Dealing With Silent Treatment In Negotiation

Whenever you find yourself in a high-stakes conversation, learn how to stop talking. A simple pause holds so much weight. (Try this 7-second pause technique) High-stakes conversations don't HAVE to have heavy dialogue. Most of the time, it's about what you don't say. After asking a challenging question in your next executive meeting, try this: Count to 7 before speaking again. Those 7 seconds of silence will feel excruciating. Your instinct will scream to fill the void. Don't. This strategic silence creates immediate power dynamics that work in your favor: ➜ It demonstrates comfort with tension ➜ It forces others to respond rather than deflect ➜ It creates space for your next move to be strategic ➜ It emphasizes the importance of what you've just said Most people fear silence and rush to fill it. Especially under pressure. This creates a significant advantage for those comfortable with strategic pauses. I once watched a client use this technique during acquisition negotiations. After asking about deal contingencies, he simply waited. The uncomfortable silence prompted the other party to offer three additional concessions they hadn't planned to reveal. Seven seconds of silence added $3.2M to the final price. I was floored. I've never seen so much added in such little time. And it all came from the power of the pause.

"After you tell them the price, shut up" ^Easier said than done.  Here's how I coach reps to stay silent after giving price: 𝟭. 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗺𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁: Before getting into dollars & cents, you need to give your prospect full context for what those dollars & cents actually mean. Explain the details like: Pricing model (license-based, flat fee, time & materials), implementation costs, data migration, # of packages offered, contract term etc This way, when you tell them what everything costs, they actually have context for what $5,450/month actually means for them. Number one reason I see people not "shut up" after giving price is that they've not explained structure first. This often results in over-explaining/trying to justify costs because you didn't do that upfront. 𝟮. 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗰𝘂𝗽 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹: Seasoned buyers want you to negotiate against yourself. So they'll stay quiet after you tell them the price, hoping to rattle you. It can be really hard to stay silent after quoting someone more than your monthly mortgage payment. But you need to get their reaction to the price you just quoted. You won't get that if YOU keep blabbing. One thing that's helped me is to literally bring a tall glass of water to proposal calls. After you say the price, force yourself to take a big sip. Hard to keep talking with water in your mouth... 𝟯. 𝗣𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝘂𝘁𝗲: Signals to the other person that it's their turn to talk. (You want to get their reaction to the price) 𝟰. 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴: I've seen reps who literally look down at their notepad and write out notes from the call as a mechanism to keep themselves silent while they wait for their buyer to react. I like this one because it gives you a "distraction" to do instead of continuing to justify your quote. --- As you get more seasoned as a seller, you'll learn to stop overthinking pricing and will gain confidence in the value of what you sell. But for newer sellers, these tips may help you keep your cool when quoting big. What other advice would you give a newer seller about presenting price?

I Was Struggling, and I Knew It! I had just finished a pitch to ten senior executives. I thought the deal was solid, the numbers were strong, and the strategy was sound. But as silence filled the room, I realized something wasn’t landing. Instinctively, I wanted to fill the silence—explain more, adjust the offer, or just say something to ease the tension. But I stopped myself. I remembered a piece of advice: “The first person to speak loses.” So, I held my tongue. The room stayed quiet. The seconds dragged on. Finally, one executive shifted in his chair and broke the silence. “I’m concerned about how this might affect our current revenue streams,” he said. Others followed, sharing doubts about timelines and returns. That silence I dreaded gave space for real conversation. I stopped defending my pitch and started listening. Their concerns became clear, and by the time I spoke again, it was to address their actual needs. A week later, we closed the deal. Silence is among the most powerful tools in leadership, negotiations, and life. Why Silence Works 1 - IT REVEALS WHAT MATTERS When you stop talking, others will fill the void. They’ll share fears, doubts, and hopes—the real drivers of decisions. 2 - IT SHOWS STRENGTH Confidence lives in quiet. When you don’t rush to explain, you show you’re comfortable waiting for the room to come to you. 3 - IT SHARPENS FOCUS Too often, we plan what we’ll say next instead of truly hearing the other person. Silence pushes you to pay attention. How To Make Silence Work FOR YOU → In Negotiations: Ask a direct question, then pause. Let the other person speak first. → In Feedback: After someone shares, count to three before responding. Often, they’ll add more. → In Meetings: Instead of offering immediate solutions, ask, “What do you think?” and wait. That meeting changed me. Sometimes, the most impactful thing you can do is not to say more, but to step back and listen.