“I’ve Got This.”
Why We Hate Being Told What to Do (And How Closers Use That to Win)
Let’s start with an uncomfortable but honest question:
Do you dislike it when people give you suggestions or tell you what to do?
Not strangers.
Not incompetent people.
But coworkers. Managers. Coaches. People who technically might be right.
If your gut reaction is:
- “I already know that.”
- “That won’t work for me.”
- “They don’t understand my situation.”
Congratulations, you’re human.
But in SELLability, human reactions aren’t the enemy.
They’re signals.
And this one matters more than most.
Why Being Told What to Do Feels So Annoying
SELLability teaches that salespeople are, by nature:
- Independent
- Competitive
- Self-directed
- Results-oriented
That’s a strength.
But here’s the catch:
High independence often masquerades as resistance to guidance.
When someone gives you a suggestion, your brain doesn’t hear:
“Here’s an idea that might help.”
It hears:
“Someone thinks you’re doing something wrong.”
Even when no one said that.
That’s not arrogance.
That’s ego protecting certainty.
The Real Issue Isn’t Suggestions
It’s Control.
At the heart of this reaction is one word: control.
Salespeople crave control:
- Control of the conversation
- Control of the outcome
- Control of their income
So when someone says, “Try this instead,” it can feel like control is being taken away.
SELLability reframes this completely:
The problem isn’t being coached.
The problem is feeling out of control of the process.
Why Closers Handle Suggestions Differently
Top performers don’t love being told what to do either.
They just process it differently.
Instead of reacting emotionally, they ask internally:
- “Is this about behavior or results?”
- “Does this improve my process?”
- “What happens if I test this instead of resisting it?”
Closers understand something critical:
Feedback is not an attack on competence.
It’s an adjustment to the process.
And SELLability is a process-driven system, not a personality contest.
The Danger of Automatic Resistance
Here’s what happens when salespeople automatically resist suggestions:
- Coaching feels like criticism
- Managers stop coaching
- Bad habits go unchecked
- Performance plateaus
- Results stall
Not because the salesperson lacks talent, but because they stopped learning.
SELLability makes this painfully clear:
The moment you stop adjusting, you stop improving.
The “Expert Trap” (And Why It Sneaks Up on Good Salespeople)
Ironically, the better you get at sales, the more dangerous resistance becomes.
Why?
Because success creates comfort.
Comfort creates routine.
Routine creates blind spots.
And blind spots are invisible, to the person who has them.
That’s why SELLability insists on outside perspective.
Not to control you.
But to protect your results.
A Reframe That Changes Everything
Next time someone gives you a suggestion, try this internal reset:
“This isn’t about me. It’s about the process.”
Then ask one calm, professional question:
- “What behavior would you change?”
- “Which step are you seeing break down?”
- “What statistic does this affect?”
Now the conversation shifts from ego…
to execution.
And that’s where control returns.
Why This Matters More Than You Think
Sales is not static.
Markets change.
Buyers change.
Attention spans change.
If your behavior doesn’t adjust, results eventually decline, quietly at first.
SELLability doesn’t coach people because they’re failing.
SELLability coaches people so they don’t fail later.
That’s leadership, not micromanagement.
Final SELLability Thought
If you dislike others giving you suggestions or telling you what to do, don’t judge yourself.
That instinct comes from independence and confidence, two things that made you good at sales.
But here’s the upgrade:
Closers don’t give up control when they accept guidance.
They gain control by refining the process.
Listen.
Test.
Adjust.
Because in SELLability,
the most coachable salespeople are usually the most unstoppable.
