The rule. Hold eye contact about 60% of the time you're talking, 40% of the time you're listening — natural, soft, with brief breaks. Anything more reads as predatory; anything less reads as evasive.
The triangle trick. Slowly trace a soft triangle between the buyer's left eye, right eye, and the bridge of the nose. Each "point" lasts 2–4 seconds. The buyer sees engaged eye contact without you having to lock on.
On video. Look at the camera lens, not the buyer's face on screen, when you are speaking. Look at the screen when they are speaking. This makes you appear to "see" them, which is the cue most reps miss on Zoom.
Buyer-personality nuance.
- Bull / Tiger — they expect strong eye contact. Hold it.
- Owl — soft eye contact + frequent breaks to look at proof on screen.
- Lamb — gentle, not intense; they shut down under pressure.
Key takeaway. Eye contact is a tempo, not a stare. The reps who win don't win the staring contest — they don't enter one.