I'll never forget one of my earliest sales interactions.

It was going fine until the customer stopped me mid-presentation and said:
"It's good. You can stop selling now."

I was mortified. 💀 

Somewhere I think I did hear an, "Okay, I'll take it" but I was on a roll... I wasn't listening. He had already said yes, but I just kept talking.

Why? Because I thought that's what selling was:
Say everything. Prove everything. Get through it like it was a performance.

But the part that really stings:
Instead of asking a great follow-up question to expand the sale…
Or asking a thoughtful question to learn more about him…

…I just kept presenting. Like a human brochure.

That moment taught me some good lessons:

• Listen for the yes.
• Don't oversell the yes.
• Don't assume, ask.
• And if the door opens… explore, don’t bulldoze. (P.S. This is what differentiates us from the robots... you know, being human!)

Sometimes going for no means being bold enough to keep asking.
Other times? It means being smart enough to stop talking and start listening.

Either way: shut up strategically. 😜