• [00:01:10] The “I get it” syndrome
• [00:02:15] Why prospects think they understand too quickly
• [00:03:40] What makes a prospect shut down a conversation
• [00:05:18] How to get a prospect listening again without confrontation
• [00:05:36] PHCom’s approaches to dealing with “I get it”
• [00:08:48] The true role of the sales professional at that moment
• [00:09:41] When “I get it” can become the beginning of the real sale

[00:00:13] Stéphane Depaepe: Hello and welcome to this new episode of the podcast "Performance, Harmony & Sales", produced by PHCom in the "transforma bxl" studio with technical support from "The Podcast Factory Org".

[00:00:23] Nadia Ben Jelloun: The "Performance, Harmony & Sales" podcast is aimed at marketing and sales managers, as well as business executives handling sales functions.

[00:00:32] Stéphane Depaepe: Every month, we share best practices for finding new clients for business-to-business companies.

[00:00:38] Nadia Ben Jelloun: You can find every episode on the PHCom dot be website—P-H-C-O-M—and also on all major podcast platforms.

[00:00:47] Stéphane Depaepe: You can support this podcast and boost its visibility by sharing it as widely as possible with a like, a comment, or a share.

[00:00:55] Nadia Ben Jelloun: The answering machine is always active so you can leave us a message; we'll be glad to get back to you.

[00:01:00] Stéphane Depaepe: You can also book an appointment directly with Nadia or Stéphane by visiting phcom.be.

[00:01:06] Nadia Ben Jelloun: See you soon.

[00:01:07] Stéphane Depaepe: Hello, Ms. Harmony.

[00:01:08] Camille de Meeûs: Hello, Mr. Performance.

The “I get it” syndrome

[00:01:10] Stéphane Depaepe: Today's topic: "When the prospect thinks they understand before even listening". Welcome to PHCom, the podcast about prospecting, sales, and communication.

[00:01:20] Camille de Meeûs: With a topic today that every sales rep experiences, sometimes ten times a day, without always understanding what just happened.

[00:01:26] Stéphane Depaepe: That terrible phrase.

[00:01:27] Camille de Meeûs: "Yes, yes, I understand."

[00:01:29] Stéphane Depaepe: Usually followed by "We're not interested."

[00:01:32] Camille de Meeûs: When in reality, they haven't understood a single thing of what we're telling them.

[00:01:35] Stéphane Depaepe: They just categorized it too quickly.

[00:01:37] Camille de Meeûs: So today, we're going to talk about the "I get it" syndrome.

[00:01:41] Stéphane Depaepe: That moment when the prospect's brain shuts the door before it has even opened.

[00:01:46] Camille de Meeûs: But why does that actually happen?

[00:01:47] Stéphane Depaepe: Yes, why do certain words destroy a conversation in five seconds?

[00:01:51] Camille de Meeûs: And above all, how do you reopen a window of attention without becoming too pushy?

[00:01:54] Stéphane Depaepe: Because a good salesperson doesn't force people to listen.

[00:01:57] Camille de Meeûs: They reignite curiosity.

[00:01:59] Stéphane Depaepe: The "I get it" syndrome is not actual understanding. I'll be honest, when someone cuts me off on the phone after eight seconds with "Yeah yeah, I see exactly what you mean," I just want to reply, "No, actually, you don't!"

[00:02:11] Camille de Meeûs: Yes, but the problem is that the prospect genuinely thinks they've understood everything.

Why prospects think they understand too quickly

[00:02:15] Stéphane Depaepe: That's the trap.

[00:02:15] Camille de Meeûs: The human brain loves to move fast: it categorizes, it simplifies, and above all, it compares to something it already knows.

[00:02:22] Stéphane Depaepe: Basically. "Oh yeah, software. Right, yet another one. Oh, another consultant, a training salesperson, a financial solutions vendor."

[00:02:32] Camille de Meeûs: Exactly. And from that point on, the brain no longer tries to understand anything at all; it simply seeks to confirm its classification.

[00:02:39] Stéphane Depaepe: Are there theories behind that, Madame Harmonie?

[00:02:41] Camille de Meeûs: Exactly. In cognitive psychology, we talk a lot about mental shortcuts. The brain receives a huge amount of information every day, so it creates automatic categories to save energy. That's useful in everyday life, but catastrophic in prospecting, because a new offer is often put into the wrong box before it's even been explained.

