Body Language

When I stopped at a red light yesterday, I noticed a tent with a sign “Free Windshield Chip Repair * See technician for details” on the grassy area between the road and a gas station. Underneath the tent, a guy was sitting in a chair with his feet up on a tub reading a book. He was dressed in quite casual attire: khaki shorts, a tan shirt, and sandals. His shirt did not have a logo or any way to identify his connection with a business.

“What a wasted opportunity!” I thought.

If he and the business he represented had realized the message that he was sending, he would have acted differently. Fortunately, no one could tell what business he represented.

What message did he send?

His message was “I’m supposed to man this tent for a certain amount of time. What a bore! I’ll read a book.”

Somebody at his office heard of the opportunity to set up a tent in a high traffic area and offer free windshield chip repair. I don’t know if this repair happened on the spot or not. I assume that was in the “*See technician for details.” In typical knee-jerk marketing fashion, the boss said, “Let’s do it!” and ordered this guy to man the tent on that particular day. The boss implemented the idea with no thought as to how to do it well.

If you or your employees are taking time to market in this fashion, do all you can to get sales from it. Don’t use it as a time to catch up on your reading. That sends the wrong message. Even worse, it doesn’t get what you want, sales.

This is a time of the year with a great deal of roadside sales and marketing. To be successful, this type of marketing requires active involvement. Realize that 85% of our communication is nonverbal. Roadside marketing offers the opportunity to use nonverbal communication to the max.

To do so, the guy in the tent could have stood up and faced the traffic. He could have smiled and waved at the drivers. He could have held up a sign further detailing the offer. He could have promoted the business on the sign, his shirt, or a hat. He could have engaged potential customers and worked the crowd of drivers with nonverbal communication.

Whenever you market at a roadside stand or a booth, work it by actively using positive nonverbal communication. Smile, look inviting, and make customers feel comfortable. Use body language to increase sales.

Don’t look like the customer will be interrupting your reading.