I took my iPhone and iPad to one of those strip mall repair shops…you know the type.

The friendly guy took both devices and said he'd check them out and to come back in an hour.

When I did, he told me the phone just needed cleaning, and that would be $50, but he could make it free…after he gave me a quote on the iPad, where the port needed replacing.

He piqued my curiosity, both as a consumer wanting a deal, and as a sales scientist wondering what was coming.

He said, "Well, the iPad will be $200…a new one like this would be $1500, so it's worth fixing. But, we have a plan where you'd get that covered, and the iPhone would be no charge, and it would be just $50 today."

He was talking much more quickly now, like he was following a script, and kind of confusing me with the numbers. He took a large laminated card out with pictures of lots of devices and several pricing options.

I laughed and said, "So you're trying to sell me a service contract."

"No, not a service contract. It's a plan that would cover your device so that if anything went wrong with it, from the charging port, to having it run over 100 times on the highway, we'd replace it."

Nice visual. Got my attention.

I looked at the card on the counter, and realized what he was selling.

"Whoa, this is $50 a MONTH, forever!"

"Yeah, well…"

I said, "I'll just pay you for the repairs."

He said OK, and started the paperwork.

In the meantime, I looked at the card.

The $50 per month covered five devices.

While I was waiting, I was thinking… we have two phones, one iPad, and two MacBooks. Just last year I clumsily dropped my laptop while doing some recording. It died. It was cheaper to get a new one, given the price of the repair, which I did. Hmm, that would have been covered. Also, I did have the other phone in for a screen repair recently.

Doing the math myself, after the fact—, realized it actually wasn't a bad deal. Five devices for $50/month? That laptop replacement alone would've paid for a year.

But, too late. I was already in sales-resistance mode.

He'd triggered every defense mechanism I have. And I teach this stuff!

And it all could have been prevented with some of the simplest advice in sales.

That's what I'm covering in The Big Lesson.

A sales rep came up to me after a presentation years ago and said something like: “Art… I’m moving into sales, and honestly? I’m a little freaked out. Because I don’t think I can be a typical salesperson.”

I asked him, “Define typical.”

And he described the kind of salesperson we’ve all run into… Slick talker. Fast talker. Always has an answer. Always has a “close.” And always seems like they’re trying to push you into a decision before you even know what the decision is.

I smiled and said: “Perfect. Don’t be that.”

Then I gave him the one piece of advice that, if you actually do it, makes selling easier forever: Get information before you give it.

That’s it. That’s the “secret.” Not a clever line. Not a perfect pitch. Not some Jedi mind trick. Just this: Before you recommend anything… you better understand what they care about.

Because when you don't… You trigger resistance. And once resistance shows up, it’s like trying to sell a cat a bath. You’re not “having a conversation” anymore… You’re negotiating for your life.

Think about it. You couldn’t fit someone with the right pair of shoes unless you knew their size. A doctor can’t prescribe the right medication without knowing symptoms, history, severity, and context.

Yet in sales, people skip this step constantly. They walk in cold and start dumping product details like they’re reading a brochure..answering questions nobody asked: “Here’s what we do… here’s our process… here are the features… here’s why we’re different…”

And the prospect is sitting there thinking: “OK… but what does any of that have to do with me?”

That’s why “pitching” is such a perfect word. Because it’s basically this: Throwing a handful of pebbles from 50 yards away… hoping one goes through a wedding-ring-sized target. Most of them miss. A few bounce off something. And if one happens to go through? It’s not because your approach was brilliant. It’s because you got lucky.

Here’s what happens when you pitch too early When a salesperson launches into a data dump before questioning, three things happen instantly:

When you ask questions first, you gather intelligence. But the bigger benefit is psychological: It turns the prospect into a participant. They're no longer on defense. They’re talking about themselves: what they want, what’s not working, what they’re worried about.

When people talk about their world, resistance drops. It doesn’t feel like being sold. It feels like being understood.

The simplest truth in selling: “Nobody likes unsolicited advice.” A pitch without prior questioning is exactly that. But when you’ve asked questions, listened, and clarified, your recommendation becomes: earned advice. And people love earned advice.

Back to my iPhone guy… The moment he launched into his laminated-card monologue, he skipped the most important step: He didn’t ask me anything. Not one question like:

If he’d asked those three questions, I would have told him I have five devices and spent $1,400 on repairs last year. At that point, he could have said: “So you’ve spent $1,400 in the past year. Our plan covers all five devices for $600 a year. Based on what you just told me, does that make sense to explore?”

I would have said yes. Instead, he launched into his script, I smelled the pitch, and my walls went up.

The sale was gone. Not because the offer was bad. Because the sequence was dead wrong.

Two quick habits that will raise your sales skill overnight:

It’s not persuasion. It’s not pressure. It’s this:

Get information before you give it.

You’ll stop sounding like a typical salesperson. You’ll start sounding like a professional.

You’ll sell more, because you’re no longer “pitching.” You’re guiding.