[00:03:00] Stéphane Depaepe: And the busier the decision-maker is, the more intense this phenomenon becomes. In fact, what I understand is that they put it in the wrong box. For example, in real time, I call an industrial company to talk about an inventory financing solution. I say, "We support companies looking to optimize their inventory financing." And right away, the finance guy cuts me off: "Yeah, yeah, yeah, well, I see, it's factoring." Game over.

[00:03:23] Camille de Meeûs: Yes, that's a wonderful example. You haven't even explained your model yet, but their brain has already made up its mind.

[00:03:28] Stéphane Depaepe: And if I reply, "No, you don't understand," I'm dead, obviously.

[00:03:32] Camille de Meeûs: Because you're attacking their intelligence, their status, their ego. And the real challenge here isn't to confront them head-on, it's to reopen their willingness to listen.

What makes a prospect shut down a conversation

[00:03:40] Stéphane Depaepe: Actually, there are three reasons why prospects quickly cut a conversation short. It's because they are sometimes overwhelmed, because they've had bad experiences, or because they are the top experts in their field. So let's talk about the first one: sales saturation. In fact, it's true: decision-makers are bombarded with information, emails, LinkedIn, phone calls, ads—their brain turns into a veritable anti-sales filter.

[00:04:08] Camille de Meeûs: So when they think they recognize something, they jump to conclusions to save time, even if that conclusion is completely wrong. The second reason, as you were saying, Mr. Performance, is past bad experiences. For example: a prospect can also project a past bad experience onto you. Like "We've already tried that, it doesn't work. We know what you're offering." Even though they're sometimes talking about a completely different solution that has nothing to do with it.

[00:04:32] Stéphane Depaepe: In fact, the previous salesperson created trauma, and you're the one paying the psychological bill. Alright, third reason: the expert stance. There are highly expert profiles; above all, they want to show that they already know.

[00:04:44] Camille de Meeûs: Interrupting therefore becomes a way to stay in control. "It's fine, don't explain, I know my job well enough, I don't need you."

[00:04:50] Stéphane Depaepe: Yes, but sometimes they aren't actually rejecting the offer, just the feeling of being challenged. Alright, quick example: the rushed executive type. Say I call a CEO, I start with "Hello, we help certain companies to..." "Wait, send me an email."

[00:05:08] Camille de Meeûs: A classic line, and often used as a defensive reflex.

[00:05:12] Stéphane Depaepe: Well, before I used to reply "Yes, of course," and obviously got no response afterward.

[00:05:16] Camille de Meeûs: Because there had never been any real listening.

How to get a prospect listening again without confrontation

[00:05:18] Stéphane Depaepe: On the other hand, there's a way to reframe this type of person too. Today, I rather reply, "I'm precisely going to avoid wasting your time. Just give me 20 seconds to tell you why certain companies listen to us despite an initial reflex."

[00:05:30] Camille de Meeûs: Great, that's really good! You don't confront them, you slow things down smartly, and above all, you spark a micro-curiosity.

PHCom’s approaches to dealing with “I get it”

[00:05:36] Stéphane Depaepe: That's one of the six remedies that PHC om has implemented to manage this phenomenon, this "I get it" syndrome. So, what is the first remedy, Madame Harmonie?

[00:05:47] Camille de Meeûs: The first remedy is about naming the phenomenon with elegance. Sometimes you have to verbalize what is happening—not aggressively, but with finesse. I'll give you an example: I think you've already put this into a box, and that's probably normal.

[00:06:00] Stéphane Depaepe: You tell them that? Okay, powerful. Because indeed, you lower the tension; you're not telling them "You're wrong." You're telling them "Your brain is doing its job." Nice, well played. Okay, I'll give you a second one. Second remedy: create a disruption right from the start.

[00:06:15] Camille de Meeûs: And that's where the opening words are decisive. Certain words immediately trigger automatic sorting.

[00:06:21] Stéphane Depaepe: I know that all too well. "I'm calling you about telecoms," BAM. "I'm calling you about training," BAM. "I'm calling you about consulting," Oh! "I'm calling you for consultancy," Ah! In fact, the brain immediately knows what comes next, of course. So, instead of saying "We offer inventory financing"—and it's instantly categorized. You can say, "We help certain companies free up cash flow without touching their bank credit lines."

