The Follow Up
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3 Pattern Interrupts to Start Using Today

3 Pattern Interrupts to Start Using Today

How to break your prospects out of a pattern and get them to listen

October 17, 2024

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Good Morning! Happy National Mulligan Day. If only sales worked like golf, and you could take a mulligan on those sales calls that didn’t go your way. Imagine that. "Hey there… I’m gonna go ahead and take a mulligan on this one. Let me call you back in a few”. Wouldn’t that be nice? 😅

In today’s Follow Up:

3 pattern interrupts 🧠
Stop using this sentence in sales 🗣️
7 ways to build credibility with prospects 🤝
Sales jobs, LinkedIn & a meme 😂

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How to Interrupt the Pattern

Humans are wired to recognize patterns.

Which is why pattern interruptions are so effective.

A pattern interrupt is a way to alter a person's current state, to break their typical habits. It’s like an unexpected surprise that forces them to react differently than they normally would.

If you’ve ever received a cold call yourself, you know what happens when there’s not a pattern interrupt.

You hear the cold caller on the other end kick off the call with their typical script…

And you immediately know it's a cold call. You recognize the pattern and you know what’s happening next… they’re going to try to sell you something.

It’s an immediate turnoff, even for us salespeople.

But what if instead, you took the normal pattern of a sales call, and broke it?

When you break the status quo, it forces your prospect to think about what’s being said, rather than the usual knee jerk reaction of saying no to a salesperson.

So today, we’ve got 3 pattern interrupts you can start using today:

Be (Overly) Honesty.

Sometimes, the most disarming thing you can do is to state the obvious.

Hey, I know what you're thinking – yes, this is a cold call. But I did my research on your company and wanted to see if I could get 30 seconds of your time?
I'll be honest, I'm a bit surprised you picked up, haha. I know you probably get a ton of calls like this, but could I get 30 seconds to tell you why I’m different?
Full disclosure: We've never met, and I'm trying to sell you something. But I researched everything I could about your company and I think I have something that can help you.

By acknowledging the situation, you're showing respect for your prospect's time and intelligence.

Plus, it's so much different than what they’re used to that it might just make them stick around to hear what you have to say.

The Quick Draw

When a prospect has to ask “Who is this?”, they’re immediately put into a defensive mode.

So interrupt the pattern and tell them who you are first…

Hi there! This is Bob from Acme Corp. How's your Tuesday treating you?
Hey Bob! I bet you're wondering who's calling. It's Jake from State Farm.

By taking control of the conversation from the get-go, you're setting the tone and direction. No more awkward "Uh... who's this?" moments.

The Elephant in the Room

This one can work on the phone and in emails!

Address the question that you know your prospect is asking, before they have a chance to ask it.

Have we spoken before?
Hey Bob - This is the first time we’ve ever spoken, but I’m reaching out because….

Do you even know what we do?
Hey Bob - I’m reaching out because I know you have one of the best SEO platforms on the market, and we just helped another SEO tool with XYZ….

What are you reaching out about?
Hey Bob, I know you're probably wondering why some random person is emailing you about marketing software. Well, let me explain..."

By addressing your prospect's unspoken questions, you're showing that you understand their perspective.

When it comes to first impressions, you’ve only got a few seconds to convince someone they should pay attention to you. By using a pattern interrupt, you force someone to snap out of the normal pattern they’re used to and react in the moment.

Happy pattern interrupting out there. 🫡

Do you use pattern interrupts in your sales calls or emails?

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