And people love being guided… as long as they don’t feel pushed.

One of the true experts I always read when his posts pop up on my LinkedIn feed (and whom I suggest you follow) is Steve Richard, long-time sales trainer and SVP at Mediafly.

He recently shared a post about questioning, specifically how to go deeper to understand the priorities of everyone involved in a buying decision.

Steve recommends every rep should ask these questions:

"What's your definition of success? If you move forward, what will things look like a year from now? How will you measure that?"

But here's where most reps stop, and Steve's point is that stopping there isn't enough.

Your contact is rarely making the decision alone. They're part of a buying group. And within that group, there will be competing opinions, different priorities, and varying levels of influence.

That's why you need to follow up with questions like:

"What's Fred's definition of success? How about Sally? How are they measuring that?"

"How do you see their definition of success aligning with what you have in mind?"

If it becomes clear that the group doesn't have alignment yet, Steve suggests offering help through a story:

"You remind me of ABC Company. There were a lot of competing priorities with them as well. They were all driving towards a common goal. We brought forward some tools and resources to get everybody on the same page. Would you be open to some help from me on that?"

Steve's closing point is one I completely agree with:

A good sales rep helps the buyer understand their own needs. A great sales rep helps them get aligned, including how they'll quantify success.

Two stacks of photos land on your desk.

Stack one: Pictures of a vendor's product, their building, their employees.

Stack two: Pictures with YOU in every single one.

Which stack are you grabbing first?

Obviously, stack two.

Because people are interested in things that affect THEM personally.

Yet most salespeople open calls by talking about themselves and their company.

"We're a leading provider of..." "Our company was founded in..." "I wanted to reach out to see if..."

Wrong stack.

Here's what works instead:

Put THEM in the picture from the first sentence.

Instead of: "We help companies improve their logistics efficiency."

Try: "Companies in your industry are telling us their biggest bottleneck right now is getting product from warehouse to customer in under 48 hours. Is that showing up for you?"

Instead of: "I wanted to see if you'd be interested in learning about our solution."

Try: "You mentioned in your earnings call that reducing cycle time is a Q1 priority. What's driving that?"

People don't care diddly about you and what you want.

They want to know how what you have will affect them, their interests, their problems, their goals.

So start there.

Put them in the picture.

Not you.

“Why?” is one of the most powerful words in selling. 

And it’s also a landmine.

Used correctly, it unlocks a fountain of truth. Used poorly? It sounds like a parent yelling at a kid who just drew on the living room wall with a Sharpie.

The difference isn’t the word.

It’s the tone.

When you say “Why?” with a flat or sharp tone, the prospect’s brain hears an accusation. They stop being a partner… and start being a defendant.

They tighten up. They justify. They stop sharing.

Try this out loud right now:

Curious tone: “Whyyyyy?” (Like you’re genuinely fascinated by the answer.)

Prosecutor tone: “Why.” (Like you’re demanding an explanation for a failure.)

Hear the difference?

Tone decides whether they give you the reason… or give you a defense.

If you aren’t 100% confident you can nail the “curiosity tone” every time — or the conversation already feels tense — don’t risk the one-word “Why?”

Use these instead:

* “What led to that decision?”

* “How did you arrive at that conclusion?”

* “Help me understand the thinking behind that.”

Same question. Zero resistance.

The goal: Keep them talking. The moment they feel judged is the moment they stop being honest.

And in sales, honesty is what creates the sale.

And here’s the deeper point…

Yes, you can replace “Why?” with safer phrases like “What led to that decision?” or “Help me understand the thinking behind that.”

And that will absolutely lower resistance.

But if you’re trying to sound curious… prospects can feel that too.

Because tone isn’t just technique.
It’s a reflection.

It reflects your confidence.
Your calm.
Your status.
Your presence.

And when you don’t feel grounded inside…when you’re still hoping they like you, hoping they don’t push back, hoping you don’t “mess it up”...you can use all the right words… and still come across as scripted, careful, or insincere.

That’s why most sales training falls short.

It teaches people what to say…
…but almost never teaches them how to BE.

And that’s exactly what we do inside the Ultimate Sales Professional program.

Because the real transformation isn’t learning a few better phrases…

It’s becoming the kind of sales professional who naturally shows up with authority, curiosity, and confidence. Without trying to sound a certain way.

If you’ve been stuck in that frustrating loop…where you know what to do, but you still hesitate… still feel the tension… still feel like you’re “working too hard” to get results. USP gets you out of it.

Not with hype. Not with gimmicks.

But by helping you install the mindset, identity, and habits that make professional-level selling feel normal… so you can stop fighting yourself… and start becoming the person who wins consistently because of who you are.

See all of the details, and decide if you’re ready to stop trying to do sales better…

…and start BEing the professional who gets the results you deserve.

Question for you: now that we are several issues into the new Smart Calling Report, what have you especially found valuable, and what would you like to see in future issues? I read every reply personally

Go make it your best week ever!