https://youtu.be/-LOtpBD-_0Q
Episode 1074: Salespeople are afraid of silence
TLDR: Most kids are afraid of the dark. Most salespeople are afraid of silence. Both are normal, and both are easy to get over.
Why silence feels so uncomfortable
Go quiet in a sales conversation and it can feel like the room is judging you. Your brain starts filling in the gaps. What if they say no? What if they’re annoyed? What if this is going badly? So you talk. You explain more than you need to. You start negotiating with yourself before the buyer has said a word.
That urge to fill silence is completely natural. It’s also one of the most expensive habits in sales, because every extra sentence you add after making your point gives the buyer another thing to object to.
Silence is thinking time, not dead air
When you stop talking, you’re not leaving a gap. You’re giving your buyer space to actually process what you’ve said and respond. Rush to fill that space and you take that time away from them. You can come across as needy, over-eager, or unsure of your own offer, even if you’re not.
The trick that fixes it instantly
There’s a simple way to sit comfortably in silence without saying a word. Take a sip of your drink. It fills the pause with an action instead of words, it looks completely natural, and it buys you time without giving anything away.
It sounds almost too simple, but it works because it removes the pressure to speak. You’re doing something, so the silence doesn’t feel like it needs fixing.
Next time a conversation goes quiet, do you reach for your drink or reach for more words?
Take Action
In your next sales conversation, the next time silence happens after you’ve made a key point, count to three in your head before saying anything else. If you feel the urge to fill it, take a sip of your drink instead of talking.
FAQ
It feels like a gap that needs fixing, and there’s a natural worry that silence signals something has gone wrong.Q: Does staying silent make you seem rude or disinterested?
No. A brief, comfortable pause after making a point usually reads as confidence, not disinterest.
Q: What’s a simple way to get comfortable with silence?
Take a sip of your drink instead of talking. It fills the pause with an action rather than words.
Q: Why does rushing to fill silence hurt a sale?
Every extra sentence after your key point gives the buyer something new to question, and it can make you sound uncertain.
See Also
- 25+ selling communication basics
- What To Say To Sell™
- The Over Convincing Effect
- Information & Opportunity
