“My father always told me… ego is a salesman’s nightmare. If you want to sell, you have to leave your ego behind. Years gone by… I still live by that principle.” - Aman Gupta.

Most founders read this and say,

“Of course. That’s obvious.”

But I want you to pause for a second.

Do you actually live by this when the deal matters?

Because what I see with founders is different.

They don’t show ego in loud ways.

They’re not aggressive.

They’re not pushy.

But inside the conversation… something else is happening.

They’re attached.

To closing the deal.

To being right about the customer.

To proving their experience.

I’ve done this myself.

I would walk into a meeting thinking I’m open…

But in reality, I was already convinced.

Convinced I knew the problem.

Convinced I knew the solution.

Convinced I just had to guide them there.

And in doing that… I stopped listening.

Not completely.

Just enough to miss what actually mattered.

That’s how ego shows up at your level.

Not as arrogance.

As certainty.

And certainty quietly shuts down curiosity.

So here’s what I’ve learnt to do.

Before any important sales conversation, I check myself:

Am I here to understand… or am I here to confirm what I already believe?

If it’s the second… I reset.

Because sales is not about how experienced you are.

It’s about how present you are.

If you’re a founder reading this, try this once.

Walk into your next conversation without needing to be right.

Just see what changes.

You’ll notice the customer opens up more.

You’ll hear things you would’ve missed earlier.

And the deal… moves without force.

That’s when you realise…

Ego was never helping you close.

It was just helping you feel in control.

Cheers,

Nikhil | Founder of Bulletproof Teams

If this resonates and you’re open to exploring how this shows up in your business, reply with “CURIOUS” and I’ll reach out to connect.