The sales techniques that hold up on a real call.

One question at a time. Open. Followed by silence. It’s the highest-return technique and the hardest, because it means sitting through two seconds of nothing. Stacked questions, closed questions, or questions followed by a suggested answer make the rep talk instead of the prospect.

“So if I’ve got this right, you lost a client in September and the pipeline isn’t replacing them.” Reflecting back with the prospect’s exact words does two things: they feel understood, and you check that you understood. It’s also the raw material for your pitch, later.

After a question, after a price, after an objection. Silence is the technique nobody holds, because it’s uncomfortable. Six seconds after a price, the prospect speaks, and what they say is what you need.

A price given before the stakes have a number gets compared to another price. A price given after gets compared to a gain. The technique: never answer “how much does it cost” before you’ve got “how much does it bring you.” An honest ballpark, then the question.

No call ends without a step that has a date, a name and a purpose. Calendars open, two slots offered. It’s the most effective closing technique in B2B, and there’s nothing aggressive about it.

• The forced alternative close (“would you rather sign Monday or Tuesday?”) on a prospect who hasn’t said yes.
• Made-up scarcity (“the offer ends Friday”): it shows, and it costs you trust.
• The catalog pitch, the three-minute monologue, the stacked question.
• Running down the competitor or the incumbent vendor.