Weekly Alluviance #122: Selling in the Zone: Unlock Your Inner Game
- alexkremer8
- May 27
- 4 min read
Your weekly dose of Alluviance!
Last week, we dove into "Selling in the Zone," focusing on the craft of sales. If you missed it, it's definitely worth a 2 minute read.
Today, we’re tackling Part Two: the often-overlooked, yet absolutely critical, inner game that makes Selling in the Zone possible.
Last week, we talked about the pitch deck becoming a 'shield' – a wall instead of a bridge. But that shield is just the most visible part of a much heavier, more restrictive suit of armor you’re unknowingly lugging into every sales interaction.
That armor is the biggest thing weighing you down and holding you back from genuine connection and that elusive state of flow with your prospects.
Picture this: you walk into a meeting with a new prospect in a full suit of armor. Is their first instinct going to be to open up with you and be vulnerable or to grab their own sword and shield and protect themselves?
In reality, your armor isn't just made of PowerPoint slides and rehearsed lines. It’s forged from much deeper stuff:
Fear: Deep down, are you afraid? Afraid of looking foolish, of not having the “right” answer, of silence, of losing control, of being rejected, of simply not being good enough?
Ego: Is there a part of you that needs to be the expert, to have all the data points, to impress with your knowledge, to maintain that image of unshakeable professional poise?
Insecurity: Are you hiding parts of yourself – your natural curiosity, your empathy, maybe even your "weirdness" – behind a polished, "corporate-approved" facade?
Performance Pressure: Do you feel like you have to be "on" all the time, dazzling your prospect with a flawless performance?
This invisible armor? It’s crushing you. It takes a monumental amount of energy to keep it all up. This is the grind that we all dread. You are sprinting a marathon in a full medieval suit and wondering why you're not winning the race!
And here’s the kicker: while you think it’s protecting you, it’s actually suffocating the very connection you’re trying to make.
You can't truly listen if your mind is racing, worrying about what you’ll say next or how you’re coming across.
You can't achieve that effortless flow if you're rigid, defensive, and clinging to a pre-determined script.
And perhaps most importantly, your prospect can feel it, and they’ll match your defense with their own.
When I walked into those Microsoft meetings with just a whiteboard, it wasn't some magic trick with the marker that changed the dynamic. Yes, the craft of co-creating on the whiteboard was part of it. But the real transformation, the thing that allowed trust and flow to emerge, was an inner shift. I had to consciously drop my armor. I had to let go of the need to control, the fear of the unknown, the comfort of my script. I had to get real.
Here’s a fundamental truth of human connection: leaders go first. If you want your prospects to open up, to be vulnerable, to share their real challenges and dreams, you have to create the space for that. You have to be the first one to lower your defenses. Your willingness to be open, to be human, to admit you don’t have all the answers pre-packaged, acts as an invitation. It signals safety. It tells them, "Hey, we can be real here."
This isn't about being unprepared or unprofessional. It's about a different kind of preparation – the inner work:
Cultivating Self-Trust: Building faith in your ability to navigate the conversation authentically, to listen deeply, and respond from a place of genuine understanding, even when things go off-script.
Embracing Imperfection: Giving yourself permission to be human. Your prospects aren't looking for a flawless robot. They're looking to connect with another person who "gets" them.
Leading with Curiosity, Not Control: Shifting your primary intention from controlling the narrative or closing the deal to genuinely understanding the other person's world.
Facing the Fear: Courage isn't the absence of fear. It's feeling that knot in your stomach and choosing to show up openly anyway. True strength isn't in having the thickest armor. It's in the courage to take it off.
When you start to consciously set down that armor, piece by piece, something incredible happens. You feel lighter. More energized. More present. The conversations deepen. Trust forms more quickly.
This is where you'll unlock that elusive "flow state" we talked about last week, and it will become a regular occurrence, not a rare accident. Your work starts to feel less like a battle and more like a collaboration. This is Selling in the Zone.
This is the journey. It’s not always easy, but dropping the armor is where the real magic of connection, flow, and ultimately, more fulfilling (and successful) selling begins. It's the heart of the inner game.If you've made it this far into our two-part special, you're exactly the type of person ready for this inner work. And what comes next. Ready to kick things off? Grab a quick slot on my calendar.
1. Featured LinkedIn Post:
"Supporting the Mission"
Driving 9.5 hours to Pratt, Kansas to walk alongside my brother Tim Perreira, who’s currently walking across the US for men’s mental health...
2. Quote to fuel your Alluviance:
"Courage doesn't happen when you have all the answers. It happens when you are ready to face the questions you have been avoiding" – Shannon L. Alder
With Alluviance & In Extreme Gratitude,
Alex Kremer
If you're interesting in getting more Alluviance in your life, we would love to host you at a future immersion. Let's chat.
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