Golden Silence

One of my all-time favorite books on selling is Conceptual Selling by Robert B. Miller, Stephen E. Heiman, and Tad Tuleja. Rarely do I read a book on this topic that completely resonates with my spirit. I cannot think of a single comment in this book I disagree with. The sales training that goes with it is used by Service Greats like Hewlett-Packard, Coca-Cola, Hertz Rent-A-Car, Marriott Corporation, and many others.

It’s hard to pick out a favorite topic or passage they expound on but the chapter on Creating Positive Information Flow has a tremendous amount of material that coordinates with this weeks series of posts. In this section, Miller and Heiman talk about Golden Silence, referring to their insistence that great sales people need to pause repeatedly for 3-4 seconds at two different points in the sales process. The first point is after you ask a question. The second is after a customer responds.

The first pause, referred to as Golden Silence I, gives the customer a chance to think about the question you’ve just asked. More than anything else this insures that you receive much more complete and solid information.

The second pause, referred to as Golden Silence II, gives you, the Servant Salesperson a much better chance of understanding what the customer just said. The result of using both Golden Silence I and II is a more leisurely, thoughtful, and far more productive flow of information.

They don’t suggest carrying a stop watch and they recognize that each sales conversation will have it’s own rhythm and pace that needs to be allowed for. It’s not a rigid rule and you’d probably apply it slightly differently in the hyper paced urban areas like New York City than you would the hills of Tennessee.

They also acknowledge the two Golden Silences will probably be uncomfortable at first for most salespeople. We are often so used to our fast talking ways that any attempt to slow down may seem unnatural. If it’s over used, they suggest it can also lead to “Leaden Silence” but it’s a rare salesperson who will fall into this trap.

Give this strategy a try for a month. I’m convinced that it will vastly enhance the Servant Selling results for most salespeople.