Talk Less Than Half the Time
In a discovery call, aim to talk less than half the time and let the buyer do most of the talking.
Based on a vendor's own analysis of its customers' recorded calls; it shows a correlation, not cause, and it was not peer-reviewed.
Why it works
When the buyer talks, you learn the problem, the cost and who decides. When you talk, you guess. Buyers also tend to rate a meeting well when they did most of the speaking.
How to do it
- Record a few of your own calls, with permission, and check your ratio.
- After asking a question, wait; do not answer it for them.
- Keep each of your answers to about three sentences.
- Ask a follow-up question instead of a comment.
- If you notice you've talked for over a minute, stop and ask something.
What to say
Tell me more about that.
What else?
Does that answer it, or shall I go deeper?
Avoid
Treating 43% as a target to hit exactly. It is a rough average from one vendor's data; the point is to stop dominating the call.
Example
Pooja recorded a call with a Karnal rice miller and found she had talked for most of it. On the next call she asked one question and waited. The miller spent four minutes explaining why his last two plant managers had left.
Practise it
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