Communication for Relationship
Building: It’s Not All Talk
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Copyright © 2007 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Chapter
4
4-3
Chapter
4
Main Topics





4-4
The Tree of Business Life: Communication
Communication: It Takes Two
Nonverbal Communication: Watch for It
Barriers to Communication
Master Persuasive Communication to Maintain
Control
Chapter
4
The Tree of Business Life: Communication
T
T T
T T TT
T T T T
Builds
Relationships
4-5
Guided by The Golden
Rule, effectively
communicate using:





Words
Body language
Visual Aids
Listening
Unselfishness to help a person make
the correct buying decision
Communication: It Takes Two
 In a sales context, communication is the act
of transmitting verbal and nonverbal
information and understanding between the
seller and buyer.
4-6
Exhibit 4-1: What Did You Say? What Did I
Hear?
BARRIER
Listener
BARRIER
Speaker
Psychological barrier or filter
Psychological barrier or filter
4-7
Why People Buy–The Black Box Approach*
 Internalization process is referred to as a
black box.
 We cannot see into the buyer’s mind
 Stimulus-response model
Sales Presentation
Buyer’s Hidden
Mental Process
Sale/No Sale
Stimulus
Black box
Response
Exhibit 3-1: Stimulus-response model of buyer behavior
4-8
Salesperson-Buyer Communication
Process Requires Feedback
 Major communication elements:
 Source
 Encoding process
 Message
 Medium
 Decoding process
 Receiver
 Feedback
 Noise
4-9
Exhibit 4-2: The Basic Communication
Model Has Eight Elements
4-10
Nonverbal Communication: Watch For It
 Concept of space:
 Territorial space
 Intimate space – 2 feet
 Personal space – 2 to 4 feet
 Social space – 4 to 6 feet
 Public space – 12+ feet
 Space threats – too close
 Space invasion – OK to be close
4-11
Exhibit 4-3: Office Arrangements and
Territorial Space
4-12
Communication through Appearance and
the Handshake
 Style hair carefully.
 Dress as a professional.
 Shake hands firmly and look people in the
eye.
4-13
Body Language Gives You Clues
 Nonverbal signals come from:
 Body angle
 Face
 Hands
 Arms
 Legs
4-14
A Light Signal for Vehicles has a Green,
Yellow, and Red Light
 A person also sends three types of
messages using body
communication signals.
4-15
Green Light
 Signals acceptance – a green light
gives the “go ahead”
 It indicates that the buyer is willing
to listen
 It indicates that the buyer may like
what is being said
4-16
Yellow Light
 Signals caution – a yellow light
gives a neutral or skeptical sign
indicating the buyer maybe
uncertain about what you are
saying
 Handle the signal properly, or it
may change from yellow to red
4-17
Red Light
 Signals disagreement – a red light
indicates the person may not be
interested in your product
4-18
Recognizing Body Signals
 Knowing body signal guidelines can improve
communication ability by allowing the
salesperson to:
 Recognize nonverbal signals
 Interpret them correctly
 Be prepared to alter a selling strategy
 Respond positively both nonverbally and verbally
to a buyer’s nonverbal signals
4-19
What Would You Do?
 You arrive at an industrial purchasing agent’s office

on time; this is your first meeting. After you have
waited five minutes, the agent’s secretary says, “She
will see you.” After the initial greeting, she asks you
to sit down.
For each of the following three situations determine:
 What nonverbal signals is she communicating?
 How would you respond nonverbally?
4-20
What Would You Do? Situation #1
 She sits down behind her desk. She sits up
straight in her chair. She clasps her hands
together and with little expression on her face
says,
“What can I do for you?”
 What nonverbal signal is she communicating?
 Green
How
Yellow
would
(acceptance)
(caution)
you respond
nonverbal
nonverbal
nonverbally?
signal
signal
4-21
What Would You Do? Situation #2
 As you begin the main part of your
presentation, the buyer reaches for the
telephone and says, “Keep going; I need to tell
my secretary something.”
 What nonverbal signal is she communicating?
Yellow
(caution)
or red
(disagreement)
 Green
How
would
(acceptance)
you respond
nonverbal
nonverbally?
signal
nonverbal signal
4-22
What Would You Do? Situation #3
 In the middle of your presentation, you notice
the buyer slowly lean back in her chair. As you
continue to talk, a puzzled looks comes over
her face.
 What nonverbal signal is she communicating?
 Green
Yellow
(acceptance)
(caution)
nonverbal
nonverbal
signal
signal
How
would
you respond
nonverbally?
4-23
Barriers To Communication
 Differences in perception
 Buyer does not recognize a need for product
 Selling pressure
 Information overload
 Distractions
 Poor listening
 How and what you say
 Not adapting to buyer’s style
4-24
Exhibit 4-8: Barriers To Communication
Which May Kill a Sale
4-25
Master Persuasive Communication To
Maintain Control
 Persuasion is the ability to change a
person’s belief, position, or course of action.
 Feedback guides your presentation.
Probing – asking questions
 Remember to use trial closes.
 Empathy puts you in your customer’s shoes.
 Keep it Simple Salesperson (KISS)
 Creating mutual trust develops friendship.
4-26
Master Persuasive Communication To
Maintain Control, cont…
 Listening clues you in.
 Hearing
 Listening
 Listen to words, feelings, and thoughts
 Three levels of listening
 Marginal listening
 Evaluative listening
 Active listening
 Technology helps to remember.
4-27
Your Attitude Makes the Difference
 Enthusiasm:
 Excitement
 Positive view on:
 Helping others
 Yourself
 Being a salesperson
4-28
Proof Statements Make You Believable
 Credibility through:
 Empathy
 Listening
 Enthusiasm
 Proof statements
substantiate claims.
4-29
Summary of Major Selling Issues
 Communication is the transmission of verbal
and nonverbal information and understanding
between a salesperson and prospect.
 Modes of communication – words, gestures,
visual aids
 Communication process model
 Barriers may hinder or prevent constructive
communication during a sales presentation.
4-30
Summary of Major Selling Issues, cont…
 Barriers must be recognized and overcome or


eliminated.
Nonverbal communication is a critical component of
the overall communication process.
 Territorial space, handshake, eye contact, body language
Enhancing overall persuasive power through
development of several key characteristics
 Empathy, more listening and less talking, positive attitude,
enthusiastic manner
4-31
End of Chapter 4
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Copyright © 2007 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Chapter
4