In 2012, I read “To Sell Is Human” by Daniel Pink and it shifted how I looked at sales and gave me the vocabulary to share it with my team. Three shifts in particular, made a visible difference.
In the early days of my sales career, I did what most people do. I worked harder. Made more calls, attended more meetings, more follow-ups. It felt like I was productive and for a while it seemed like the right approach. What made it frustrating though was that there was no clear pattern. The same effort would sometimes lead to a result, and sometimes to nothing at all.
The First Shift — Start By Understanding The Client: Listen
Don’t start the meeting by explaining the products or services.
Instead you should start by asking:
What are you looking to achieve?
What’s important to you in this decision?
What have you seen so far?
And then LISTEN. Not to respond, but to UNDERSTAND what matters to them — budget, timing, risk, comfort, or something else they haven’t said clearly yet.
Only after understanding – speak about your offering. How and IF it can help them.
Now I don’t have to explain everything. I only speak about what is relevant to them and when something is relevant, people pay attention. So LISTEN.
The Second Shift — Focus On Removing Uncertainty: Clarify
We live in an age of information overload. Most clients are not stuck because they don’t want to buy. They are stuck because they are unsure of which product is best for them. Too many options.
So instead of pushing for a decision – focus on removing that uncertainty. Do things like:
Summarise what they’ve told me: “This is what seems important to you…”
Compare options clearly: “Here’s how these two choices differ…”
Point out trade-offs honestly: “You gain this here, but give up this…”
Sometimes I even say, “If I were in your position, this is what I would consider.”
This helps to reduce confusion – and when confusion reduces, decisions become easier. So CLARIFY.
The Third Shift — Help Them Take The Next Step: Guide
Don’t rush to close the deal in one go. Focus on moving things forward one step at a time.
At the end of a conversation, instead of pushing for a decision, guide the next step:
“Would you like to visit the site once?”
“Shall we review this with your family?”
“Would it help if I shared a comparison?”
Small steps. No pressure. But each step moves the conversation forward. Over time, those small steps lead to a decision. Without resistance. Without awkwardness. So GUIDE.
A Simple Way to Look at It:
Understand first – Result: Clients opened up more.
Clarify next – Result: There were fewer objections.
Guide step by step – Result: Decisions didn’t feel forced.
And when you start doing this consistently, something interesting happens.
You build relationships, You close more deals and earn more.
3 Simple Shifts That Will Help You Sell Better — And Earn More.
