Paying attention to your body language can help you to build trust with prospects.

“The value of [financial planners] is in the relationships…and people have to see that value in you,” said Mark Bowden, an expert in body language and human behaviour and president of Truthplane. “[But] they judge that value before they’ve even heard anything about it.”

Generally, when viewing others, such as when walking down a street, the default reaction is to look at that person with indifference, said Bowden, who spoke at the 2014 Financial Planning Standards Council (FPSC) Symposium in Toronto on Wednesday. Being more conscious about the signals you give through body language can move a prospect from viewing you with indifference to trust.

Here are some tips to make sure prospects view you in a positive light:

> Use your hands
Show a prospect you are a friend – and not an enemy – with open hand gestures.

Keeping your hands open and up around belly button height demonstrates to people that you are not a threat. As well, such gestures make an individual look friendly and engaged as opposed to keeping your hands at your sides which can be read as boring or indifferent.

> Smile with your eyes
Build trust by smiling with your eyes.

Whenever the brain gets only half a signal it automatically begins to think negatively, said Bowden. As such, smiling without your eyes will trigger a bad feeling in prospects.

As well, smiling too quickly can leave clients feeling uneasy. To be viewed positively, smiles should be held for more than three seconds.

> Sit back from tables
Even when sitting behind a desk or table, advisors can still keep their body language open.

For example, rather than tucking your chair right up to a table’s edge, Bowden recommends sitting a little back and keeping your hands up and open. Just be careful not to sit too far back from the desk.

> Don’t stress out
Avoid stress indicators that could put prospects on edge.

When you fidget – meaning you don’t complete your actions – you confuse people, which will make them feel ill at ease, said Bowden. Similarly, talking too quickly can make people uncomfortable.