[00:06:45] Camille de Meeûs: And that's when the brain no longer immediately knows which box to put the information into, so it listens. The third remedy: using productive suspense. What does that mean in concrete terms, Mr. Performance?

[00:06:57] Stéphane Depaepe: The worst sales reflex: explaining everything right away.

[00:07:01] Camille de Meeûs: Oh boy, when you give the whole answer right away, the brain categorizes it immediately. Whereas sometimes, you simply need to create a slight cognitive void.

[00:07:08] Stéphane Depaepe: For example: "If I summarize it in one sentence, you actually risk pigeonholing it too quickly, even though the interesting part is somewhere else."

[00:07:15] Camille de Meeûs: Excellent! That forces the brain to stay open for a few extra seconds.

[00:07:18] Stéphane Depaepe: And gaining a few seconds of attention and brain time—that's pure gold. Fourth remedy: get them talking before you explain.

[00:07:27] Camille de Meeûs: And in this case, the best antidote to mental projection is engagement. When prospects talk, they also listen differently.

[00:07:34] Stéphane Depaepe: Examples of useful questions—go on, I'll share them with you. "How do you manage that today?", "What is tricky about your current approach?", "Why don't certain solutions work for you?"—all those great open-ended questions. So, for example, if a prospect tells me, "Yes, yes, yes, I know that type of situation," instead of countering, I ask, "What have you seen so far in this area?" And then, brilliant: he talks to me for three minutes straight.

[00:08:00] Camille de Meeûs: And above all, they reveal their true perception of things to you. They'll tell you what they like, what they hate, their biases, their fears, their mood.

[00:08:08] Stéphane Depaepe: And often you then discover that they weren't talking about the same thing at all, hence the need to know how to adapt. Because you'll be able to leverage all the information they gave you.

[00:08:17] Camille de Meeûs: We're going to talk about the fifth remedy. It's about reframing shortcuts. For example: when a prospect makes a comparison to something, don't correct them immediately—explore, ask questions. A question like this: "When you say it's like X, what exactly do you have in mind?"

[00:08:32] Stéphane Depaepe: Wonderful question, because it actually turns a shutdown into a genuine conversation. Sixth remedy: brace yourself and redefine the time savings you will deliver. Many prospects want to move fast, but moving fast doesn't mean understanding fast.

The true role of the sales professional at that moment

[00:08:48] Camille de Meeûs: The salesperson's role isn't to slow things down artificially, but to prevent a premature conclusion. What is the salesperson's true role in the end? A modern salesperson isn't just a solution presenter; they are a guide of perception. They truly help the prospect see what they wouldn't have seen on their own.

[00:09:05] Stéphane Depaepe: And sometimes, the greatest challenge isn't convincing them; it's keeping the brain from jumping to conclusions too early.

[00:09:11] Camille de Meeûs: The "I get it" syndrome isn't a real rejection. It's often a rejection based on an understanding that is simply incomplete.

[00:09:17] Stéphane Depaepe: In fact, the prospect isn't always rejecting your solution. Sometimes, they're just rejecting the mental category they think they've boxed it into.

[00:09:26] Camille de Meeûs: It is therefore important to remember that the salesperson's role is not to force them to listen, but to recreate curiosity.

[00:09:32] Stéphane Depaepe: To slow down intelligently. To reopen a mental window, to generate enough interest to keep the brain from closing the case too early.

When “I get it” can become the beginning of the real sale

[00:09:41] Camille de Meeûs: And remember, when a prospect says, "Yes, I understand," the real sale sometimes begins at that exact moment, and it's up to you to seize it.

[00:09:48] Stéphane Depaepe: Understood? Well then, thank you for tuning in to this PHCom episode, and be sure to check out the six remedies in our posts on the phcom.be website.

[00:09:57] Camille de Meeûs: And don't forget, if this episode resonated with you, share it with a salesperson who too often hears, "Send me an email, I have other things to do."

[00:10:03] Stéphane Depaepe: And above all, keep prospecting smartly.

[00:10:05] Camille de Meeûs: With honesty and humanity, most of all.

[00:10:07] Stéphane Depaepe: See you soon.

[00:10:08] Camille de Meeûs: See you soon.