| Consumers encounter sales personnel as part of everyday shopping and service experiences. During these encounters, information is transmitted through multiple channels, both verbal and nonverbal, by the consumer and the sales person as part of a dyadic exchange. Each party in the process attempts to influence the other party in an attempt to maximize personal benefit. From a sales person's perspective, selling effectiveness depends, in part, on adaptation to the customer's communications and optimum communication through all channels.; This research investigated the nature and impact of nonverbal communication in sales encounters as theorized by classical economic game theory of von Neumann and Morgenstern, who posited that maximum gain or utility can be achieved when transmitted signals are consistent with message content. According to this signaling theory, a sales person in a position of strength should nonverbally transmit or signal a position of strength and a sales person with a weak sales message should send submissive signals to prospective customers. However, Maynard, as well as Hammerstein and Shelton, presented a competing biological signaling theory that short-term gains can be realized when a sender can skillfully send an opposite or inverted signal.; These competing theories were examined within a sales encounter in a 3 x 2 laboratory experiment. Dominant, neutral, and submissive nonverbal communications were tested against strong and weak sales arguments in six sales presentation videos. A postexperimental questionnaire measured participant perception of the sales person and awareness of the nonverbal communication cues.; The results indicated that sending inverted or weak signals from a strong sales position produces a higher payout than sending a consistent strong signal. The findings also support the transmission of dominant signals with a weak message. These results confirm the findings in evolutionary biology and gambling folklore, which support the occasional inversion of nonverbal signals to maximize advantage. The experiment revealed no significant gender or cultural covariates.; The findings have implications in a number of marketing and nonmarketing applications, including work place management, performance appraisals, general advertising and promotion, personal selling, and sales management. |
