The most important aspect of selling is asking probing questions and listening carefully to the answers.
The sound of your prospect’s voice is more useful to you than the sound of your own.
Without doubt, the single most critical time to listen is when you ask your prospect a closing question.
Then you must remain silent and wait.
The answer might not come straight away.
Your prospect may want to mull things over before making a decision.
The waiting could feel uncomfortable for you
It might seem like an eternity.
But you must resist the temptation to jump in.
Do not assume your prospective customer is wrangling with the usual objections you come up against.
Like the price for instance.
Chances are you could be way off base.
If you jump to the conclusion that your prospect thinks the price is too high and you blurt out a discount.
You can bet if the price wasn’t the issue … it sure is now!
By breaking your client’s concentration you run the risk of destroying your credibility.
Your client may question whether they are getting your best offer.
Whether you have their best interests at heart.
You need to muster up the courage and the concentration to stay silent.
Give your prospect time to think things over, to process their decision.
The time they take to make their decision won’t seem as difficult or as long to them as it does to you.
Pay particular attention to their body language
Often their body language gives clues as to their train of thought.
An answer will usually arrive after a minute or two.
If the answer is yes.
Great!
If not, and you are confronted with an objection, address the objection in the appropriate manner.
And ask another closing question.
Then shut up and wait again for the response.
Continue with this process until you receive a definitive answer.
If you found this article interesting, here’s another you might like to check out: ALWAYS ASK FOR THE BUSINESS