If you want customers to believe in you and your products, you need to project confidence from the moment you come in contact with them.
Whether you’re in a booth at an industry event, at a proposal meeting or making a site visit, you want customers to see that you understand their needs and how to keep them happy. And considering that what you do speaks louder than what you say, it’s important to project confidence through body language.
Here are four important rules of confident body language from business etiquette expert Barbara Pachter:
1. Stand tall 
Maintain an assertive posture, by making sure you’re:
- legs are aligned with your shoulders
- feet are approximately four to six inches apart, and
- weight is distributed evenly, and shoulders are pulled back slightly.
2. Control your hands
A few hand gestures and placements will actually turn off customers.
Make sure you avoid:
- pointing with one finger because it’s intimidating, not inviting
- resting palms on hips because it gives off a hint of arrogance or impatience, and
- toiling with your hair, a pen or change — they’re all distracting.
Better bets: Point with the entire palm, all fingers touching each other, and fold your hands together to avoid any nervous habits.
3. Keep your legs straight 
Women and men want to avoid crossing their legs while seated in customer meetings. It can be distracting for a number of reasons, especially for women whose dresses are too tight and men who have a high hem line.
In addition it’s better for your health to keep your legs straight. Crossing your legs is bad for circulation and increases the pressure on veins.
You also don’t want to distract professional conversations by exposing bold socks or too much skin.
4. Smile, lean in
Use a “listening face” when talking with customers. This means have a gentle smile and tilt your head slightly while leaning in.
It conveys that you hear and understand what they’re saying — and are equipped to respond to it.
