In sales, there is a natural back and forth. If you’re making a cold call, and someone on the other end picks up the phone and says, “Hello?” Then you better have something good to say in response.
Or, if your SDR sets you up with a killer meeting, and in the first 30 seconds of that meeting, the potential client stops you and says, “Listen, I’ve only got 5 minutes for this meeting. Can you tell me why I should buy this product?” Then it’s your turn to talk.
Now, both of these examples put the pressure on the salesperson. And a lot of salespeople go through the entire sales encounter this way—fighting from their back foot, rushing to get the last word in, and overall losing control of the sale.
But there are also times when it’s the client’s turn to talk.
For example, at the beginning of a cold call, once you’ve given your elevator pitch, and there’s a pause, and then the customer on the other end of the phone says (in a cautious tone), “Okay, I might be interested.”
The wrong thing to do after the client says something like that is to rush in with more value, making more statements about why your product or service is the bee’s knees, and talking more about me, me, me, my company.
Instead, here is a crucial point in the conversation where you, as the salesperson, can turn the tables and make it clear to the potential client that it’s their turn to talk. You do this by starting with your qualifying questions.
The first question might sound something like this: “So, Mrs. Business Owner, tell me a little more about why you think you might be in the market for XYZ product?”
And then, immediately after that question, comes the most important part … PAUSE. Don’t say anything. Put the phone on mute if you have to.
If you can’t handle the silence here (for 5 seconds, maybe 10 seconds) and you start talking again, then you’ve lost all power in the sales encounter—making it a one-sided presentation, instead of a two-sided conversation.
There is another very crucial part of the sales encounter when it’s the client’s turn to talk, and that’s at the very end of the call—when you ask for the sale.
If you’ve done everything right up to this point—qualifying the client for fit, getting an increasing amount of buy-in, and showing the value of your service in a way that specifically satisfies your client’s pain point—then there is only one thing left to do, and that’s to unveil the price and ask for payment.
Ask clearly and confidently for the close, and then (you guessed it) … PAUSE.
I’ve had some closing calls where I wait for 2 or 3 minutes of silence after asking for the close. Sometimes you can hear the client huffing and puffing. Other times they’ll put their hand over the receiver and talk to their business partner that has been sitting there listening the whole time.
But no matter how long you wait, the client only has two options for what to say next: they can either give you an objection or sign the deal. It has to be one of these two, and the only way to mess that up is if you talk first.