Psychology of Silence

The psychology of silence: one of the hardest skills in sales has nothing to do with what you say — it is knowing when to stop saying anything at all.

Salespeople are naturally uncomfortable with silence. We ask a question, the homeowner pauses, and three seconds later we panic: explain the question, soften it, answer it ourselves, introduce another benefit, start defending the number — sometimes we even negotiate against ourselves, all because we could not handle five seconds of quiet. Ask, then stop. Let the decision happen.