"The gift of presence is a rare and beautiful gift. To come unguarded, undistracted and be fully present, fully engaged with whoever we are with at that moment."

John Eldredge

This quote beautifully captures one of the most overlooked competitive advantages salespeople have today, the power of being fully present.

Presence is the ultimate value add.

Before decision makers and influencers care about your insights or solution, they care about you being with them.

Presence communicates this... You matter right now. This alone builds trust faster than any well-rehearsed sales pitch.

Hear me out on this... There are way too many salespeople who show up rehearsed, polished, and somewhat reactive. Unguarded presence says... I’m here to understand, not to impress. That’s pure authenticity, the heart of trust-building.

Our world is buzzing with our smart phones and multitasking minds, undistracted attention is rare. When people feel your full focus, they immediately feel valued.

Presence deepens the conversation.

When you’re genuinely present, you listen better, ask better questions, and uncover what truly matters. This is how you start moving from transactional to transformational.

Presence is a disciplined habit, it’s not a personality trait, it’s a choice, therefore in your conversations...

• silence notifications

• slow down

• listen longer

• stop mentally rehearsing your next line

Presence takes practice.

John Eldredge’s words remind salespeople of this truth; presence is a gift.

Presence builds trust and presence sets you apart.

As we spend some time together, I encourage you to show up unguarded. Show up undistracted and show up fully engaged.

Power of Staying in the Moment

This business world is obsessed with speed, automation, and a what’s next mentality, being fully present with clients has become a radical act of authenticity.

Authenticity isn’t just a differentiator; it’s the foundation of trust.

Salespeople and leadership love talking about active listening. Everyone says they do it, how many live it?

Most salespeople aren’t listening; they’re waiting to talk.

Many are simple rehearsing their next line as they’re reacting to surface-level comments instead of being curious about what’s being said.

Why does this matter?

You cannot build authentic relationships when you’re mentally somewhere else. Presence is part of how you show up, one of the core components of the Trust Formula (AR + MV + IE + DH) found throughout Selling from the Heart.

Here’s the deeper truth... You cannot build trust if you cannot stay present.

The ability to stay right here, right now with key decision-makers is what separates authentic professionals from empty suits.

Why Presence Builds Trust Faster Than Anything Else

Trust forms when people, your clients and future clients, believe four things about you...

• You know me

• You understand what I care about

• You are here to help, not to pressure

• You’re not distracted, you’re invested

Each of these requires presence and presence communicates that you care.

Distraction communicates self-interest. You know, when your phone buzzes, when your eyes drift, when your answers feel rehearsed, when you move too fast, and when your questions sound like a checklist instead of genuine curiosity.

People trust sellers who are fully engaged, not half-present.

Presence Multiplies the Trust Formula

Presence isn’t just a soft skill. It’s your strategic sales advantage and one of the most overlooked accelerators of the entire Trust Formula.

To build trust in a post-trust world, every component of AR + MV + IE + DH depends on one ginormous ingredient, your ability to be fully here, now.

Presence Deepens Authentic Relationships (AR)

Authentic connection isn’t created by clever questions or polished messaging; it’s created by availability. If your mind is racing ahead to your pitch, your quota, or your next meeting, you’re physically present but emotionally absent.

People can feel the difference instantly.

To build authentic relationships, presence becomes the gateway to:

• Genuine curiosity

• Empathic listening

• Real human connection

Presence says... You're the most important person in my world for the next 30 minutes.

That’s what empties suits cannot fake.

Presence Unlocks Meaningful Value (MV)

Meaningful value depends on your ability to uncover what matters to them, not what you think should matter.

You can’t uncover meaningful value without:

• Deep listening

• Noticing subtle cues

• Hearing what they don’t say

• Asking value-centric questions at the right moment

Meaningful value is unique to every decision maker. Presence is what allows you to see those nuances.

Without massive presence, you deliver generic value. With presence, you deliver personal value and that’s what creates trust.

Presence Shapes the Inspirational Experience (IE)

Experience is the emotional residue you leave behind.

When you’re fully present:

• Your meetings feel more grounded and collaborative

• Your recommendations feel co-created

• Buyers feel heard, respected, and understood

• You reduce friction and increase confidence

Presence is what shapes the feeling.

Presence transforms a sales call into a moment of partnership, and a presentation into a moment of inspiration.

Presence Is the Engine of Disciplined Habits (DH)

Presence is a practice, a disciplined habit.

It takes intentionality to:

• Slow down in a fast-paced sales world

• Prepare with purpose

• Block distractions

• Show up with focus

• Stay attuned throughout the entire meeting

To quote Pastor Craig Groeschel,

“It’s not what you do occasionally that matters, it’s what you do consistently.”

Presence is a consistency game. Every day you practice presence, you increase trust. Every day you drift into distraction, you weaken it.

