Who this is for?
I'm learning in real time. Here's what's working.
Interactions are never neutral
Someone is always setting the rules, whether consciously or unconsciously.
In sales it's apparent—clients decide from the start. Crossed arms, suspicious attitude.
I lost many deals because I didn't direct the interaction.
Once I started setting the frame, I stopped convincing and started selling.
It's like chess: White moves first and controls the tempo.
In conversations, the person who sets the tone has the same advantage. Take the first move.
What if someone else has control over the tempo?
HOT POTATO METHOD:
Whoever asks controls. Whoever answers reacts.
I lost dozens of sales at Leanworks before I figured this out.
Every time I answered their question, I gave them the power to walk away
When someone puts you on defense ("Why should I go with you?"), redirect with a question ("What are you looking for?").
The pressure returns to them. You regain control.
Complexity isn't intelligence. It's insecurity.
The more complex the message, the heavier the cognitive load.
I move from topics to another pretty fast, and for me things do click.
Because of this, conversations dragged longer than they should've.
Giving people more reason to decline.
Simplicity beats sounding smart.
Simple doesn't mean stupid—it means understood.
A message no one understands is useless.