each picture by attractiveness, likeability, competence, trustworthiness, and aggressiveness. Two very interesting findings came from the study: 1.) The strongest correlation of results was around “trustworthiness” and 2.) The students who were given unlimited time to view and rate the pictures produced largely the same results although they become slightly more negative over time.

Judging people by their facial features and expressions is nothing new. Studies on facial features and trust have shown that people view “happy” people with higher levels of honesty, reliability and trust. Taking that a step further, the facial structures we tend to subconsciously assign greater levels of trust to just so happen to mirror a “happy” looking face.

To illustrate this point in a less scientific manner, when you first meet a dog up close, notice how they react to a happy face versus an angry face. I have done this with dogs countless times to see just how quickly they will subconsciously react to my facial expressions and it works almost every time.

So how can you as a salesperson apply this information to help you improve your own sales? Here are a few tips…

• Don’t meet with new clients and prospects while you are in a bad mood. Bad moods internally will often reflect in how you react externally and it will show – especially on your face. If you are having a really bad day and you have important first meetings to follow, simply reschedule them for a time when your bad mood goes away. Remember: Selling is all about the attitude of the seller, not the buyer.

• Train yourself to smile more around other people. If actors can train themselves to do this on stage, you can train yourself to do this in real life. Always start your greeting with anybody new with a smile, eye contact and firm handshake. Make everybody you meet with feel like they are the most important person to you at that time.

One of the most amazing parts about a smile is how it can affect your attitude, confidence and sales results. When a salesperson starts with a good month, they will commonly end with a great month all because of their attitude and confidence that they carry into each subsequent sales meeting. So make your attitude shine and your sales grow and start it all with a smile. 

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