It always makes me laugh when I hear people talking about the difference between selling a product and selling a service. The people who sell services say it is easier to sell a product because you are selling something tangible that the customer can touch before they buy. People who sell a product say it is easier to sell a service because it is emotional and all buying decisions are made emotionally. Interestingly there is very little difference between selling a service and selling a product.

In earlier sessions we discussed the importance of differentiating ourselves from our competition. Today we are looking at how we are going to do that to ensure that the customers can see a difference and choose us.

90% of the impression you will create happens in the first 4 minutes of any meeting. In this session we will begin to discover how to manage those four minutes to create whatever impression you want to create.

Having decided what impression is important for that customer at this time, we need to consider what is making the impression. The first part of this is the look of you. 87% of the convincing process comes through the eyes so the customer will make up his mind whether he wants to do business with you just from the way you look.

The impression you will be creating is not a fact, but a feeling and in the communication of any feeling our body language comes out tops. We are all instinctively good at understanding body language and in this session we will explore the various body language gestures we use in the first four minutes of meeting people.

An understanding of basic body language is essential for every sales person and today we will continue to expand your understanding of both your and your customers body language.

Now is the time to put the things we have learnt in the last few sessions into place. When we have a meeting with a customer it is important to be in control of that meeting. That doesn't mean we try to dominate the meeting but rather we control the position we take and the dialogue we use to ensure we get a successful outcome.

In the last four weeks we have considered the principles of creating just the right impression at any meeting. You should by now have practiced these techniques and seen the advantage of taking control when you meet a customer. Now that you have created a good impression in the next few weeks we will concentrate on the right things to say to encourage the customer to open up.