What’s Your Sales Posture?
In the high-stakes world of B2B sales, there's a subtle factor that often separates successful teams from struggling ones: authentic confidence. Not arrogance, not pushiness, but the quiet assurance that comes from knowing you're an expert and advisor who can deliver real value.
As sales leaders, we've all seen it. The overeager seller who starts every call with "It's SUCH an honor to meet you! I’m SO EXCITED for our conversation!" The chronic yes-person who treats every prospect like royalty, nodding enthusiastically at even the most puzzling industry jargon. The seller who's so worried about rocking the boat or losing the sales opportunity that they never ask a challenging question.
This overly excited posture doesn’t just cost us individual sales wins - it fundamentally limit our companies’ ability to influence strategic decisions, grow revenue, and help our marketplace solve an important problem.
The most effective sellers carry themselves differently. They're kind, pleasant and respectful, but they also have a swagger and engage clients as equals. They ask questions that demonstrate real understanding:
"What prompted you to reach out to our company specifically?"
"I understand the solution you’re describing you want, but I’m not clear how aligns with your main corporate initiatives. Can you help me understand?"
"I'd love to work with you, but I also know you have to do your diligence and are likely exploring other options. Can you share what other options you’re considering so I can share some perspective?”
Perhaps counterintuitively, truly confident sellers are also the first to admit what they don't know. When a prospect uses unfamiliar jargon, they don't nod along nervously. Instead, they lean in with curiosity: "I'm not familiar with that term - could you help me understand what that means?"
For sales leaders, this raises important questions about how we're developing our teams. Are we creating an environment where sellers feel safe asking tough questions? Are we coaching them to engage as peers rather than supplicants? Do they know it's okay - even advisable - to admit when they need clarification or a little education?
When sellers operate from a place of genuine confidence, they build deeper understanding of their customers' needs and significantly increase their influence. They qualify opportunities more effectively, can quickly identify where they shouldn’t waste their time, build stronger relationships, sell more on value than price, and win larger projects.
The best relationships are built on mutual respect and honest dialogue. When our teams carry themselves with genuine confidence - nice but not subservient, curious but not desperate - we create the foundation for high impact revenue growth.
In today's complex B2B environment, success isn't just about having the right solution. It's about having teams who can engage authentically as trusted peers and advisors. That kind of confidence can't be faked - but it can be developed, nurtured, and turned into a sustainable competitive advantage.
Try this in your next sales conversation: When the client says something and you aren’t 100% crystal clear what they mean, resist the urge to nod along. Instead, simply say, "I’m not completely clear what you mean by that, can you help me understand that better?" Watch how this small act of confident curiosity changes the entire dynamic of your conversation.