I spent 17 years selling ads to companies like Unilever and P&G. One day a senior told me a secret recipe that changed my technique forever.

His name was Yameen.

Every month, same leaderboard. His numbers at the top. Mine somewhere in the middle, wondering what I was missing.

We were selling the same product. Same rates. Same channels. But he got more experience.

So, one day I asked him directly: "What do you do differently?"

He said: "I don’t talk about what I’m selling. I just ask them what's not working."

I thought that was very simple to be real.

So, I tried it myself.

At the next client meeting, I walked in without a presentation or proposal.

Just one question: "What's the one thing about your current ad spend that's frustrating you?"

The client spoke for 30 minutes, I guess.

I mostly nodded.

At the end, he said: "I think your network can help us reach our audience. Can you design a proposal?"

I hadn't mentioned our network once.

That meeting changed how I approached every sale after that.

People aren't waiting to be convinced. They already feel the problem. They just want someone to take it seriously.

When you pitch, you fight for attention.

When you ask, they give it to you freely.

The moment I made my meetings about their situation instead of my product, the resistance disappeared. They stopped feeling sold to. They started feeling understood.

And then they bought. On their own terms. At their own pace.

That shift took me from chasing targets to consistently hitting 200% above them.

Not because I got better at presenting. Because I got better at listening.

I still apply this as an agency founder, and it works.

Curious if anyone else would like to share their experience. Did you have a moment where you realized your pitch was actually the problem?