People Make Buying Decisions Through Silence

People make buying decisions during silence.


It's true.


Silence is one of your best friends, not something you should get paranoid or worried about. It gives impact to your words, much like the empty space around "it's true" added value and impact.

Most sales reps will never grasp this. They race through their presentations without giving the prospect a moment to speak up--as if they are afraid that objection will come at any moment, and only through a continual torrential downpour of words will they every convince the prospect to buy.

But remember... People LOVE to buy, but they HATE to be sold. The "fast talking" salesman is the epitome of selling...not giving his prospects the time, nor respect they need in order to feel like they are buying.

I had a sales presentation today that went 50% longer than usual, and I accredit all of that to the amount of long pauses I took. I would say something, pause until she acknowledged it, then move forward. I didn't move forward until I had complete feedback from my prospect. And did she buy? Yes. Why? Because I gave her time to think about what I was saying. By pausing, I showed tremendous confidence in what I said, as if daring her to object. And did she object? Absolutely! But I paused before answering, giving thought and time to my responses. But my responses were brief, and the pauses were long. At the end, she told me, "I'm going to take the leap.." and then went on to list several reasons as to why it was right for her to make a buying decision. Hint: When a prospect tells you why they should buy, SHUT UP. Don't interrupt a thing! Sit back, relax, and let them tell you all the reasons they should buy. But that's another post topic entirely, getting the prospect to list reasons why they should buy.

So today's lesson, PAUSE... Use Silence OFTEN in your presentation.

CC