#413: The Sales Rep’s Guide to Cutting Through the Noise, and Closing More Deals
How to Prep, Listen, and Steer Your Way to Success
In the high-stakes sales world, meetings are the battleground where deals are won or lost. Whether you're pitching to a potential client, negotiating terms, or closing a deal, your ability to focus on what truly matters, the "signal," while filtering out the distractions, the "noise," can make all the difference. As a sales rep, honing this skill is not just a productivity hack; it’s a mindset that separates top performers from the rest of the pack. We will attempt to explain why this matters and how you can master it during your next meeting.
What’s the Signal, and What’s the Noise?
In any sales meeting, the "signal" is the information, emotion, or action that moves you closer to your goal, understanding the client’s pain points, building trust, or securing a commitment. The prospect’s hesitation about budget hints at their real priorities, the subtle nod that shows agreement, or the direct question about the next steps that signal the buyer’s intent. The signal is your north star.
The "noise," on the other hand, is everything else: the tangents about unrelated topics, the colleague who interrupts with irrelevant stats, the client’s rambling about their weekend golf game, or even your internal chatter about whether you’re nailing the pitch. Why does this matter?
Noise clouds your judgment, derails momentum, and wastes precious time.
As a sales rep, your job isn’t just to hear everything and discern what’s worth hearing. Here’s how to sharpen that focus during a meeting.
Prep with Purpose
The best way to spot the signal is to know what you’re looking for before you walk into the room. Preparation is your first filter. Research the client’s industry, their company’s recent wins or struggles, and their likely pain points. Define your objective for the meeting: Are you uncovering needs, overcoming objections, or closing the deal? When you have a clear goal, you can mentally tag what aligns with it as a signal and dismiss the rest as noise.
For example, if you’re meeting with a tech startup founder and your goal is to sell a productivity tool, if they were to mention their team’s burnout, it is a flashing signal. Their detour into a story about their dog’s vet visit? Noise, unless it somehow ties back to their needs (unlikely). Prep keeps your radar tuned.
I write about preparation in my book, PROFITS, Your Seven Letters to Success. (You can download a free e-book at that link) I shorten the definition to have a remedy ready or available. When you hear noise, have a way to steer around it; when you have a signal, capitalize on it.
Listen Actively, Not Reactively
Sales reps often fall into the trap of listening to respond rather than listening to understand. When you’re too busy formulating your next brilliant point, you miss the signal buried in the client’s words. Active listening, nodding, paraphrasing, and asking clarifying questions help you understand what matters.
A client says, “We’ve been using a competitor’s product, but it’s been a headache lately.” What is the noise, and what is the signal in this sentence?
If you think that is the signal, you may be tempted to start selling your benefits over the competitor immediately. But you’ll miss what they want to discuss: “It’s been a headache.” They have given you permission to probe deeper.
If you actively listened, your preparation would have led you to this question: “Can you tell me more about what’s been frustrating?”
In speaking about active listening, one more tip to be successful. What else can you spell with the word LISTEN?
SILENT - In order to focus on them, you need to be quiet.
Watch the Room, Not Just the Words
Signals aren’t always verbal. A prospect’s body language, leaning in, crossing arms, and glancing at their watch can scream louder than their words. Train yourself to observe these cues during a meeting while tracking the discussion. If the decision-makers’ eyes light up when you mention ROI but glaze over at tech specs, that’s your signal to pivot. The noise? The junior team member’s lengthy tangent about server uptime that no one else cares about.
Here is some advice for sales teams, hunt in pairs, and make joint sales calls. Make sure one of you is tasked to watch body language and, again, prepare for a way to avoid those obstacles. Come up with a subtle way to communicate that you should move on to another topic or string one out more. Let them interrupt you if they see something obvious that you’re missing. Hunting in pairs is one of the best ways to accomplish this.
Steer the Conversation Without Bulldozing
Meetings can veer off course fast. A client might fixate on a minor detail, like a feature your product doesn’t have, while ignoring the value you can bring. That’s noise masquerading as a signal. Your job is to gently redirect without seeming dismissive. Acknowledge their point, then bridge back to the core issue: “I hear you on that feature, and we can explore workarounds. What’s most important to you about solving [their main problem?” This keeps the signal in focus and the noise at bay.
Silence Your Inner Noise
External distractions are only half the battle. Your self-doubts, “Am I talking too much?” “Did I price it right?” can drown out critical signals from the client. In comedy they refer to this as ‘commit to the bit.’ It might feel like it’s bombing but don’t let that inner voice win out and throw you off course.
Before the meeting, take a moment to center yourself. During it, trust your prep and instincts. Refocus on the client’s words and reactions if you catch your mind wandering.
Remember, the client creates the signals; your self-talk is the noise.
Why It Pays Off
Focusing on the signal isn’t just about efficiency but results. When you tune out the noise, you hear the client’s real needs, not just what they say on the surface. You build rapport by addressing what matters to them, not chasing irrelevant rabbit holes. And you close faster because distractions do not bog you down.
Practice Makes Perfect
Tuning into the signal and ignoring the noise isn’t a one-and-done skill; it’s a muscle you build over time. Start small: In your next meeting, consciously note one signal (a key concern or interest) and one piece of noise (an off-topic rant). Adjust your approach accordingly. With practice, it becomes second nature.
At the end of a meeting, before you are even backing out of your parking spot, debrief yourself. Go over the meeting in your head, and see try to think if you missed a signal or focused too much on the noise. Write those things down and learn from your mistakes.
In sales, time is money, and attention is your currency. Spend it on the signals that drive the deal forward, and let the noise fade into the background. Your clients, and your quota, will thank you.
A safe way to practice is to engage with a coach! Yep, here’s me sending you a signal! If you need to improve your sales and leadership skills, connect with me for a 30-minute free one-on-one session to see how we can work together!