Picture this: You’re meeting a potential client, and instead of warm handshakes, you get passive-aggressive jokes or outright challenges. If you’ve ever left a meeting wondering, “Did I just get played?”, you’re not alone. Early in my career, I thought every strange client quip was a red flag — but then I learned that, sometimes, you’re just facing a classic ‘poop test.’ Intrigued? So was I. Here’s what really goes on when clients test your boundaries — and why it’s your ticket to the big leagues in sales (and maybe in life, too). There are silly games buyers play in sales to test you.
Section 1: Spotting the ‘Poop Test’ — Why Buyers Push Your Limits
In sales, you’ll often find yourself face-to-face with clients who seem determined to make your job harder than it needs to be. Maybe they come in with a sharp edge, a sarcastic joke, or a barrage of questions that feel more like an interrogation than a conversation. This isn’t just random discomfort or a bad day on their part. What you’re experiencing is what many call the “poop test” in sales—a deliberate move by buyers to see if you can handle pressure, set boundaries, and prove you’re not a pushover.
What Is the ‘Poop Test’ in Sales?
The term “poop test” is a polite stand-in for a much cruder phrase, but the meaning is clear: clients are testing your limits. They want to know, “Are you going to take what I throw at you or are you going to stand up for yourself?” This is not about being mean for the sake of it. It’s about buyers assessing your professionalism, resilience, and ability to handle objections. In many ways, it’s similar to what happens in dating—experienced daters know when someone is probing for weakness or testing their boundaries. The same dynamic plays out in the sales world.
Why Do Buyers Push Your Limits?
- Trust and Reliability: Buyers want to know if you’ll stick around when things get tough. If you crumble under a little pressure, how will you handle real challenges?
- Professionalism: Can you keep your cool and respond with confidence, or will you get flustered and defensive?
- Setting Boundaries: Clients respect sales professionals who can assert themselves. If you let them walk all over you now, they’ll expect to do so throughout the entire relationship.
Understanding this dynamic is crucial. If you misread a poop test as a genuine objection, you might waste time chasing “ghost objections” that aren’t real barriers to the sale. Instead, recognizing boundary-testing behavior helps you focus on what really matters and respond with the right client pushback strategies.
Real-World Example: The Sacramento Ride-Along
Let’s break this down with a real-life scenario. On a ride-along in Sacramento, I joined a newer sales rep as he met with a potential client. The client immediately started with playful banter and subtle pushback—classic signs of a poop test. The rookie rep, unsure of what was happening, tried to appease the client and left the meeting feeling rattled. Outside, he turned to me and asked, “Hey Scott, what’s going on?”
I explained that in sales, there’s always a bit of ball busting. The client wasn’t being difficult just for fun; he was testing to see if the rep would stand his ground or fold under pressure. Seasoned pros spot this instantly and know that handling objections and setting clear sales boundaries is the only way to earn respect and move the deal forward.
How to Spot a Poop Test
- Unexpected Pushback: The client challenges your expertise, pricing, or process without clear reasoning.
- Playful or Sarcastic Humor: Jokes that seem designed to put you on the spot or make you uncomfortable.
- Rapid-Fire Questions: A series of tough questions meant to see if you’ll stumble or contradict yourself.
- Testing Your Patience: Deliberate delays, interruptions, or dismissive comments to see if you’ll lose your composure.
Why Passing the Test Matters
When you recognize a poop test, you have a choice: let it throw you off, or use it as an opportunity to demonstrate your value. Being quick on your feet, maintaining your composure, and setting boundaries shows clients you’re someone they can trust with their business. This is where client pushback strategies come into play—respond firmly, but professionally, and you’ll earn respect rather than resentment.
Are you going to take what I throw at you or are you going to stand up for yourself?
Remember, the next time a client comes in hot, it’s not just about discomfort—it’s a calculated test. Spotting and handling the poop test in sales is your first step toward building stronger relationships and closing more deals.
Section 2: Why Boundaries Beat ‘The Customer is Always Right’ (And Why Cake Baking Won’t Close More Deals)
In sales, you’ll often hear the mantra, “The customer is always right.” But if you’ve ever been on the front lines—whether pitching a product or navigating a tough negotiation—you know that following this rule blindly can backfire. Setting client boundaries isn’t just about protecting your time and energy; it’s about attracting the right clients and closing deals that actually stick. Let’s break down why boundaries matter more than endless people-pleasing, and how your unique sales personality is the secret ingredient to your success.
The Two Main Sales Personality Types
When it comes to sales, most people fall somewhere on a spectrum between two extremes:
- The Pleaser: This salesperson will do and say whatever it takes to close the deal. They’re the ones who nod along, agree to every request, and bend over backwards—even when it’s unreasonable. Their motto? “The customer is always right.”
- The Boundary-Setter: On the other end, you have the rep who draws a clear line in the sand. They’re not afraid to say, “Sorry, we don’t do that,” or even push back when a client’s request doesn’t fit the offer. Their approach is direct, sometimes even a bit aggressive.
Neither approach is universally correct. Your success in closing deals depends on your authenticity and how well your style matches your client’s expectations.
Why Chasing Every Client Backfires
It’s tempting to think that saying “yes” to every client whim will help you win more business. But here’s the truth: those who chase every customer whim often get less loyalty in return. When you cave to every demand, you fail the “poop test”—those little challenges or unreasonable asks that clients throw your way to see if you’ll stand your ground. If you always say yes, you’re more likely to get hit with fake objections at the end of the sales process, and the deal falls apart.
