| If you sell face to face in an environment which is | | | | a similar fashion without it being so obvious or |
| supposed to be helpful, warm and friendly, it | | | | physical. Other studies, especially those conducted |
| would serve you well to learn the power of touch | | | | by psychologist Nicolas Gueguen and Celine Jacob |
| and it's power to close deals successfully. | | | | in France, prove that the power of touch is |
| It's all about involving - or including - your | | | | incredible in sales environments. Gueguen and |
| prospect. A study conducted by psychologists | | | | Jacob's most well known study involved waiters |
| Morton Goldman and Gerry Fordyce involved an | | | | lightly touching their customers on the upper arms |
| experiment using street researchers whose job | | | | during conversations resulted in those waiters |
| involved asking complete strangers questions to | | | | getting larger tips than those waiters who did not |
| complete a questionnaire. This experiment | | | | touch their customers. |
| involved the researcher 'dropping' their papers as | | | | Obviously you have to be careful who you touch, |
| they started to question people. This experiment | | | | and where you touch them.Goldman and Fordyce |
| proved people were more likely to offer their help | | | | also discovered that if eye contact is made with |
| in completing the questionnaires after they'd | | | | the prospect at the same time as the touch, the |
| helped the researchers gather their papers back | | | | touch had no effect. |
| up. | | | | If women are doing the touching, the upper arm |
| The secret - the prospect had been 'involved' - | | | | works best, but for men, a touch on either the |
| psychologically and morally bound to help the | | | | lower or upper arm, wrist or hand worked equally |
| researcher gather their papers back up, the | | | | well. And, by the simple act of a touch lasting a |
| prospects had unwittingly involved themselves into | | | | second or two, your prospect feels 'included' and |
| what was actually going on - and the | | | | reads your touch - subconsciously - as genuine |
| questionnaires were easily completed. | | | | inclusion in the deal. |
| But you can successfully involve your prospects in | | | | |