16 Nonverbal Cues to Watch for in Your Next Sales Meeting

A person's posture and gestures speak volumes. The researcher Albert Mehrabian famously proposed that 55% of a person's decision to trust another comes from nonverbal cues, also known as body language. While that finding is controversial and often misinterpreted, there's no denying that nonverbal cues, and how you read them, can make or break your interaction with a prospect. What can it tell us in the sales process? When should we stop talking and start closing? Can you tell when a problem is about to develop? One of the greatest benefits of understanding body language is the ability to (almost) read the mind of the other person. There are plenty of books written on the subject. Some of these observations might sound simple and academic, but they are so second nature, we do not know we are sharing valuable information. That is what makes them so easy to overlook, especially if we are focusing on delivering our presentation, not on the recipient. Check out the gallery for a head-to-toe guide of signals to watch for (in yourself or a prospect) in your next meeting.