I remember playing the stare game in school, two people keep eye contact and the first person to blink loses! Often in a negotiation or sales interview, your prospect can try and intimidate you with a continuous gaze. It’s not quite a ‘blinking contest’, but it is not far off. For novice and inexperienced salespeople, this can take you off guard and ‘throw’ your focus and concentration.
I’m sure you have had a conversation with someone who is avoiding your eye contact. For most of us avoiding eye contact is not good for building trust and rapport. So as confident sales professionals, we need a simple way to maintain eye contact without staring at our prospect.
If you are uncomfortable with this level of intense eye contact then the best way to avoid this is to look steadily at their forehead. At a normal distance (table width apart), your prospect will not be able to notice that you are not staring back but will feel as if you are meeting their direct gaze.
When your mutual gaze breaks below eye level a more social atmosphere quickly develops.
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