We all love talking, and often we talk just for the sake of talking so that we can hear our own voices, perhaps it is insecurity built in to us Humans, in any case the urge to talk more than we listen is endemic with in our specie, this constant noise prevents us from picking up on opportunities that fleet by us.
As professional sales people you have to master the skill of knowing when to “SHUT UP. Do you know when to shut up? In professional selling we call that knowing when to stop selling! That is shut up and keeps quiet.
Try this test, next time you are in a meeting, sales process, or just out with friends, after you have said your piece just shut up, resist the urge to say something more. I guarantee that you will find this task immensely difficult to do! As the pause lengthens the urge to speak will grow making resisting this urge to talk very difficult indeed, in fact one of the group will just have to say something, to break the silence. Go on try it and find out how challenging this test is.
So how does this help in the negotiating process? It makes the negotiating so much easier, you as the professional sales person has stated your piece, be it price or product, now be silent. It does not matter how long you have to be silent, it may feel like an eternity, be assured you will be amazed to find out that it probably is only a few seconds, a minute perhaps, before some one will speak.
Tip: The first to speak is usually the first to concede.
The first to speak is the first to concede so make sure it is not you that speaks first but your customer, as this will ensure your objective is achieved. This is one occasion where you do not ask for feed back that phase is now over, this is the final game, the bit that fattens your pay check. If you check to see if the price is ok you have been the first to speak and as a result you have weakened your position.
IT TAKES STRENGTH TO KNOW WHEN TO SHUT UP AND BE SILENT.
The old clich
