In business and sales, we as salespeople are always eager to take advantage of our time and use it to communicate every aspect of our sales pitch we possibly can. We launch into the benefits of our product or service, and list all of the reasons they should buy from us. Time is money, and sales individuals need to use their time to transform that it into money. When meeting with prospects and clients, we might bring this mindset, forgetting that we are talking to individuals who need time to process the information we are giving them. We must remember that filling time with our clients with information and chatter isn’t always the best strategy.
A recent article in the BBC news discusses the power of awkward silences and how to utilize that silence to increase your success in business. They quote Gavin Preston stating, “We often think that silence is people simply not speaking. But it allows both people to settle down and reflect a bit deeper.” Allowing silence to occur during our interactions with our prospects and clients allows them, and us, time to think and process the things we have said. This deep reflection can be very beneficial as it allows for the individuals involved in the conversation to fully come to understand the other person and get on the same page, which leads to more successful sales.
At Griffin Hill, we recognize the importance of asking questions and letting the client talk most of the time during certain stages of the sales process. The power of silence and allowing for time to think ties in with our principles on the power of listening. Spending time to think is important and if we can use our speaking time to prompt our clients to ponder the benefits and advantages of our services, they will come to their own conclusions and feel more secure working with us. As they think about these ideas we have presented to them, they will better be able to form their own thoughts, which will make our job of creating solutions for them in the sales process easier when we listen to them. Truly, the power of listening and allowing for silence is something that should be kept in mind and implemented during the sales process.
