File this one under “It’s not what you say but how you say it”:
According to a study published on MSNBC.com, 65% to 90% of all conversations are interpreted through body language. When a person sees you, they form an unconscious assessment of you from your body language — as much as seven times more than the words used.
You can put your network marketing prospect at ease very quickly through mirroring the person’s body language and voice patterns. You may have already noticed yourself doing this naturally while speaking with a friend or family member. People like people who are like them.
When talking network marketing with someone for the first time, observe the person’s posture and gestures. If the person is sitting straight up or standing and leaning slightly, very gradually match this stance. If the person is crossing his/her legs, cross yours. You can increase rapport by matching the tone, pace, and pitch of his voice with your own.
The idea of mirroring is not to manipulate the other person, but to get in sync with him to enter his world.
The tricky part of matching body language or voice tone and pitch with someone you don’t know is that if you move too fast to copy the other person, he may interpret it as a contrived device, which will create a block to rapport. The key to effective matching is to make the adjustments slow, naturally and without obvious intention.
