On July 9, Bpifrance Le Lab published its 83rd semi-annual barometer of small and medium-sized businesses. One figure stands out: 63% of executives surveyed cite weak demand as the top barrier to investment. The cost of credit comes second at 45%. Declining profitability comes in third at 44%.

In a meeting, that changes how you read a lot of “let me think about it.”

The person across from you rarely spends an hour comparing your offer to a competitor’s in the next tab. They’re also comparing your project to something far more comfortable: keeping things as they are.

When orders slow down, waiting holds up pretty well in a boardroom. It avoids breaking the budget. It also avoids the responsibility of a decision that could go wrong.

And your pitch, meanwhile, was usually built to beat another salesperson.

It knows how to explain why your offer is better. It’s less good at showing why January costs more than September.

The Data Talks About Machines, Not Your Quote

Let’s put the data in its place first.

The Bpifrance Le Lab barometer is based on 4,637 responses from French companies with 1 to 249 employees, collected between May 5 and June 18.

Weak demand is cited by 63% of respondents as a barrier to investment, up two points from the previous semester. The cost of credit follows at 45%, then declining profitability at 44%. Only 38% of surveyed companies think they’ll invest in 2026, compared to an average of 49% since 2002.

The investment measured here is mostly concrete in accounting terms: machinery, vehicles, real estate, equipment.

An executive hesitating to buy production machinery obviously isn’t answering the question “should I sign up for this sales training?”

So this barometer gives you a temperature. It doesn’t predict your pipeline.

Another detail to keep in mind: the responses ended on June 18.

Since then, other public indicators have looked up a bit. On July 23, INSEE places business sentiment at 97, up two points from June. That’s still below the long-term average of 100.

The Banque de France, meanwhile, surveys about 8,500 companies each month. Its uncertainty index, built from executives’ comments, has returned to pre-Middle East conflict levels.

So we’re not looking at a country where every business has shuttered up.

We’re looking at bosses who need a better reason than before to spend money now.

And you hear that very clearly in a meeting.

”I’ll Talk to My Partner and Get Back to You”

The meeting lasted an hour.

Your prospect talked for forty minutes. They acknowledged the problem. They asked two questions about implementation. They even nodded when you announced the price.

Then comes the phrase.

“Look, this is very clear, thank you. I’ll talk to my partner and get back to you.”

You say something like:

“Great, I’ll follow up early September?”

They say yes.

You note “follow up Sept 3” in your CRM and hang up with a decent impression.

Except at that moment, nobody has named the real decision-maker. Nobody has set what needs to happen before September. And most importantly, nobody has talked about the cost of not deciding.

On September 3, you follow up.

Silence.

Two days later, another message.

Then the reply comes: the budget’s already locked through December, they’ll look at it in Q1.

You might never get a straight no. You don’t even need one.

Nobody gets called in by their partner because they didn’t buy a solution they could put off.

Meanwhile, your prospect does their mental math.

Signing means spending money and defending a choice internally. Waiting means keeping current habits a few more months.

Those habits may be painful. They have one huge advantage: everyone already knows how they work.

Waiting Disguises Itself as a Timeline

In most meetings, you see two options: you or a competitor.

Your prospect sees one more. They can simply postpone.

This option rarely shows up as “we choose to do nothing.” It arrives with much more innocent-sounding phrases.

“Let’s talk again after summer.”

“Come back to me when 2027 budgets open.”

“The topic is interesting, it’s just not the right time.”

After a while, you can fill a whole CRM with opportunities that are really just follow-up dates.

The Banque de France gives a glimpse of this reflex in its early July survey, conducted with about 8,500 companies between June 26 and July 3. In advertising, surveyed companies still report degraded cash flow. They mention longer payment terms and tougher price negotiations.

When activity slows, many companies stretch out decisions.

Payment comes later. So does the project.

It’s rarely dramatic. A week here, a committee there, then vacation, then “let’s talk again after we’re back.”

Six months have passed.

Your job is to put a price on those six months before they become invisible.

What You Change at Your Next Meeting

Make Waiting Cost Something

Before you detail your offer, ask:

“If you leave this as-is until December, where are you?”

Then say nothing.

Four seconds of silence feel very long when someone’s looking you in the eye. You’ll want to rephrase, add an example, save your prospect from discomfort.

Don’t.

That’s often when they start calculating.

“We’re losing about two deals a month.”

“My team still spends a full day a week on this.”

“It’s costing me a hire I’ve been putting off for six months.”

Note their words.

A cost your prospect names has far more weight than your ROI slide with numbers from your Excel model.

And sometimes they’ll tell you: “Honestly, if we wait until December, nothing much changes.”

Perfect.

You just saved yourself three months of pointless follow-ups.

Find the Trigger

The phrase “I’ll call you in September?” gets you a date. Nothing more.

Try this instead:

“What has to be different by September for you to be able to decide?”

Then:

“Who else needs to sign off?”

Now you have something actionable.

A budget that needs voting. A partner who needs to see the demo. A hire that needs approval. Or nothing specific.

That last case is common.

When nobody knows what would make September different from August, the opportunity is probably way less advanced than your CRM says.

It’s tough to hear. It’s also way more useful than a fake “to be determined.”

Lower the Stakes

When the fear is about the decision itself, cutting your price can make things worse.

Your prospect already hesitated to take a risk. A discount dropped at the last minute gives them something new to examine: why was this offer worth $8,000 ten minutes ago and $6,500 now?

You can reduce something else.

The scope.

Start with one team. Test for a month. Define a first batch with a clear launch date.

The unit price stays sound. The initial commitment becomes easier to swallow.

That’s often what the prospect needed to move.

The Question Is Simple. Holding It for Five Seconds Is Harder.

On paper, none of this is complicated.

You ask a question. You wait. You ask who decides. You check what needs to change before the next step.

In real life, you’re facing someone you want to convince. The silence sets in and your brain tells you to fill it. So you go back into explaining your offer, your support, your method.

That’s exactly where the reflex matters.

BizzyTrainer lets you practice this moment out loud, in real time, with an AI prospect who objects, hesitates, and sometimes lets the silence go a beat too long.

You can cut the silence ten times too early in a simulation. No customer will leave for a competitor because of that.

A real meeting forgives less.

You can try five simulations free, no credit card, at bizzytrainer.ai.

What the July 9 barometer really tells you is useful for sales: when demand slows for your prospects, waiting becomes easier to defend.

Your most dangerous competitor sometimes has no logo, no salesperson, no quote.

It’s called “we’ll see in January.”

Selling isn’t learned. It’s trained.