Sales Pitch: How to be More Confident in 1 Easy Step

Be confident. After you finish presenting, resist the urge to ask, “Does that make sense?”

It’s tempting, and I’ve been there. When I’m delivering a seminar to 50+ people, and it’s the 6th hour of the day, and people are looking glassy-eyed, and I worry that they aren’t paying attention anymore, I want to ask, “Does that make sense?” so that they’ll reassure me that it does, and that they’re listening, and that, of course, it makes perfect sense.

But it never turns out that way.

It makes you look weak, and no one is ever going to reassure you that you’re doing a good job. Instead, just stop talking and let the other person fill that awkward silence. If what you’re saying doesn’t make sense, they’ll tell you. If they don’t, and you’ve given it some time, say something like, “I’m sensing that something I’m saying isn’t making sense. Can I explain something in more detail for you?”

Give them the space to process the information, and then reply. While you do that, you can be reading their body language so you can figure out your next move, and you’ll look stronger.

Does that make sense? (I’m kidding. See what I did there?).