I bet that most of you have been told your entire life that you are a natural ‘people person’.

Most of us go into sales because we like to be around people and talk. Those are great qualities to have as a sales rep. We build trust and rapport with our customers as we share stories and get them excited about purchasing from us. That’s also why it’s so hard for many of us to stop talking, even if for a second. :)

Have you ever noticed how uncomfortable we tend to feel when there is silence?

There are two areas in the sales process where the pause can be very effective.

1. During Needs Assessment

We may have asked a customer a great open-ended question that got them thinking – and they may need just a second or two to consider their answer.

As soon as we hear the silence, what do most of us tend to do? We quickly ask another question. It usually sounds something like this:

• Are there any other additional features that you are looking for? (Customer pauses for a second)

Then our inside voice says something like:

• Oh no, they didn’t understand the question. Maybe I should help by giving them some suggestions!

So then we say:

• Would you be interested in ___ or maybe ___?

What happens here is that the customer tends to default to whatever we prompt them with, rather than really answering the question. If we can resist the urge to fill the silence and just give the customer a second to gather their thoughts, we generally end up with better information.

2. During the Ask for the Sale

Once we have successfully addressed all of our customer’s questions, there comes a time when we need to ask if the customer is ready to move forward with a purchase. While it sounds simple enough, I have found that this is a surprisingly difficult step of the sale for some of us.

Some reps have told me that they think if the customer is ready, they will speak up – and it feels too pushy to ask. While I would never suggest that a rep push a customer into making a purchase decision, it is important that we get to a sense of where the customer is in their purchase journey so we know what our best next step looks like. I don’t want to be following up with a customer every week if they are months away from making a decision.

But…how do we actually ask if a customer is ready to buy? Well, everyone’s ‘ask’ will sound a little different but here’s a few options:

• Once I have confirmed that there are no more concerns, I might make a bit of any assumption and say something like:

Carol, what I am going to do next is send you the payment information and purchase forms…Once you complete those forms and get them back to me, I can start processing your purchase in the system. How does that sound?

• Or I might use a more direct approach and flat-out ask:

I am excited for you, Carol. I think you are going to see the benefits of our product right away. Can I start processing the order today?

• Or I might use an alternate approach:

Carol, we can offer you a couple different payment options. Would you like to put it on a credit card or issue a company cheque?

The key is to pause for a second or two and let them answer the question. Resist our natural tendency to fill the silence and keep talking!

So, whether asking a great open ended question or asking for the sale, don’t under-estimate the power of the pause.

Happy Selling!

#salestraining #repstalktoomuch #askforsale #needsassessment