Presence, it's the power source.

When you’re present:

• Authentic relationships become deeper

• Meaningful value becomes more personalized

• Inspirational experiences become more memorable

• Disciplined habits become more sustainable

Presence fuels trust, and trust fuels sales.

Why Salespeople Lose Presence in Front of Decision-Makers

Time to get a bit real and direct.

Salespeople lose presence most often due to:

• Performance anxiety, as many are trying so hard to appear competent that they stop listening.

• The pressure to pitch, as many feel the need to prove value, not uncover it.

• Fear of silence, as many think silence means you’re losing control, when in truth silence is a space where trust grows.

• Mental multitasking, as many are thinking about what’s next instead of what’s now.

• The desire to impress, as many try to sound smart, and lose the vulnerability and authenticity required for trust.

Your clients and future clients can sense all of this.

They may not articulate it, but they feel it. When they feel your presence slip, your credibility slips with it.

The Bible’s Take on Listening and Being Present

Sales professionals often obsess over what to say.

Scripture flips the script with James 1:19,

“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.”

This isn’t ancient advice; this is a modern sales superpower.

Every high-performing, heart-led sales professional knows that how you listen determines how much trust you earn.

The top echelon of sales professionals aren’t the best talkers; they’re the best listeners.

Being quick to listen means you...

• Lead with curiosity instead of assumptions

• Hear between the lines

• Pay attention to tone, tension, hesitations

• Pick up the clues other reps miss

• Ask questions that go beneath the surface

This makes you the professional that people want to open up to.

The more they open up, the more meaningful value you can deliver. You can’t deliver meaningful value without first discovering personal value.

Listening is how you uncover it.

Being slow to speak doesn’t mean being silent, it means being intentional.

Sales professionals who master this...

• Pause before responding

• Ask one more follow-up question

• Avoid interrupting

• Resist the urge to pitch too soon

• Let silence work in their favor

Speaking less allows what you do say to matter more.

In selling, anger rarely looks like yelling. More often, it shows up as...

• Getting defensive during objections

• Feeling annoyed when buyers push back

• Getting frustrated when deals slow down

• Taking things personally

Being slow to become angry becomes your secret weapon in...

• High-stress meetings

• Executive conversations

• Multi-stakeholder buying groups

• Price negotiations

• Objection-heavy discussions

You create an inspirational experience because you stay calm, grounded, and confident, as people trust the person who doesn’t rattle easily.

When you’re present...

• You ask better questions

• You catch subtle details

• You make people feel important

• You create clarity

• You build trust faster

If you want to stand out in a noisy world…

• Be the one who listens deeply

• Be the one who pauses instead of pounces

• Be the one who stays calm when others get tense

• Be the one who shows up with presence

James 1:19 is more than a verse, it’s your next-level sales strategy.

Where Do YOU Lose Presence?

Presence isn’t a skill, it’s a mirror. It reveals where fear, distraction, and pressure pull you out of the moment and away from the people in front of you.

Use these questions as honest self-checks:

When do I get distracted in meetings?

Distraction has a cause. Maybe it’s pressure, uncertainty, impatience, or self-judgment. Identify the triggers so you can eliminate them.

What fears pull me out of the moment?

Fear of sounding wrong, fear of losing the deal, fear of silence, fear of not having the perfect answer. Naming your fears weakens their power.

How often am I thinking ahead instead of listening now?

Future-thinking feels productive but kills presence. When you leap ahead mentally, you miss emotional cues and value clues.

How do buyers behave when I’m fully present?

Watch what happens as they open up, they relax, they trust faster. Presence changes the emotional temperature of the room.

How can I build presence into my sales rhythm?

Presence becomes a habit when you...

• Take 60 seconds of quiet before meetings

• Breathe before responding

• Use silence intentionally

• Close all distractions

• End each meeting asking... Did I truly listen?

Presence is an act of patience, an act of love, and love is the root of trust.

Final Thought, Presence Is Your Edge in a Distracted World

We all know that our business world is overflowing with noise, speed, and endless notifications, presence is the rarest and most powerful currency you can offer.

The best version of you isn’t the polished, perfect, or overly scripted version. It’s the present version. The version that shows up fully, without splitting attention between the person in front of you and the next ping on your phone.

Presence is authenticity in action.

It’s attentiveness that says, you matter. It’s curiosity that leans in, not away. It’s compassion that listens before speaking.

It’s the salesperson who sells with people, not at them because trust isn’t built through tactics, it’s built through connection.

Every one of your clients and future clients are silently asking the same question... Are you truly here with me?

Answer yes, not with words, but with your presence.

Presence isn’t just your edge; it’s your superpower in a world starving for attention.

Originally published on Larry Levine's LinkedIn.