Stand Like Arnold

When I was a teenager I had an after school job in  a pawnshop.  It was an extraordinary place to hang around and an education like no other. People in need would pawn anything they had of value. They’d pawn TV’s and radios, jewelry, antiques and tools, for example. They’d pawn things that would surprise you, like false teeth with gold fillings, or a prosthetic leg, horse saddles and one man even came in pulling a brand new toilet in a wagon.

We also sold a lot of used merchandise. Selling used and often marred merchandise for a respectable price was an art form. Shoppers who came into the store were looking for bargains, and we were always looking to make a long mark up.  More often than not we won.  And, we won because of the manner in which we presented things to the customers.  We never presented anything with an excuse or hang-dog look. We spoke in a confident voice. We were enthusiastic. We smiled. We smiled even when they offered a ridiculous price and we countered.

We kept a strong posture. We looked each customer in the eye.  We spoke in a strong voice. All techniques that communicate to the customer that we were confident in what we were selling and the price we were asking.

If you can have your audience believe you’re confident in whatever you’re presenting, they are more likely to buy whatever you are selling.

One of the techniques for conveying that confidence is posture.  If you are standing tall, with your chest out and head high, that converts to a message of confidence to your audience. The best example is Arnold Schwartanagger. He has great posture. He’s not a tall man, but he stands tall with his chest all puffed up and proud.  That’s the kind of posture you want when you are presenting.  Even at a table, you want that posture.  Even behind a podium you want that posture. Even if you are having a telephone conference call  that posture  will infuse your presentation with more confidence.

Stand like Arnold.  Just don’t talk like him.