Setting client boundaries signals confidence and expertise. It tells your prospect that you know your value and aren’t desperate for their approval. Ironically, this makes you more attractive as a business partner. Research shows that your success rate goes up when you attract the right kind of client instead of trying to please everyone. When you set clear boundaries, you filter out the tire-kickers and time-wasters, and focus on clients who truly value what you offer.
Sales is Like Baking: What Flavor Are You Making?
Think of sales as baking a cake. There are endless recipes, but the key is to bake the cake your client actually wants—not just any cake, and definitely not something inedible because you were bullied into it. As the transcript says:
We all have a different recipe to get to a cake.
Maybe you’re a vanilla cake person—straightforward, classic, and reliable. Or maybe you’re all about chocolate—bold, rich, and a little daring. The point is, you need to know what you’re good at and stick to it. If a client comes in demanding a flavor you don’t make, it’s better to say, “Sorry, that’s not what I offer,” than to try and bake something you know won’t turn out well.
This approach applies to setting client boundaries. If you’re always baking cakes to order, regardless of your strengths, you’ll end up exhausted and your results will suffer. But when you focus on your specialty, you attract clients who crave exactly what you offer—and those are the deals that close and stick.
Matching Your Sales Personality to Your Clients
Here’s a fun fact: you tend to sell best to people who match your own style. If you’re naturally direct, you’ll close more deals with clients who appreciate honesty and efficiency. If you’re more nurturing, you’ll win over those who value patience and support. The key is to be authentic. Don’t force yourself into a style that doesn’t fit just to chase a deal.
Whether you’re a passive pleaser or a bold boundary-setter, you can succeed in sales. The trick is to know your recipe, set clear boundaries, and focus on attracting clients who appreciate your unique flavor. That’s how you close more deals—without baking cakes you’ll regret.
Section 3: Becoming a Sales Chameleon: Adapting Without Losing Yourself
In the real world of sales, adaptability is not just a nice-to-have skill—it’s a necessity. The most effective professionals are what you might call sales chameleons: people who can flex their approach, read the room, and adjust their style to fit the client in front of them. But here’s the catch—true adaptability isn’t about losing your identity or crossing your own boundaries. It’s about recognizing the moment, understanding the psychology at play, and responding with intention and integrity.
One of the most important real world sales lessons is that you naturally sell to your own personality type. If you’re direct, you’ll find it easier to connect with direct buyers. If you’re analytical, you’ll probably click with detail-oriented clients. This is a universal truth: “You sell how you buy, and you buy how you sell.” In fact, you’ll notice that about 25% of the sales population gravitates toward their own style. The aggressive buyer wants an aggressive seller; the cautious buyer wants someone who matches their pace. But what about the other 75%? If you can only sell to people who are just like you, you’re leaving a lot of opportunity on the table.
That’s where being a sales chameleon comes in. As the saying goes,
If you could be that sales chameleon and you can fit that role and you can play between those two parts, that’s very beneficial for you.
The ability to adapt—without betraying your personal ethics or boundaries—is what separates top performers from the rest. This is especially true when you encounter buyer pushback or what some call “poop tests.” These are moments when a client is testing your limits, seeing if you’ll stand up for yourself, or probing to find out if you’re someone they can take advantage of.
It’s easy to mistake these tests for genuine objections. But often, they’re not hurdles at all—they’re invitations to show your confidence and set clear boundaries. Some buyers are looking for a pushover, someone who will cave in and offer maximum discounts or make promises just to close the deal. Others want to know they’re dealing with a professional who respects themselves and their product. The best closers handle these moments with calm authority. They don’t over-explain or get defensive. A simple, “I don’t do that,” delivered with quiet confidence, is often all it takes. There’s no need for drama or elaborate justifications.
Building this kind of skill set doesn’t happen by accident. One of the fastest ways to grow is by observing others—watching how seasoned pros handle tough clients, or even paying attention to your own reactions when you’re the buyer. Next time you’re in a sales situation as a customer, notice the salesperson’s style. Do they mirror your approach? Are they adapting to your pace, or are they rigidly sticking to their script? Sometimes, just watching someone else negotiate—like at a car dealership—can teach you more about client psychology than any textbook.
Think of it like martial arts. If you only know one style—say, karate—you’ll be effective against certain opponents, but limited against others. To truly excel, you need a full arsenal: kung fu, karate, jujitsu. In sales, this means developing a range of techniques and the self-awareness to know when to use each one. The flexible salesperson recognizes the client’s type and adjusts their approach, but never at the expense of their own values or boundaries.
Ultimately, becoming a sales chameleon is about more than just closing deals. It’s about understanding yourself, reading others, and responding authentically. Adaptability and self-awareness help you avoid falling for manipulative tactics and improve your closure rates. So, the next time you face buyer pushback or a “poop test,” remember: it’s not just a challenge—it’s a secret opportunity to show your skill, set your boundaries, and deliver results without losing yourself in the process.
TL;DR: Sales isn’t about dodging tough clients — it’s about recognizing when you’re being tested and confidently showing you won’t fold. Mastering boundaries is what separates long-term winners from the ones left chasing fake objections.
