People love talking about themselves 🗣️
Everyone appreciates a friend who is genuinely interested in what you have to say.
Filling them in on every aspect of your life since the last time they saw you.
Asking lots of questions. Peppering compliments & comments along the way.
The reason you leave that conversation feeling good & liking the person even more:
- You did all the talking
- They asked thoughtful questions & stayed engaged throughout
No different in a sales conversation with your prospect. Let them talk!
Balance in all things ⚖️
There’s no exact science to talk-listen ratios in sales conversations. But there are guidelines.
Our recommendation (from analyzing 58,246 recordings last month): 57/43
- 57% of your prospect talking
- 43% of you talking
That’s what you want to aim for (+/- 5% either way).
More than 57% and your prospect is dominating the convo. No room to get your questions in.
Less than 43% and you’re probably not educating or giving enough context.
If there are more than 2 people meeting, adjust accordingly. But keep your ratio at 50% or below.

FYI, your demos will be your highest talk ratio, fight yourself to lower them.
Pro tip💡
Track & improve your talk-listen ratios with Pickle!

Next article: When your Prospect is Running Late