How to Read Your Prospect Like a Poker Player

Good Morning! It's Earth Day. The one day a year when we all pretend to care about paper straws and turning off lights. In sales, we also care about recycling… mostly old, closed lost leads. It’s another day to reduce, reuse, and recycle that pipeline. Now let’s get into today’s Follow Up . 😄 

• Read prospects like a poker player ♣️ 

• Dealing with ‘it’s not a priority’ 🗣️ 

• Jack Altman on how to cold email ✍️ 

• Sales jobs & a meme 😂

Read Your Prospects Like a Poker Player

If you've ever sat through a Zoom call wondering, ‘Are they actually interested, or just waiting for this to be over?’ - you're not alone.

Sales calls are like Zoom poker games.

Everyone’s got a camera, a poker face, and a hand they’re not showing.

And while we’re not betting chips, we are betting time, budgets, and reputations.

Your job is to spot your prospect’s tells before you waste time pushing chips into a losing pot. Ok, enough with the poker analogies… (:

Today, we’re breaking down 4 deal-losing signs you should be watching out for during your sales calls, and how you can combat them.

1. "Makes sense."

The prospect nods along, saying "makes sense" after every section of your pitch. Sounds positive, right?

Not so fast.

If they say this after every section but don't ask a single clarifying question, odds are, it doesn't actually make sense to them. They're not processing. They're just playing along.

How to call the bluff:

Don't let "makes sense" slide by. Dig deeper with open-ended questions:

✅ "What part of this stands out to you?"
✅ "Is there anything that doesn't quite fit with what you're looking for?"

This forces them to explain what they’re thinking. Either they'll engage meaningfully, or you'll confirm they're just going through the motions.

2. "I’m going on mute, but I’ll be here.”

Camera off. Mic muted. They say they're "here to absorb."

They’re not listening. They’re working on something they find more important.

When someone's truly engaged, they lean in. They interrupt. They react. Silence isn't a good thing in sales calls, it's a warning.

How to call the bluff:

Re-engage the silent player by calling it out gently:

✅ "I want to make sure I'm addressing what matters most to you. What's on your mind as you hear this?”

3. "No questions on my end."

A truly engaged buyer always has questions. About fit, features, cost, etc.

When they say nothing, it's typically not because everything's clear. It's because nothing's compelling, or they weren’t really paying attention.

Questions are buying signals. No questions = no interest.

How to call the bluff:

Invite curiosity by suggesting what others typically ask:

✅ "Most teams I talk to are curious about how this would work with their existing tools. Should we walk through that?"
✅ "What would make this a no-brainer for you?"

Give them a reason to be interested. If they still have "no questions," you have your answer.

4. "Can you just send this all in an email?"

Translation: ‘I wasn’t paying attention, but I want to act like I’m interested.’

Unless you've already built serious buy-in, this is how they walk away without saying "no."

How to call the bluff:

Handle the brush-off by clarifying intent:

✅ "Happy to send details, but I want to be respectful of your time. Is there something specific you're hoping to see in the email?"
✅ "No problem. Before I send that, can I ask what would make this worth a follow-up conversation?"

This surfaces objections and gives you a shot at keeping the deal alive.

The TLDR:

Poker pros win by reading the room, not just the cards. In sales, it's the same.

Be skeptical when you hear ‘sure’, ‘makes sense’, or ‘no questions’.

Now go stack those chips. 💰️ 

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