There’s more to clinching the deal than closing skills and eye contact. We borrowed the best ways to win work friends and influence people from author of How to Connect in Business in 90 Seconds or Less Nicholas Boothman.

Maintain eye contain
This lets the other person know you’re interested and encourages them to talk. Listen closely… You might learn something. TIP: find your eyes wandering? Notice the colour of your associate’s eyes to keep you focused.

Keep body lingo open
Crossing your arms or shielding yourself with a folder say you’re holding things back. If you don’t show you’re willing ot open up, you can bet the other person won’t either. TIP: Point your heart at the other person as a symbol of trust and comfort.

Sync your body lingo
Mirroring the other person shows you’re on the same page (or at least both human). People are more likely to warm to someone with whom they feel they have something in common. You don’t need to copy every hair flick, but trace major movements such as leaning back in the chair or leaning forward. The key word is ‘subtle’; otherwise it’s just creepy.

Match your speed
Another way to signal common ground is synchronising your vocal speed and strength. By bringing your vocal speed and volume closer to that of your counterpart, you can achieve an easy, comfortable rhythm that feels relaxed and natural.

Swipe their fave words
This isn’t about adopting an associate’s catchphrase, but picking up on whether they’re visual, auditory or kinesthetic thinkers and tailoring your words to suit. It’s a doddle to spot: visual people will use words related to look (‘I see’), while auditory types will pepper their speech with sound-based words (‘I hear you’).

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