Watched a guy lose a $40k retainer at a Phoenix breakfast because he wouldn't shut up about deliverables
Sat next to two agency owners at a diner in Phoenix last month and the one guy talked over the client for 20 straight minutes about scope, and she just nodded and never called him back. I started writing down every time I talk more than the client in a pitch, and last week I caught myself at 4 minutes straight. How do you all actually track the talk ratio in a meeting without it feeling weird?
Tracking talk ratio is a waste of time and the story you told proves the wrong point. That client didnt walk because the guy talked too much, she walked because he talked about himself and his process instead of what she needed. Some of the best closers in the game talk 70% of the meeting, they just make every word about the client's problem. Your 4 minutes straight isnt the issue, its whether those 4 minutes made her feel understood or made you feel smart. Timing yourself mid pitch is just gonna make you awkward and in your head, and clients can smell that nervous energy a mile away. Stop counting seconds and start listening for the actual pain, thats the only ratio that pays.