By Jill Konrath, Contributing Editor
If you're like most sellers, silence drives you crazy. When you're talking with a prospective client and there is a brief lull in the discussion, I'll bet you jump right in to fill it.
Am I right?
In my days at IBM, I learned that the average salesperson, after asking a question, waits no more than 2-3 seconds before rephrasing the question, answering it themselves or moving on to another topic. And my experience shows that normal sellers have no idea that they're doing this.
What Silence Doesn't Look Like
Here's an examples of what I'm talking about:
"Let me ask you a question: What is the one single thing that you or your company could do in the upcoming 12 months that would dramatically impact your sales?
Members-Only Premium Content 
Want to read more? Try our Risk-Free 7 Day RainToday Membership Trial with access to:
- Free Webinars: Access all recorded webinars (full members attend all live webinars free).
- Free Tools and Guides: Receive all how-to guides and tools sold in the RainToday Store free.
- Research and Reports: Receive 20% off all research and benchmark reports.
- 1,000+ Articles: Access over 1,000 professional services marketing, sales, and leadership articles.
- Exclusive Premium Content: Access members-only interviews, templates, and case studies.
Already a Member? Sign in below:
(Note: Do not press the "Enter" key. Instead, click the "Login" button with your mouse to sign in.)
FREE Rainmaker Report Newsletter: Get the insights, advice, and tools you need to grow your service business from experts in the field.