🧠 Pattern Interrupt or Perish

Surprise triggers attention. Predictability kills it.

Everyone talks about standing out in sales.

Differentiate. Personalize. Add value.

But there’s a deeper truth no one says out loud:

You can’t sell to someone whose brain is on autopilot.

And most salespeople walk straight into that trap.

That’s why two of the most powerful minds in persuasion—one from the boardroom, the other from behavioral research—landed on the same insight:

People don’t notice what they expect.
And people don’t trust what feels too eager.

One was a negotiation coach who trained FBI hostage teams and Fortune 500 execs.
The other? A pair of brothers who studied why some ideas stick—and others vanish.

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They say:

“Hope your week’s off to a great start!”

The brain hears:

“This is a sales email.”

They say:

“We help companies like yours…”

The brain hears:

“Same old pitch.”

They say:

“Just following up…”

The brain hears:

“Time to delete.”

👆 That’s not rejection.
That’s your message getting vacuumed into the mental spam folder—without them even realizing it.

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Pattern = comfort.

Comfort = sleep.

Sleep = no sale.

If your prospect can predict what you’re going to say before you say it, you’ve already lost the deal.

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Want attention?

Break the pattern.

“The most basic way to get someone’s attention is this: Break a pattern.”
—Made to Stick

That’s not just true for storytelling.
It’s the lifeblood of great discovery.

Because the brain has a built-in radar for surprise.
When something breaks the expected rhythm, it stops.
It pays attention.

It says: “Wait—what just happened?”

That’s your window.

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Here’s what Jim Camp knew before it was cool:

If you start by trying to be liked, you’ve already given up control.

Saying “no” first?
Asking “Why not?” instead of “Why us?”
Refusing to pitch too early?

That’s pattern interruption.

And it’s not a tactic.
It’s a philosophy.

It says:

“I’m not here to win you over. I’m here to understand your world.”

That’s jarring.
And in a world of needy salespeople, it’s magnetic.

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Here’s a real example.

Most reps start discovery like this:

“Can you walk me through your current process?”

Nothing wrong with that.
But it’s a lullaby.

Try this instead:

“Before we even talk about changing anything—what’s working so well today that you’d fight to protect it?”

Boom.
Pause.
Watch what happens.

The prospect sits up.
Their brain wakes up.
And now you’re actually talking.

Because when you break the pattern,
you don’t just earn attention. You earn honesty.

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One more thing.

Pattern interruption isn’t about being gimmicky.
It’s not a stunt.
It’s about respect.

Because nothing says “I value your time”
like refusing to sound like everyone else.

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P.S.
If this felt like therapy... good.
We invoice in emotional breakthroughs, not billable hours.

The Buyer Shrink
🛋️ Guilty until proven innocent.