Your Old School Tactics Are Killing New School Deals
Let’s be real—some sales advice should’ve been retired with dial-up internet.
But here’s the thing: a shocking amount of it still gets taught in training rooms, baked into onboarding decks, and passed down like sacred gospel.
And it's losing you deals.
Buyers today aren’t playing by 1997’s rules, so why are so many reps still using a playbook written before smartphones?
Let’s break it down.
5 Dusty Sales Tactics That Need to Go (and What to Do Instead):
“ABC: Always Be Closing”
→ That pressure-cooker energy makes buyers bounce.
✅ Try: Always Be Clarity. Modern reps win by guiding—not goading—buyers into decisions that feel safe, smart, and strategic.
“Overcome objections with rebuttals”
→ Sounds combative. Makes people feel unheard.
✅ Try: Objection defusing. Mirror the concern, isolate the real hesitation, and reframe with value—not a fight.
“Spray the pitch, pray for a fit”
→ Mass-blasting a script worked when no one had caller ID.
✅ Try: Pre-call intel, customized value hooks, and open loops that earn curiosity—not eyerolls.
“Fake rapport to build trust”
→ Mentioning someone’s college mascot or weather app doesn’t build credibility.
✅ Try: Earn rapport through insight. Share something useful. Be the rep who teaches them something new, not the one who flatters.
“Sell the dream”
→ Big promises age poorly in B2B.
✅ Try: Sell the next step. Buyers need clarity on how you’ll help today—not an abstract vision of ‘someday.’
Question to reflect on:
If a buyer listened to your last call, would they think:
“This person gets me”… or “This person’s trying to sell me”?
There’s a difference. And the top 1%? They know which one closes faster.
If this made you nod, forward it to a teammate who’s still playing by the old tricks.
And for playbooks built for today’s buyers, not yesterday’s scripts—tap the link and let’s talk.
About Brian Sullivan
Brian Sullivan, CSP, is the author of 20 Days to the Top and a leading voice in sales training and development. He helps sales teams perfect their prospecting and performance with PRECISE Selling.
