Slow Down! Seven Reasons Why Salespeople Talk Too Much

Last week, following the Sales 2.0 Conference in Boston, we conducted the very first Selling Power TV game show, in which contestants were asked to give an elevator pitch about a product or service. (To see the show, visit sellingpower.com). After watching the contestants, I wondered why so many salespeople tend to speak too fast, leaving little time for their listeners to follow them.

Why do we often talk more than we should? When other people talk too much, we notice immediately. When we talk too much, everyone – except ourselves – notices. 

Here are a few possible explanations: 

1. Anxiety. People who are anxious use an avalanche of words to avoid dealing with potential conflict (such as a prospect saying no). Instead of balancing talking with listening, they believe that their wall of words will protect them from what they imagine as a threat. They often refuse to give up control of the conversation, adding a trail of words that echo the ones that they’ve expressed previously. 

2. Lack of preparation. The less clear we are on any given subject, the more words we will use to talk about the subject. Here is an eye-opening exercise: Ask a salesperson to make a presentation about your company as if you were a new prospect. Time the presentation. Next, ask the salesperson to write a concise description of your product or service in 180 words. Now read the copy at normal speed. How much time did it take? About one minute. It should not take more time to engage a prospect. 

3. Stress. When we are tired we tend to ramble, and our ability to concentrate begins to decrease. Our brain responds to mental fatigue by producing more words with less meaning. The cure: Get enough sleep, eat healthful foods, and exercise regularly. 

4. Lack of a road map. Do you know before you start talking where your conversation will lead? If not, write down the answers to three questions: What is my objective? What information do I need to find out? What information do I plan to give? Stay on message and don’t skip vital steps. 

5. Lack of a time budget. Decide to invest a specific amount of time for each call and stick to it. If you are a manager and you want to save time, conduct your meetings standing up. This forces people to be brief and to-the-point. If you meet with longwinded people, ask them the moment they get on your nerves, “We have another five minutes; what else do we need to cover?”

6. Lack of humility. Some people think that everything they say is profound and important. When they talk, they experience a rush of good feelings, and they often fall in love with their own words. They may use catch phrases and complex language to impress their customers. Being expressive is nice; however, good relationships require us to be receptive to others.

7. Ineffective thinking. While some salespeople continue to hopscotch from problem to problem, others quickly get to the core of a customer’s problem, solve it, and close the sale. Decide which thinking style would be most helpful to achieve your objective: convergent thinking or divergent thinking.

Convergent thinking leads to a central focal point. Divergent thinking radiates, like the sun’s rays, away from the center in every direction. Divergent thinking opens people’s minds; it leads to new ideas and possibilities. As a result, the conversation goes on and on. Convergent thinking leads to conclusions and concrete results – like a closed sale.