Silence is not only golden, it’s one of the most effective sales techniques a salesperson can use, says consultant Mark Hunter (TheSalesHunter.com). The key is knowing when to use it.
Hunter is a huge proponent of the two-second pause before responding to customers’ comments.
“The impact of waiting two seconds after the customer says something before you say anything is powerful,” he says. “Often, that pause will be filled with the customer sharing with you even more information. You get more information out of the customer without saying anything. If you ask me, that’s awesome.”
Often, the second thing that a customer tells you is more valuable than the first, Hunter adds. That makes what they say after the two-second pause that much better.
It sounds simple to stay quiet at the right times, but it’s not. It’s something that can be practiced in role playing just as you would a sales pitch. And it’s a mistake for salespeople to expect the customer to fill every two-second pause. A 10 to 20 percent “fill rate” will suffice.
The good news is once reps learn the habit of pausing, it becomes just that — second nature. The results will be better information that will ultimately uncover better needs and lead to a better close.
