Cease Speaking when You Get the Order

I’ve written earlier than about how one can leverage the ability of silence in a negotiation and the way it creates stress on whomever you are negotiating with. That is by no means extra obvious than when a salesman is in entrance of a buyer. Let’s face it: salespeople are gregarious and like to speak to individuals and fill any area. It is a part of their allure, and very often, it is an efficient method to construct buyer relationships.

But, there’s a time throughout any sale when it is advisable cease speaking. To zip your lips or swallow your tongue. That point comes when your buyer offers you the sign that you just gained: you satisfied them. They’re able to offer you the order. The temptation, after all, is to maintain talking–to present your buyer how a lot worth they’re getting by making that order.

My recommendation to you if you end up on this scenario is: Cease. Speaking.

So many individuals make the error of speaking after they’ve already acquired the order. When you hear magic phrases like, “Sure, this sounds nice. What are our subsequent steps?” cease speaking. However I am unable to let you know how typically I’ve heard a salesman comply with these phrases with one thing like, “Wait, I have not even informed you one of the best half!” The salesperson has gathered a lot data about how glorious their product is that they cannot assist sharing it.

If I hear this, I am unable to assist however cringe and attempt to disguise my face behind my fingers. Why? As a result of after you have the sale, the one different consequence is unfavourable: you may solely lose the sale from this level on.

Living proof: I bear in mind a scenario the place I used to be watching a salesman in motion promoting giant, costly items of capital tools we made for the utility business. This salesperson was brilliant–they knocked it out of the park. The shopper sat there in awe and amazement. They had been able to signal something we slid throughout the desk to them. However you may guess what occurred?

Yup, the salesperson saved speaking and speaking. Sooner or later of their presentation, they began to brag concerning the effectiveness of the pumps contained in the tools we offered. The salesperson continued happening till the client spoke up and interrupted them. “We have had large issues with these pumps,” they stated. “For those who use these pumps, we have now a significant drawback.”

I watched the salesperson’s face shift from utter confidence to panic. A certain factor has simply grow to be a catastrophe.

The objective of any gross sales dialogue is to offer sufficient data in your shopper to determine and shut a deal. You do not want something greater than that. You’ll be able to solely lose once you stretch issues out from there.

Surprisingly sufficient, an analogous dynamic can unfold anytime somebody pitches a superior, like a CEO, with a brand new plan.

Possibly you’ve got skilled an analogous scenario the place you’ve got spent a few all-nighters in a row making a PowerPoint presentation to pitch to your boss on an important new concept you’ve got. You are happy with all of the work you place into it–despite the sacrifice it took to make it.

When the massive second arrives, you nail it–your boss is nodding their head and may even begin to smile a bit. They may even arise and say, “Spectacular work; when can we begin?” You have acquired the order!

However what occurs? You inform them to wait–there’s extra! Tons extra.

You have gained as a lot work as you place into the presentation–there’s no want to point out your work, even in case you have 30 extra slides to share. It is time to shut up and have a good time.

One of many guidelines that my gross sales workforce and I’ve arrived at to cope with conditions like these is that when the client says okay, the one applicable response must be to say: “Who desires lunch? I am shopping for!”

That phrase– “Who desires lunch?”–became a sign for everybody on my govt workforce once they missed the purpose that the sale was over and it was time to cease speaking.