The Power of Authenticity in Sales (and Why Canned Pitches Belong in the Trash)

Let’s start with a confession: buyers today have BS detectors sharper than a bloodhound with a caffeine addiction. They can smell fake from a mile away. If you’re using the same robotic script you used in 2008, it’s not just outdated – it’s repelling the very people you’re trying to connect with.

Authenticity isn’t a “nice-to-have” anymore. It’s the difference between someone leaning in and someone pretending to “lose signal” on Zoom.

Canned Pitches Don’t Work – You Know It, I Know It, and Everyone Knows It

There was a time when a scripted opener might’ve impressed a manager or two. “Say it exactly like this,” they said. “Follow the script.” But here’s the thing: humans don’t buy from robots. They buy from people who sound like real people.

When your pitch sounds rehearsed, your prospect stops listening. Their brain files you under “just another salesperson,” right next to the telemarketer who called during dinner. Authenticity breaks through that noise because it feels different. It’s disarming. It’s honest. The only pitch your prospect should be aware of is coming from a guy on a baseball mound.

If your prospect can predict your next line before you say it, you’ve already lost.

What Authenticity Actually Looks Like

Being authentic doesn’t mean winging it or being unprofessional. It means:

• Listening more than talking.

• Asking real questions because you’re genuinely curious, not just trying to “qualify” them.

• Speaking like a human. If you wouldn’t say it to a friend, don’t say it to a prospect. (“Synergistic paradigm shift,” I’m looking at you.)

• Owning your imperfections. “That’s a great question – let me think about that,” builds more trust than pretending you have a magical, instant answer to everything.

Why Authenticity Wins

People crave connection. They want to know they’re talking to someone who gets them – not someone running through line 7 of a script. When you show up as yourself – prepared, confident, and genuinely there to help – you earn trust faster, shorten your sales cycle, and create relationships that actually last.

So ditch the canned pitch. Be real, be curious, and remember: you’re not selling to a lead – you’re talking to a person.

And people buy from people… not from actors reading teleprompters.

Want to learn how to sell without the “ick” of a canned pitch? The next Sales Confidence Lab starts in January. Click here if you want to be notified when registration opens.