Stop trying to be impressive on calls.

A founder said something to me a while back that I’ve never really forgotten.

He said...

“I can usually tell who’s trying to sell me in the first five minutes.”

At first I thought he meant the pitch.

He didn’t.

He meant everything before it.

The way they asked questions.

The way they’d drop in the names of other clients.

The way they’d finish his sentences.

Even the way they’d nod while he was talking.

I’d never really thought about it like that.

I always assumed prospects were looking for someone who sounded like they knew everything.

Now I’m not so sure.

Some of the best sales calls I’ve listened to are actually pretty ordinary.

Nobody’s trying to dominate the conversation or trying to prove how clever they are

It almost feels slower.

Like two people trying to work something out together.

The funny thing is...

Those are usually the calls where trust shows up the quickest.

Not because the rep said something brilliant.

But because they never felt the need to.

~ David