Years ago, Robert Herjavec hired a young sales guy. The kid was smart, professional, and learned everything about the company’s products. But he couldn’t close a deal.
“This kid’s a loser,” his sales manager told Herjavec. “Let’s get him outta here.”
But Herjavec wanted to join a few calls with the kid first. What he observed was telling: The kid did nothing wrong, but he also did nothing to connect with his clients.
So Herjavec gave him some unusual advice: “On your next sales call, I want you to walk in, sit down, don’t say anything for like a minute,” Herjavec told him. “Then look the client in the eye and say, ‘I’m so thankful for you taking this meeting. But I have to be honest, I am so nervous. This is my first sales call.’”
The results were immediate: The kid started closing major deals.
Why? Because he shocked the narrative. It’s one of Herjavec’s greatest sales strategies.
Here’s the problem, he says: In most professional situations, people think they know exactly how things will go. They’re expecting a standardized, predictable experience. Which means they’re mentally checked out before you even begin.
“People don’t really wanna listen to you,” Robert told me. “When you go on a sales call and you sit down and you’re so excited, the client is thinking: How the hell do I get this person to leave?”
In other words: They already have a narrative about how this will go. So to get their attention, you must shock that narrative — to do something so unexpected and genuine that it forces people to look at you anew.
In the case of his young salesman, the strategy appealed to their clients’ emotions. “We are selling to middle-aged men, typically in IT,” Herjavec says. “As soon as that young salesman said he was nervous, our clients all start thinking: ‘He’s like my son. I want to help him.’”
(To be clear, Herjavec says, the performance wasn’t a total lie. The kid really was young and nervous.)
The next time you’re trying to stand out, think about the narrative you might be stuck in. You can start by asking yourself:
1. What are people expecting?
2. How can I go beyond that?
And it’s worth recognizing: The answer may not be what you expect.
For example, Herjavec’s advice to that kid seemed bad! Sales is supposedly all about confidence; who would admit nervousness? But it worked, which goes to show: Even we have narratives about our own work. Before we shock anyone else’s narrative, we must shock our own.
Good is forgettable. Safe is interchangeable. Expected is nothing short of underwhelming.
Shock those narratives. Then tell a better story.
Related: 10 Traits of Successful Entrepreneurs That Investors Love (Even If They Seem Like Jerks)
Years ago, Robert Herjavec hired a young sales guy. The kid was smart, professional, and learned everything about the company’s products. But he couldn’t close a deal.
“This kid’s a loser,” his sales manager told Herjavec. “Let’s get him outta here.”
But Herjavec wanted to join a few calls with the kid first. What he observed was telling: The kid did nothing wrong, but he also did nothing to connect with his clients.
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