Stop Persuading. Start Uncovering the Truth.
Let’s challenge an age-old belief in selling.
Most salespeople believe their job is to persuade. Sharpen the pitch. Handle objections. Close harder.
But modern buyers? They’re not looking for persuasion. They’re looking for clarity.
Research from Gartner shows buyers spend just 17% of their buying journey with vendors—combined. That’s it. Which means you don’t have time to perform. You barely have time to matter.
🔸Sales Is a Conversation Between Adults
One of the foundational principles of Sandler’s Methodology is: Sales is a conversation between adults to uncover the truth.
- Adult-to-adult means no games.
- No posturing.
- No need for approval.
And that last one? That’s where many sellers get in trouble.
The moment you start needing the prospect to like you, agree with you, or validate you… you stop leading the conversation. You start performing in it.
And buyers can feel that.
🔸What Buyers Actually Want
I was recently speaking with a VP of Sales who told me he’d sat through three vendor presentations.
- All polished.
- All enthusiastic.
- All trying way too hard.
His frustration?
Not one of them asked what his team was actually trying to fix.
They were presenting. Not diagnosing.
Here’s the truth: buyers don’t open up about real pain when they feel like they’re being sold. They open up when they feel understood.
If your sales conversations stay at the surface level, don’t be surprised when deals stall. Surface problems don’t create urgency. Real impact does.
🔸The Role of a Truth Examiner
Great salespeople aren’t pushy. They’re curious.
They guide conversations toward what’s real:
- What’s actually broken?
- What is it costing?
- What happens if nothing changes?
- Who cares enough to fix it?
That’s how trust is built.
- Truth creates clarity.
- Clarity builds trust.
- Trust moves deals forward.
So, here’s the gut-check:
- Are you persuading… or uncovering?
- Are you performing… or helping?
Modern selling isn’t about sounding impressive. It’s about helping buyers figure out what’s true.