Pattern interrupts are a great tactic for getting unstuck in business, especially in the sales process. We advise all of our clients to get familiar with the concept and start practicing them.
A pattern interrupt is doing something that's different than what's expected. In sales and in business, you need to first determine where you are getting stuck. Then you can create a pattern interrupt that can help you get unstuck.
Why pattern interrupts are important
Our subconscious minds operate by determining and anticipating patterns. The majority of the time, we do certain behaviors with such routine and repetitiveness that we don't even realize what we're doing.
Think about how you brush your teeth. There's a good chance that entire routine is automatic for you. Do you think about which hand you hold your toothbrush in? Or where your toothpaste is stored? Or do you just shift into a pattern?
Consider driving. Has your mind ever wandered while you were driving somewhere and you still ended up wherever you were going? That's because your subconscious mind still executed the pattern!
The same concept is true in the business world. Sales, management, and leadership all have patterns. You have to upset those patterns enough to get people's attention.
Determining where you get stuck
Before you can make use of pattern interrupts, you need to determine where you get stuck. In sales, that can mean taking a look at the sales funnel and where opportunities tend to get hung up.
It could be any number of places, including…
- Meeting people at networking events
- Making cold calls
- Talking about budget
- Asking for referrals
- Following up with prospects
Of course, it can happen outside of sales as well, in places like job interviews, employee coaching sessions, or even in your personal life.
Where do you tend to get stuck? Determine where that is, then you can create a pattern interrupt to combat the problem.
Creating your pattern interrupt
Now it's time to create your pattern interrupt. Let's take one specific example, one of my favorites. If part of your prospecting plan includes making cold calls, you may have a lot of people hang up on you. A pattern interrupt can help with that!
Let's pretend I call you and say, "Hi, I'm with XYZ company. Let me tell you why you should buy from me…"
As someone that's dealt with salespeople before, you recognize that pattern! You're conditioned to say, "Already happy with the company we're using," hang up, and move on.
Whose responsibility is it to overcome that issue? As the salesperson, I need to recognize that pattern and interrupt it.
In reality, when I do make cold calls, it goes something like this: "Hi Joe. This is a cold call. We've never visited before."
What tends to happen is that most people respond with, "What?" Or even, "Huh?"
I've already caught their attention! Now we can have a real conversation instead of them hanging up on me.
Examples of pattern interrupts
Cold calls are just one example of a place you can use pattern interrupts. Let's take a look at a few more examples.
The pattern
Think about a manager in a job interview. The candidate says, "Tell me why I should come work for your company."
The manager responds, "Here's a hundred reasons!" Then they lose the candidate's attention quickly and the interview is a waste of time for both parties.
The pattern interrupt
A good manager that's a great interviewer will respond, "Honestly, I don't know if you should come work for us. This is only the first interview we've had together. Is it okay if I share some reasons our team members have shared with me?"
The pattern
Consider a networking event. You meet someone new and they say, "Tell me about your company."
You then proceed to hand them a business card and talk about your company nonstop for ten minutes. They eventually manage to escape and toss your business card in the trash as they walk away.
The pattern interrupt
Instead, you could respond, "My company is not that interesting. Can you tell me about your company?"
Then you stay engaged and interested as they talk for ten minutes about their company, leaving them with a positive impression of you at the end of the event.
The pattern
You're meeting with a prospect in their office. They say what so many prospects say: "Tell me why I should hire your company."
Again, most salespeople will respond with, "Let me give you all the reasons you should hire us!" Then when the prospect doesn't identify with the first couple reasons, they stop listening and kick you out of their office before you make it through all the reasons.
The pattern interrupt
Instead, respond with something like, "Well, I don't know if you should. What exactly are you looking for when deciding who to hire?"
Getting started
To effectively create and use a pattern interrupt, first determine where you are getting stuck. What pattern is in place that you can disrupt? What can you say or ask that will disrupt that pattern?
Start by looking for just one single place you get stuck, then experiment with a pattern interrupt. Feel free to tweak it if it doesn't work as well as you'd like initially.
You'll eventually find that you no longer get stuck there, and can move on to implementing another pattern interrupt elsewhere.
