Are You Talking Too Much?

3 Benefits of Compelling Silence

“Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence” ~ Leonardo da Vinci

“Speech is silver, silence is golden” is an old Arabic proverb praising the value of silence over speech.??Although this proverb was likely not referring to selling, there’s tremendous value in this perception of silence and how you can use it to improve communications in all areas of life, especially within sales.??By using the power of silence, it’s possible to achieve more, sell more, and earn more.

Compelling Silence?is a core sales skill that should constantly be focused, practiced, and drilled upon.??Compelling is defined as?“to force or push toward a course of action, having a powerful and irresistible effect, requiring acute admiration, attention, or respect”.??The art of?Compelling Silence?is in its simplicity.??

Compelling Silence?is an underutilized tool by most salespeople.??It’s used to intentionally create a void in the conversation, allowing what has just been said to sink it with the buyer.??The secret lies in learning when to close our mouths and allow the silence to work.

Compelling Silence?should always be used to uncover additional information from your prospects, assist in the bonding & rapport process, and achieve better outcomes.??There are three major benefits of?Compelling Silence?which are covered in-depth in Step 5 –?“Be the Doctor”?of my?“88 Days to 6 Figure Earnings”?sales coaching program:

Benefit #1:??It gives your prospect space to think.

If you’re new to selling or the concept of?Compelling Silence, you might be thinking along these lines: “How can being quiet help me learn more and make more sales???As a salesperson shouldn’t I be talking?”??My answer is an emphatic “NO!” Selling is not telling!??When a Salesperson’s lips are flapping, they’re moving away from the sale.??When the Buyer is talking, (And the Salesperson is using?Compelling Silence), they are moving towards the sale.

We’ve all heard of the 80/20 Rule which states that the Buyer should be speaking 80% of the time and we as Salespeople should only talk 20%.??Compelling Silence?allows the Buyer to describe his own “pain” and “paint his own picture” of what his ideal outcome looks like by allowing him to talk most of of the time, as opposed to the Salesperson doing a “dog & pony show” of all the Features & Benefits.??The Buyer has a mental image of what he/she wants and he/she will close the sale for you, if you just let him/her!??The goal of the Sales Call is always to get information, not to give it.?

Benefit #2:??It is the perfect complement for and in addition to other sales skills.

Compelling Silence?works incredibly well when used in conjunction with other skills focused on in my sales coaching program, “88 Days to 6 Figure Earnings”, specifically?Echoes, Tags,?Dynamic Listening,?Robust Questions, and?Insightful Empathy.?

Example:??Your prospect explains how other providers have been raising their prices.??We can apply a?Tag: “It sounds like having a contracted price is important to you.”??Or we can apply an?Echo: “They keep raising their prices?”

In either instance, we close our mouths once we’ve used our tool.??We don’t add on to the?Tag; no further explanation is needed.??Just let your comment sit and ferment.??Typically, within 3-4 seconds, your prospect will start talking filling the void with language.??They will provide additional information about their position – information you did not previously have.??You never know when nuggets of valuable information might fall into your lap simply because you shut up.

Benefit #3: It works on all prospect types.

The use of?Compelling Silence?is incredibly valuable because it appeals to all 4 personality types - Blueprint, Action, Nurturing & Knowledge (which are all covered in my coaching program.)

The Action sees the silence as their opportunity to speak and to grab the attention of them.??The Knowledge sees silence as an opportunity to assess, analyze & apply logic to your statement.??The Nurturer wonders why you stopped talking and feels obligated to speak.??The Blueprint has the opportunity to process & minimize the risk, in their mind, of doing business with you.

Silence is awkward but no matter what situation you’re in,?Compelling Silence?is ready to help.??Your use of it will greatly improve both your sales and communication skills.??Although the concept is easy, it does require conscious effort to know when to close our mouths and to implement it properly.

If you’re ready to learn and earn more, schedule a chat with me at:

https://calendly.com/88daystosixfigures/deepconversation

Next time, Insightful Empathy.

Johnny Burchett

www.dreamcatcherus.com