When a prospect goes quiet after expressing trust, it is often because the trust they are referring to is not the same as the trust required to make a decision. They may trust you as a person, believing you are honest and have their best interests at heart. This is interpersonal trust. However, making a significant change or investment requires a different kind of trust: procedural trust. This is trust in the process itself—the feeling of safety and confidence in taking the next step.
Prospects go quiet not because they doubt your integrity, but because they are uncertain about the path forward. The expression of trust is often a polite way of signaling the end of one conversation (about you) and the beginning of another, internal one (about the decision). When they say “I trust you,” they may be implicitly asking, “Can I trust this process? Do I feel safe enough to move forward?” If that question is not addressed, they will retreat into silence to ponder it alone.
Why Common Advice Fails
Common sales advice tells you to respond to expressions of trust by reinforcing your credibility or by pushing for the next step. You might be told to “leverage that trust” by asking for the sale, or to “double down on your value proposition.” This advice fails because it mistakes interpersonal trust for a closing signal. It assumes the prospect’s statement is a green light, when it is often a yellow one.
Pushing for a decision at this moment creates a feeling of pressure, which erodes the very safety the prospect is seeking. It communicates that your priority is the transaction, not their readiness. This is a classic case of miscalibration. You are speaking the language of closing, while they are still speaking the language of consideration. The result is a conversational disconnect that leads to silence.
The Lens of Calibrated Influence
Calibrated Influence reframes this problem. It suggests that the prospect’s silence is not an objection, but a signal of their cognitive and emotional state. They are not rejecting you; they are processing the decision. From this perspective, your role is not to persuade, but to facilitate their process. This means shifting your focus from the message to their readiness.
Instead of pushing, you attune. You create a space for them to consider the next step without pressure. You might say, “I appreciate you saying that. It’s important that you feel comfortable with this. What needs to happen for you to feel confident in the path forward?” This question acknowledges their trust while gently probing for the source of their hesitation. It is a calibrated response that respects their internal process.
Micro-Example
A prospect tells a consultant, “This all makes sense. I trust you.” Instead of immediately sending a contract, the consultant replies, “I’m glad to hear that. Often at this stage, people feel a mix of excitement and hesitation. Is there any part of this process that feels unclear or uncertain to you?” The prospect admits they are worried about the implementation timeline, opening the door for a productive conversation instead of a silent retreat.
Silence is not the absence of trust, but the presence of unaddressed uncertainty.
Part of: Calibrated Influence