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A Simple Handshake Can Lead to Increased Sales
 A discussion about handshakes may seem a bit elementary compared to the complexities of the current state of the economy and housing market, but I can’t stress enough how important handshakes are in making a connection with prospects and, ultimately, in making a sale.
I discovered this while shopping the competition as a sales person and as a vice president of sales during my almost three decades working in the housing industry. When shopping, I didn’t just drop in on the competition and grab a price list on my way back to the office after a Monday morning sales meeting. I hid behind sunglasses, wore casual clothes and conducted my reconnaissance shopping incognito.
More often than not, I found that the salespeople did not greet me at the door. Even if they did, many didn’t shake my hand.
If this is how you operate, this is a problem.
If you’re not shaking your prospect's hand, you could be costing yourself and your company sales.
Establish a Human Connection
The power and value of a handshake is crucial to establishing a human connection. By starting your greeting with a warm, sincere and professional handshake, you’ll find that your customers will much more likely be open to sharing their needs, wants, desires and current housing situation with you.
Shaking their hand can, and most likely will, help put them at ease. Couple your warm handshake with eye contact and your potential customer will more easily be able to assess how trustworthy you and your company are, get a sense of your reliability and professionalism and, most importantly, determine if you are sincere or just out to make a sale.
Purchasing a home can be one of the most stressful situations in a person's life. A simple handshake can help ease that stress. There is something magical in the exchange of energy that takes place during a sale, and a handshake can be the most tangible, direct way of cultivating that exchange.
Shake the Woman’s Hand, Too
Don’t just shake his hand when a couple walks in — shake her hand, too. This may seem like a no-brainer, but make sure you shake both their hands. You don’t want to alienate anyone inadvertently.
Besides, when it comes to purchasing a home, women make or influence a large number of the buying decisions. So be sure to extend your hand to the woman and give her the courtesy, respect and attentiveness that she deserves.
A Handshake Transmits Interpersonal Communication
The initial handshake is more than a gesture, it sets the tone for the interpersonal communication that follows. It helps make people feel secure and can give them a sense of comfort, trust and connection. And because buying a home typically is an emotional, not intellectual, experience for the buyer, shaking their hand helps you tap into those comforting emotions.
Even if a customer chooses not to shake your hand, making the effort sends them a message.
A handshake also sends a message from the propsect back to you. How they shake your hand can help you determine if they are friendly, reticent, eager, nervous or curt. So something as seemingly innocuous as shaking your prospect’s hand can give you some immediate insight into how you should proceed with your greeting, needs assessment, presentation and closing.
Shake Their Hand Every Time — Without Fail
I cannot over-emphasize the importance of greeting the customer with a handshake, every time you greet them — without fail. You owe it to your company to take every opportunity to bring in a new customer. Moreover, you owe it to yourself because establishing a connection with the customer increases your chances of closing a sale — and being compensated.
You never know who may show up at your sales office — a competitor, potential employer or a serious home buyer who needs to feel a connection with you before they will risk saying, “Yes.”
This simple, initial connection is what distinguishes sales professionals from average salespeople, winners from losers. Shake their hand every time and watch your closing ratio increase.
Christine Hamilton, CMP, CSP, is a public speaker, author and sales trainer with more than 27 years in the housing industry. A former vice president of sales for Beazer Homes Northern California, Hamilton has been recognized with a Gold Award for Best Salesperson of the Year and Silver Award for Salesperson of the Year for the California/Nevada Region in The Nationals. She has also been honored as the MAME Salesperson of the Year three times. For more information, call Hamilton at 916- 768-5525, or visit www.ChristineHamilton.com.
This article originally appeared on the NAHB Sales and Marketing Channel.
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