This Friday I’m finally having my 2 dental implants put in after treatment stretching back to 2007. It almost happened a week ago except Mike, my dentist, decided the teeth weren’t quite right and sent them back for a final adjustment.
So for the last week I’ve been wearing a plate otherwise known as false teeth. Now to spare you the grizzly detail and my blushes, wearing a plate is not easy. You simply can’t speak for long sentences, as you have to stop, suck in and create a vacuum and then continue. Sounds awful I know.
But the crazy thing is this. It’s helped me in my selling with clients, my consulting and my coaching. You see it makes me stop and pause.
Now I’ve always dreaded silence and would involuntarily fill it with some more words, rather than pause and let the customer speak or react. And I know many salespeople and coaches are the same, we just don’t like silence. Any pauses sound like cavernous holes of nothing which need filling.
But due to my plate, I’m dishing out pauses like no one’s business and it’s really working. Customers are talking more. They fill in the gap for me, they give me more information, they tell me more of their needs, and they go into just a little more depth without me having to ask another question.
I just hope that once Mike fits my new teeth on Friday, I continue with this new habit of mine.
What about you? Do you pause enough, if you had to pause more often what benefits would it bring to your selling and coaching? I bet it would make a difference but please don’t go having dental implants to ensure you pause more. The pains just far too much.
