Learning to Observe
One of the most underrated superpowers in sales (and honestly, in life) is the ability to observe.
Not “look in the general direction of the prospect while thinking about lunch”… I mean really observe.
Because the biggest mistake people make when dealing with a problem is simple: they don’t actually look. They assume. They guess. They fill in blanks with wishful thinking and good intentions, then act surprised when the results don’t match the fantasy.
And in sales, assumptions don’t just cost time… they cost deals.
Why Observation Builds Real Sales Confidence
Confidence isn’t something you chant into existence in the mirror.
Confidence comes from certainty, and certainty comes from seeing what’s real.
When you take the time to look at what’s happening, what the prospect is saying, how they’re responding, what they’re not saying, you’ll often discover the situation is far simpler than it felt when you were operating on assumptions.
And assumptions can be wildly wrong.
If you build your approach on an incorrect idea, you won’t handle the prospect well. You’ll solve the wrong problem, pitch the wrong angle, and wonder why their enthusiasm died somewhere between “Sounds interesting” and “Let me think about it.”
Observation Is Essential at Every Step of the Sales Process
Observation isn’t one moment in the sales cycle, it’s a discipline you apply all the way through.
1) Prospecting
Right from the start, you must be able to observe who is and who isn’t a legitimate prospect. Not everyone who smiles at your ad is a buyer, and not everyone who asks a question is qualified. Your job is to see the difference.
2) Research
Before you meet with a prospect, your ability to observe matters. Learn what you can about their situation, their industry, their likely challenges, and what might be driving their interest. The more you observe before the meeting, the less you’ll “wing it” during the meeting.
3) Contact and Interview
This is where observation becomes everything. It’s during contact and interview that you’re building enough trust for the prospect to tell you what they’re truly thinking. And the truth is, most prospects don’t open with the real issue.
You have to observe:
- what lights them up
- what makes them tense
- where they get vague
- where they get specific
- what they repeat
- what they avoid
Sometimes the real objection isn’t spoken, because the prospect is “being polite.” (And polite prospects can be the most dangerous kind… because they’ll smile, nod, and disappear forever.)
4) Presentation to Close
From presentation to close, keep observing. You can even make mental, or physical, notes as you go so you don’t miss key indicators.
Because one major cause of prospects losing interest is this:
The salesperson stops observing and starts performing.
They go into “presentation mode,” talk at the prospect, and miss the moment the prospect mentally checked out three slides ago.
And make no mistake, a prospect’s attention is fragile. It’s like holding a bar of soap in the shower: squeeze too hard, it shoots across the room. Ignore it, and it’s gone.
Observation Helps You Fix What Went Wrong (So You Don’t Repeat It)
Observation is also critical when the sales process goes sideways.
You have to be able to look back and observe:
- Where did the prospect shift?
- What did I miss?
- What did I assume?
- What step did I skip?
- Where did I lose control of the process?
If you can’t spot where it went off the rails, you’ll repeat the same mistake with a new prospect… and call it “bad luck.”
But if you can observe the breakdown, you can correct it, and that’s how you continuously become a better salesperson.
Observation Develops Two Things You Can’t Fake
When you truly observe your prospect, two powerful things happen:
1) Your confidence increases
Because you gain clarity about what they actually need.
2) Your willingness to help increases
Because you stop viewing the prospect as “a deal” and start seeing them as a person with a real situation you can improve.
That shift changes everything.
Getting the Prospect to Observe
Just as important as your observation is this:
If the prospect is going to buy, they must be guided to observe your product or service for what it really is, and what it will do for them.
They need to clearly see:
- the benefits
- the value
- the problems it solves
- and why it matters to them
And here’s a critical point:
You won’t get them to observe just by telling them.
You can’t “explain someone into certainty.”
You have to guide them into seeing it for themselves.
Use Questions to Help Them See What They Haven’t Been Seeing
When you ask the right probing questions, you get the prospect to examine their own situation at a deeper level.
They start noticing:
- inefficiencies they’ve tolerated
- risks they’ve ignored
- costs they’ve normalized
- opportunities they’ve missed
And when they discover it through their own observation, your credibility goes up, because you aren’t pushing, you’re guiding.
That’s trust.
Help Them Look Past Sales Resistance
You’re also up against their sales resistance, those built-in filters like:
- “I’ve heard this before.”
- “This sounds too good.”
- “I don’t want to be sold.”
- “Let me just stall long enough for you to go away.”
Your job is to use your skill to help them look through that resistance and see the solution clearly in front of them.
Not through pressure.
Through observation and understanding.
The Combination That Closes Deals
The sale is most successfully closed when you have both:
- Your ability to observe the prospect
- Your ability to help the prospect observe their reality and your solution
That combination creates clarity.
Clarity creates certainty.
Certainty creates decisions.
So if you want a simple, powerful principle that improves every part of your selling:
Always be observing.
(And if you catch yourself “assuming,” that’s your cue to stop… look… and actually see what’s going on.)
