Josh Braun

After dinner waiters typically try to sell me desert by saying “Would you like dessert?”

I always say no.

But that’s not what happened at True Food Kitchen in Boca Raton, Fl.

Here’s what the server said instead:
“Do you hate pie?”

That killer line made me smile.

Chris Voss calls this a “no-orientated” question.

Here’s Voss:
“People feel anxious when they sense you are seeking a yes. People feel safe and secure when they say no.”

Me: “Who hates pie -:)”

Server: “We’re going to get along just fine. So I’ve served a lot of pies. But our squash pie is so amazing that I fight over it with my girlfriend. There’s never a crumb left. If you’d like I can see if we have any slices left.”

Sold.

My wife and I fought over the pie too. And I don’t like squash.

Selling is a transfer of confidence.

Some of the best salespeople are servers.

Cold call mantra.

Cold calling tip.

Seller: “You’re probably going to hate me because this is a cold call. Do you want to hang up or roll the dice?”

Prospect: “I’m not interested. Don’t call me ever again!”

What do you say?

If you’ve been taught to handle objections, you might try something like:

“No problem. I just need to ask a couple of quick questions so I can prove to my boss that I tried. How many salespeople do you have?”

The problem?

No one cares what you have to prove to your boss.

Whenever prospects feel pressure, they enter the Zone of Resistance.

Nobody wants to be bulldozed over.

Autonomy is a basic human need.

Same mindset.
Same results.

Try this instead:

Prospect: “I’m not interested. Don’t call me ever again!”

Seller: “Okay.”

Then hang up.

I mean, how often do you get to hang up first?

And then call someone else.

There are plenty of people who won’t say that.

Bonus - Now you know who not to spend time with.

It’s about an abundance mindset, not a scarcity one.

Your job isn’t to talk everyone into a conversation. It’s to find people who are open to talking.

No begging.
No pushing.
No convincing.

Different mindset.
Different results.

26 Redundant words to cut from your cold emails and what to use instead.

1. As per -> per
2. A big boost -> boost
3. I was on your LinkedIn and noticed ->Noticed
4. Saw you’re a digital editor -> editor
5.Many creators we work with -> creators
6. 360-degree view -> 360 view. Or even better, “See everything in one place.”
7. Small tweaks -> tweaks
8. Top quality reps -> top reps
9. ACME is able to -> ACME can
10. The reason why is because -> because
11. Is this worth exploring? -> Worth exploring?
12. A lot of -> many
13. In order to -> to
14. I’m following up to see how the conversation with Pete went. ->How’d it go with Pete?
15. At the present time -> now
16. In the near future -> soon
17. I wanted to reach out ->(Cut. Get to it.)
18. Major breakthrough -> No, it’s not. Cut.
19. We’re on the cutting edge of X-> No you’re not. Cut.
20. Bleeding edge -> Nope, you’re not bleeding edge either. WTF does that even mean? Cut.
21. We’re the best -> Of course you’re the best, you’re biased. You have commission breath. Cut.
22. I’m just following up on the demo we had scheduled for Wednesday at 2 pm. Would you like to reschedule? ->Deferring the demo?
23. 100% payout accuracy ->Nothing is perfect. Doesn’t feel believable. 97% payout accuracy.
24. Companies like ACME and BETA -> ACME & BETA.
25. 60X faster to calculate commissions -> Compared to what? And why is the number always even? Calculate commissions in 5 minutes instead of 5 hours.

Why does cutting the fluff matter?

If you cut unnecessary words, prospects are more likely to read them.

Writing concisely is a sales superpower.

Write with an eraser.

18 cold call openers that lower the zone of resistance.
What's your go-to opening line?

iOS 26 just made cold calling better.

Not worse. Better.

With Apple’s new Call Screening feature, unknown callers get screened by a voice assistant.

You read the transcript of what they say before you decide to answer.

At first glance, that sounds like a nightmare for sellers.

But think about it.

No more:
“Who is this?”
“Not interested.”
Click.

Now you get a chance to spark curiosity in writing before the call even begins.

That’s not a barrier.

It’s a window.

Because if you can’t get someone to lean in with your first line why would they stay on the phone anyway?

This rewards clarity.
It rewards relevance.
It rewards empathy.

Cold calls aren’t dead.
They’re just evolving.

So here’s the question, what would you say if your opener had to pass a transcript test first?

There’s a group of six guys I workout with at the gym.

Five of them are loud. They talk over each other. Each time it gets even louder. Their talk to listen ratio is 4:1.

One is more reserved and calm. He’s silent most of the time.

When he speaks everyone gets quiet and listens. You can hear a pin drop. People are drawn to him. His talk to listen ratio is 1:4.

There’s a good lesson here.

There's a myth in sales that you need to be an extrovert to succeed. Nothing wrong with being an extrovert, however, it's not required.

Being reserved, mysterious, having a 1:4 talk to listen ratio, and maintaining a level of calm, draws people in.

Everyone has the hunger to be heard.

Listening is a sales superpower.

When someone says, “Just tell me the price.“

❌ Don't say this:
“The last thing either of us wants is to get an inaccurate price, so would you be open to scheduling a 45-minute call where we nail down the use case, and then I can give you an accurate price that most closely resembles your current needs?'

✅ Say this:
“45-65k depending on the quality you want.“

Then silence. 

My take?

When a prospect says, “Just tell me the price,“ tell them the price, even if it's a range. Then zip it -:).

If you talk after providing the price, you're justifying. Price doesn't need to be justified. Price just is.

Salespeople don't determine value; buyers do. And buyers can't determine value without knowing the price. 

What do you think?

Are there situations where salespeople should defer giving the price when prospects ask for the price?