When Instinct Misleads Salespeople

SALES BEHAVIOUR & PERFORMANCE

Trust Your Instinct—But Check It

Experience can help us notice what others miss. It can also make us assume too quickly.

The client smiles, nods and appears comfortable throughout the conversation.

You leave thinking the meeting went well. You are confident that the client is interested and expect to hear from them soon.

Then nothing happens.

Most salespeople have experienced something like this. We replay the conversation and wonder what changed.

But sometimes, nothing changed. We may simply have interpreted the client’s behaviour incorrectly.

After more than 24 years in sales and business development, I still trust my instinct. It helps me notice when something feels different, when I should slow down or when part of the conversation needs more attention.

But I have also learned that instinct deserves attention—not blind trust.

Instinct should start a question, not end the conversation.

Are We Really Reading the Client?

Salespeople often say:

“I’m quite good at reading people.”

I understand what they mean. With experience, we become more sensitive to changes in expression, tone, posture and energy.

But we are not actually reading the person’s thoughts. We are observing signals and giving those signals meaning.

A smile may mean agreement. It may also be politeness.

Silence may mean disinterest. It may also mean the client is thinking, uncertain or waiting for us to stop talking.

A question about price may mean the client wants a discount. It may also mean they are trying to understand the value or justify the decision to someone else.

The behaviour is visible. Its meaning is not.

That is where instinct can mislead us.

Experience Can Become a Shortcut

Experience is valuable because it helps us recognise patterns quickly.

We have heard similar objections, met similar personalities and faced similar situations. Over time, we develop a sense of what may be happening before the client explains it fully.

The problem begins when “This feels familiar” becomes “I already know.”

We start telling ourselves:

“This client is only looking around.”

“Price is the real issue.”

“They are interested but need a little push.”

“They are not the decision-maker.”

“They will definitely come back.”

Once we believe that story, we respond to it.

We may offer a discount, explain more, apply pressure, change our recommendation or stop giving the conversation our full attention.

But what if our story is wrong?

We may end up solving a problem the client never had.

What Misreading a Client Can Cost Us

A wrong assumption may seem small, but it can change the direction of the entire conversation.

We may:

• present a solution before understanding the real need;

• offer a discount when price is not the main concern;

• talk more because silence makes us uncomfortable;

• treat uncertainty as rejection;

• mistake friendliness for commitment;

• follow up with irrelevant information;

• push for a decision before the client feels ready.

Eventually, the client says:

“Let me think about it.”

We immediately treat that as an objection.

But perhaps the client needs to think because we never understood what was holding them back in the first place.

Use Instinct as a Signal

I would never tell an experienced salesperson to ignore instinct. That would mean throwing away years of useful observation and learning.

Instead, treat instinct as a signal that something deserves checking.

Observe What Actually Happened

Separate what you noticed from the meaning you gave it.

Instead of saying:

“The client became defensive.”

Try:

“The client became quieter after we discussed the commitment period.”

The first statement is an interpretation. The second describes what happened.

That small difference keeps the conversation open.

Check Your Interpretation

Ask a simple and respectful question.

“I noticed we slowed down when we discussed the commitment period. What are your thoughts about that?”

“When you mentioned the price, what was your main consideration?”

“Is there anything about this part that still feels unclear?”

You are not trying to catch the client out or prove that your instinct was correct. You are giving them an opportunity to explain.

Listen Without Forcing an Answer

The client may be concerned about money, time, risk, reputation or making the wrong decision.

But do not decide which one before they tell you.

Sometimes salespeople ask a good question and then immediately suggest the answer:

“Is it because the price is too high?”

That may unintentionally lead the client towards an answer that is easier to give but not entirely accurate.

Ask—and leave enough space for the person to respond.

Adjust the Conversation

Once you understand more clearly, respond to what the client has actually shared.

That may mean explaining something differently, asking another question, adjusting the recommendation or simply giving the client more space.

It may also mean recognising that your solution is not the right fit.

A successful sales conversation does not always end with an immediate sale. Sometimes it ends with both sides having enough clarity to make the right decision.

Do Not Turn Verification into Another Technique

Better questions are useful, but clients should not feel as though they are being processed through a script.

If every answer is followed by another carefully engineered question, the conversation can begin to feel like an interrogation.

Verification is not just a questioning technique. It is a mindset.

It is the willingness to accept that our first impression may be wrong.

That humility changes the way we listen. We become less focused on proving our interpretation and more interested in understanding the person in front of us.

Notice. Check. Then Respond.

Instinct remains one of the most useful abilities an experienced salesperson can develop.

It helps us notice subtle changes and recognise when something deserves attention.

But it should alert us—not conclude for us.

The strongest salespeople are not necessarily those who believe they can read every client correctly. They are the ones who stay curious enough to check and create enough space for the client to explain what is really happening.

Trust your instinct enough to notice. Be humble enough to check.

This is one of the behavioural habits explored in Sales Skills. Unlearned., Evolv’s human-centred workshop for relationship-driven sales teams.