I walked into a grocery store last week that wasn't my usual one.
At my regular store, I know pretty much exactly where everything is. With some of the checkers we chat like old friends.
This store? Different layout. I was in a hurry. And I needed fresh dill. The little plastic containers. You’ve seen them.
They weren’t in the produce aisle like my regular store. (What’s wrong with these people?)
I saw a young guy stacking apples and asked, "Hey, excuse me… where would I find fresh dill?"
He looked up with a puzzled expression. He dropped an apple and apologized that he didn’t usually work in that department. Then he said,
"Those should be around here…" as he blankly looked around.
And in that instant, I knew.
This guy wasn’t going to get me what I needed.
Not because he wasn’t nice.
Not because he wasn’t trying.
But because he didn’t have a clue either.
And the apology sealed it.
Then he started wandering around, looking. (Just like I already had for the past five minutes.)
That’s when it hit me.
This is exactly what happens on sales calls every day.
The Brain Doesn’t Reject YOU.
It Rejects Uncertainty.
When apple guy apologized and started looking around, I didn’t think, “He’s incompetent.”
My brain thought, “This isn’t going to get me what I need, now, for my roasted potatoes tonight.”
That wasn’t emotional.
It was automatic.
Our brains make snap judgments about competence and trustworthiness before we even realize it. The gut reacts before the logic shows up.
And when your prospect answers the phone, that gut is instantly scanning:
What is this?
Why are they calling?
Is this going to waste my time?
Do they sound like they know what they’re doing?
Is there something in this for me?
If it hears hesitation, uncertainty, apology, it pulls back.
Short answers.
Guarded tone.
“Not interested.”
Not because they hate you.
Because they’re not comfortable yet.
There’s brain science and Princeton research on this, but some of that makes my eyes glossy. Let me know if you’re interested and I’ll point you toward it.
Where Sales Advice Has Shifted And Still Misses
Years ago, bad sales advice sounded pushy and techniquey. Hard closes. Pressure tactics. Forced enthusiasm.
Today’s bad advice sounds different.
Now it sounds unsure.
Like the salesperson doesn’t quite belong.
Like they don’t know where the dill is.
You hear it in openings like, “Hi John, this is Art… I’m just calling to see if…” or “Did I catch you at a bad time?” Or my personal favorite, “You don’t know me and I’m calling you out of the blue…”
And someone defending those might say, “But it sounds honest and transparent.”
Maybe.
It also screams:
I’m interrupting you.
I have lower status here.
I hope you’ll allow this.
Average reps apologize to get permission.
Pros don’t.
And most salespeople never realize they are doing it.
What Pros Do Differently
Top pros sound like they belong in the conversation.
They are not Captain Obvious, who is interrupting, and then announcing he is interrupting.
They do not apologize for calling.
They do not verbally wander while they figure it out.
They sound steady.
Clear.
Like they have done this before.
And when prospects hear that, they ease up instead of tensing up.
You can almost feel it.
It is the difference between, “Uh… they should be around here somewhere…” and “Fresh herbs and dill are back right, aisle one, near the packaged salads.”
One makes you rigid.
The other makes you relax.
Here Is What To Do Before Your Next Call
Ask yourself:
Do I sound like I belong here?
Am I apologizing to earn permission?
Would I respond well to this if I were the prospect?
Better yet, record your first ten seconds and listen tonight.
You might hear softening words, apologies, permission seeking language, over explaining.
Fixing that alone can change your results.
Tone is not cosmetic.
Tone tells the other person whether they can relax or whether they need to guard themselves.
Why This Matters
If your calls feel harder than they should, and you are getting polite brush offs where prospects tense up early, it might not be your offer.
It probably is not your questioning.
It may be how you are opening.
Next week, we are launching The First 20 Seconds Formula.
It is a simple, repeatable structure based on my Smart Calling process that removes apology, removes uncertainty, and helps you sound like you belong immediately.
When those first seconds are handled correctly, prospects ease up.
And when they ease up, real conversations happen.
I will break that down next week.
Listen Before You Speak:
Passive Social Engineering Through Voicemail
A key part of Smart Calling is Social Engineering, which is asking questions of anyone in an organization to gather sales intelligence.
But you can also do passive social engineering.
Instead of waiting for the beep so you can talk, actually listen to the voicemail greeting.
Too many reps tune out. Or worse, hang up.
The average rep hears voicemail and thinks, “Ugh.”
The smart rep hears voicemail and thinks, “Intel.”
You can learn where they are. “Hope you had a great vacation…” You might hear an alternate number like a cell phone. Perhaps they share the name and number of someone else you can contact.
Voicemail is not a roadblock.
It is reconnaissance.
Question Conversationally, Not Interrogationally
Feel free to tweet this out. Wait, it is X now, so X this out. Actually, that does not sound right either. OK, you know what to do. Post it on LinkedIn.
“You need to question conversationally, not interrogationally.”
You have heard sales reps go down their list of questions like someone taking a survey. They do not respond to answers. They just fire off the next question.
That feels like an interrogation.
Instead, make it sound like a conversation.
Interrogational:
“Who else is involved?”
“What is your budget?”
“When do you plan to move forward?”
Conversational:
“What was behind that?”
“Then what happened?”
“Oh? Tell me more about that”
Listen. React. Build on what they just said.
That is a conversation.
His Goal is to “Shock” His Prospects
On a training session one of the sales pros shared that his goal is to “shock” his prospects and customers.
I know. My first reaction was, oh boy, is he using some kind of gimmick?
But no. It is actually high level differentiation.
Shock in the sense that he surprises them that they are speaking with someone who does not sound like every other salesperson who calls to pitch products, check inventory, or present the special of the month.
His goal as an account manager is to help the dental practices he calls on. That means learning more about them. He brings value on every call and does not just “check in.”
As a result, he sells more.
Helping outsells pitching. Every time.
If today resonates, stay tuned next week. We are going deeper.
And if you know someone who sounds like the apple guy, send this their way. (Be gentle!)
Go make it your best week ever!
