SHOUTING... doesn't work

I'm no better than the people I accused

Got a bit lost in my own rantiness 

Last week I had a pop at 'deficit shouting' on LinkedIn

You know the drills

- "You’re doing this wrong”

- “You’re behind”

- “Most people don’t get this”

It's lazy (and a classic AI pattern)

But if pointing out what people lack does not help what does?

Because just criticising without offering an alternative is not much better

Here is what I see work in the real world.

Deficit shouting assumes people are broken

That they are ignorant, behind or failing

In reality, most sales professionals are capable and conscientious

They are just operating in complex situations 

What they need is not to be told they are wrong

They need help making sense of what is going on

The difference is subtle but important

Deficit shouting says - 
"You are the problem"

Useful insight says - 
"This is the situation you are dealing with and here is how to think about it"

One creates anxiety

The other creates clarity

In sales, especially complex B2B sales, clarity beats persuasion every time

What actually helps looks like this

🔸Describing situations people recognise rather than diagnosing faults

🔸Explaining trade-offs instead of pushing answers

🔸Naming risks instead of creating false urgency

🔸Helping people decide what not to do as much as what to do

🔸Respecting the fact that change has a cost, not just a benefit

This is why I keep coming back to the idea that good selling is decision support, not persuasion

Buyers are not short of information... they are short of confidence that they are making a good call.

Salespeople are not short of effort... they are short of space to think clearly without being shouted at.

Deficit shouting fills feeds

It does not improve judgement

If your content makes people feel seen, they lean in

If it makes them feel small, they scroll on

The irony is that the people shouting loudest about deficits often claim to care about trust, relationships, and long-term impact

Those things are not built by telling people what they lack

They are built by helping people think better

Less shouting... more sense-making please 

It's not going to stop though is it?