Silence is golden.

Often enough, I witness SDRs and AEs get uncomfortable in the silence and awkwardness of dead air in conversations.

Silence and dead air is where your prospect, customer, and colleague really thinks. This is a time of contemplation and a bit of chess moves towards your next actions. You should have your goal for the meeting decided beforehand. Often, in the notes of the meeting or email so they know as well so you don't blindside them.

Let your dead air marinate a bit. Revel in it and learn to be comfortable in it. If you feel like it's gone on too long (say ~15-20 seconds or so), then ask a strategic question that pushes the puck forward. Keep it decisive rather than open ended. Give people a choice. Open-ended questions allow for escapes.

Also, my favorite dead air, is if they look distracted, just stop talking.