Knowing When To Just Shut Up
You know those annoying people who go on and on and on….and on. How long do you listen to them before your ears decide to go on strike so your brain can go on holiday? Not long I bet. Well, a sales person who talks too much will not survive long, and as we’re all sales people of a fashion in business, the art of silence is something we all need to master. Whether you’re selling a service, a product or the opportunity of funding a new business to a bunch of investors, the same rules apply and they may be quite different to what you’ve been led to believe.
Funding a new business can be a difficult task. When a rapid injection of capital is required you might decide to go to your friendly local bank manager (or in my case some chap on the other end of the phone in a call centre describing himself as a member of their business care team!), or seek funding through venture capitalists or business Angels. But if you wish to build your business organically it is the sales that you make that will fund its growth. No matter which you decide upon, when funding a new business, sales are crucial to confidence in your venture.
The gift of the gab
It is often mistakenly thought that the more you talk the greater the bond you will forge. Not true. It’s not quantity; it’s the quality of what comes out of your mouth that’s important. The gift of the gab is an old fashioned ideal that does suit the modern workplace. People are way too cynical to listen to salespeople rattling off all the reasons why they’re better than the competition, or attempting some semblance at socialising a business conversation. Consumers, whether they are the public or corporate kind, know too much about poor sales techniques and have been numbed to the advertising medium through over-exposure, so in sales today, less is more. The same is true when pitching to your bank manager (booo!), a venture capitalist or business Angel. Funding a new business is a massive undertaking and one that requires their complete understanding of your offering. To achieve this you must know when to stop talking and start listening.
Talking your way ‘through’ a sale
Knowing when to talk and when to listen is a fundamental sales skill. Recognising the buying signs when you’ve said enough and it’s time to ask for an order is paramount to your success. Once again, this is very similar to the situation when looking for someone to get involved in funding a new business. Unless you ask the right questions, leave the right silences, and offer the right facts, you’ll be wasting your time.
Silence is golden
Silence is the most valuable tool in any salesperson’s arsenal. Silence can be poignant, it can be uncomfortable and it can be the difference between making a sale or not. The skill is to know when to use it and how. In essence it’s all about understanding your customer’s needs and convincing them that you can satisfy them while leaving them wanting to know more rather than wanting to run for the closest door.
So if you are funding a new business through investment or sales, remember it’s all about them not about you, it’s all about their needs, not your assumption of their needs, and it’s all about their story not your sales pitch. Silence may be golden, but can you afford to keep talking?
Image © SuperFantastic
