@Asavele Mbhele Great question. And I would start by changing one assumption: you don't need to maintain constant eye contact to appear confident. Too much eye contact can actually feel unnatural. What you're describing often happens because the moment someone gives us feedback, our brain shifts from “I'm having a conversation” to “I'm being judged.” That's when your eyes move, your body tightens, and you start thinking about how you're coming across instead of listening. Try something simple. When they give you feedback, don't immediately prepare your defense or response. Look at them naturally, listen, and give yourself permission to pause for two or three seconds before answering. You can even say, “That's interesting. Let me think about that for a second.” That isn't weakness. It often communicates more confidence than answering immediately. Also remember: you're not there to perform for the decision maker. You're there to understand whether your idea can solve a problem for them. The more curious you become, the less self-conscious you become. So instead of thinking: “Do I look confident?” Train yourself to think: “What is this person really telling me?” Confidence doesn't mean eliminating nervousness. It means staying present even when you're nervous. And like most sales skills, that gets stronger through repetition, not through trying to appear fearless. Hope this helps, my friend 😀

@Asavele Mbhele Great question, because this is one of the uncomfortable realities of multi-stakeholder environments. My view is that you rarely protect an idea by keeping it secret. You protect it by creating a clear trail of ownership while making other stakeholders part of its success. Before presenting it broadly, document the idea, the problem it solves, your proposed approach, and the expected outcome. Then present it as a process rather than simply handing over the solution. For example: “Here is the problem I identified, here is the concept I developed, and here is how I believe we can validate and implement it together.” That last word matters: together. The goal is not to make the IT team, or any other stakeholder, feel like a potential thief. In fact, that can create resistance. You want them to become contributors without allowing the origin of the idea to disappear. And here is the bigger lesson for multi-stakeholder selling: The person who creates the idea is not always the person who gets credit for it. Politics, influence, authority, and internal relationships all enter the picture. So don't just ask, “How do I protect my idea?” Ask: Who needs to support it? Who could block it? Who could take ownership of it? And how do I make each of them successful while remaining visibly connected to the idea? That is stakeholder management. Sometimes the best way to protect an idea isn't to build a wall around it. It's to build a coalition around it. Best of Luck! 😀

@Asavele Mbhele great question. The human part of sales was never really the talking. It was the trust, timing, and reading what isn’t being said. AI can absolutely handle the pitch, the follow-up, the data, even the persuasion tactics. But the moment a sale depends on risk, ego, doubt, or relationship, the buyer isn’t really buying the product, oftentimes they’re buying you. So AI won’t replace salespeople. It will replace the parts of sales that were never human to begin with and force the rest to become more human. The real question isn’t “Can AI handle sales?” It’s “How much of what we call sales was just process wearing a human face?” The more complex the sale, where it involves multiple decision makers with different needs and wants, the less effective is AI and the more human touch in necessary to overcome obstacles, in complex sales AI can be a great copilot but not the main driver. In small transactional sales AI in the future can be efficient in handling the whole cycle. Outstanding input. 😊

@Jason Silverman glad you are learning new skills, growing and scaling your capabilities . AI is a skill multiplier that accelerates one building talent. Keep it up my friend 🔥

Glad I could be of assistance. We are all here to win, assist, and support each other. That's the spirit of a healthy community: one for all, and all for one.🔥