In case you haven’t noticed, salespeople talk too much.

I hate to say it, but we in sales have done some pretty stupid things that have ultimately prevented a lot of sales from being made. Talking too much is one of those stupid things.

One of the most effective techniques a salesperson can use is silence.  Key is knowing when to use it.

Use the 2-second pause immediately after the customer says something.

The vast majority of salespeople are quick to respond to whatever the customer says and the 2-second pause is designed to break that habit.

The impact of waiting 2 seconds after the customer says something before you say anything is powerful.

The reason is quite simple. Often, the pause will be filled with the customer sharing with you even more information.   Think about that for a moment! You get more information out of the customer without saying anything.

If you ask me, that’s awesome!

As if the ability to get more information out of the customer without having to say anything isn’t good enough, it gets even better.   Typically, the second thing the customer tells you is more valuable than the first thing.

Obviously, that makes what they say after the 2-second pause that much better.

If you’re expecting the customer to fill every 2-second pause, sorry, it’s not going to happen.  But even if the customer fills the 2-second gap only 10-20% of the time, wouldn’t that be good enough?  Sure it would.

Using the 2-second pause is easier than it seems, because all it takes is a little discipline to simply wait.

Once you learn the habit, it becomes second nature. The results will be better information that will ultimately uncover better needs and lead to a better close.

The 2-second pause. Simple and effective.

Copyright 2013, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog.