(Bk Business) Carol Kinsey Goman Ph.D.-The Nonverbal Advantage_ Secrets and Science of Body Language at Work -Berrett-Koehler Publishers (2008)

Chapter 10: Selling Your Message without Saying a Word
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Body Language through the
Eyes of Your Customers
We’ve all experienced lousy customer service and the nonverbal
signals that often accompany it. It’s the salesperson
who’s on the phone—
obviously on a personal
call—and who
continues the conversation
while turning
her back on you.
It’s the receptionist
who greets you with
a disinterested and
bored expression. It’s
the human resource
manager who rolls his
eyes and sighs at your
request for more information. Unfortunately, it’s an experience
that happens all too often to all of us!
But this meant nothing to Ralph, a no-nonsense kind of
businessman who had built his reputation and career on getting
things done. Although he frequently gave presentations
to key clients, Ralph had relied solely on his professional
competence to win them over. Why should he be concerned
about body language and customer relationships?
It was a good question, and I had to think for a bit before
coming up with the following example.
Of all the professions that should be totally focused on
the quality of the work done, the medical profession would
rate high on most people’s lists. (Nobody wants an incompetent
doctor!) And yet research on why patients sue doctors
reveals that basic interpersonal skills (what is now referred to
as clinical empathy) can be just as important as clinical skills
in preventing lawsuits.