Being a salesman is a bit like being Batman. You aren’t really all that special of a person, in fact, there is nothing super about you that sets you aside as a particularly gifted person. What every salesman does have, however, is a utility belt full of tools, tactics, and techniques that he can use to overcome the fact that he is not a “super salesman.” One of the tools that every salesman has on his belt, but that seems to be way underrated is a tool called “silence.” It’s a foreign term to most salespeople, in fact many salesmen don’t even realize that they have it on their belt, but when used correctly is has incredible powers in driving home a deal.
Consider the scenario:
You are a salesman at a small family owed and operated car lot. On day Mr. Jones drives up to your lot and asks to look at a new truck that you have. You grab the keys and before you know it, you are out on a test drive. Because it is just the two of you in the car, and because a salesman loves the sound of his own voice, you feel the need to chatter on as you drive, explaining every last detail of the car to your customer. At first Mr. Jones Nods along politely or gives brief affirmative statements to what you are saying, but eventually he drifts off and stops listening. Furthermore, when you get back to the lot, you are all gung-ho to make a deal, while Mr. Jones who actually had a few gripes with the car (which he was unable to express due to your chattering), feels a bit less anxious to make a deal. He thanks you for your time and says he needs some time to think about it. He never comes back.
So what do you do?
What could you have done to better understand how Mr. Jones was feeling throughout the sales process, so that you actually closed the deal? The first and obvious answer is to ask more questions. Asking the customer a question and then shutting up, gives the customer the opportunity to express his or her thoughts on whatever it is you are selling, 
but more importantly, it allows you to understand why exactly the customer is there in the first place. Using questions to understand the customer’s needs, wants, and desires is good and helpful, but it is not the strongest tool in your bag. The strongest tool in your bag is: nothing. Saying and doing nothing creates an instant social vacuum that people around you feel like they need to fill. Awkward silence can be one of the most painful parts of social interaction, but bringing that silence into the sales world can yield great results.
Let’s go back to our previous example with Mr. Jones again. Mr. Jones drives up to your lot and asked to look at a truck. Before taking him to see the truck, you ask him a series of questions designed to gather information on why he is here, why he wants that particular vehicle,
what his needs for it are, etc. After ascertaining all of this valuable information, you go take a look at the truck. After showing off the truck a bit (minding not to spill all your candy in the lobby), he asks to go for a test drive. This time when you are out on the test drive you stay completely silent. What happens?!!!! The awkward silence in the car begins to become permeable until it is so painful that Mr. Jones breaks and begins talking, and what is he taking about? 9 times out of 10 it will be those exact features that you would have been talking about, only now he is selling himself. What’s more, supposing that he doesn’t like the car, or has concerns or questions that you hadn’t addressed, you will now get an idea of whether on not it is actually possible to sell him on that vehicle and can make changes accordingly so that he doesn’t go home and “think it over.”
Moral of the story…
Ultimately silence is a powerful tool because it sucks information out of customers that is on the forefront of their brains. Once you know what the customer is thinking, the sale becomes a lot easier, and you chances of closing increase exponentially. So next time you are in a selling situation and you get an opportunity to shut up, do it. The customer will tell you everything you need to know to close the deal.
BoweryJE22
that’s an interesting take, especially the way to whole story was laid out, very well done.
This is a great post that goes along with what we’ve talked about in class. Listening to the customer and letting him sell himself definitely gives the customer a better experience, and usually will help you get the sale.