You’re sitting at your desk, fingers hovering over the keyboard, about to send a follow-up email to that prospect you met last week. And then the internal monologue starts…
“They’re probably not interested.” “They’d have reached out if they wanted something.” “They’re ghosting me.”
Pause. Let me ask: where is this intel coming from? Did they say any of that? Or are you just guessing?
In sales, our imagination can be our worst enemy. We assume silence means rejection. We interpret hesitation as disinterest. We read between lines that don’t even exist.
Here’s a radical idea: Stop guessing. Start asking.
Instead of saying, “They probably went with someone else,” say, “I haven’t heard back yet, so I’m going to ask for clarity.” Instead of, “They think my price is too high,” say, “Let me make sure I’ve communicated the value clearly.”
We are not in the assumption business—we are in the communication business.
The strongest salespeople aren’t mind readers. They’re clear communicators who ask good questions, clarify concerns, and operate from facts, not fiction.
So, the next time your inner voice tries to fill in the blanks with a worst-case scenario, say this out loud:
“I don’t know…yet. And until I do, I’m going to keep moving forward.”
