In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Ari Galper, the world’s #1 authority on trust-based selling and creator of the One Call Sale methodology and Ari AI, an AI-powered sales coaching platform built on decades of proven frameworks. Together, they explore why traditional relationship-building and persuasion tactics often fail in today’s crowded marketplace—and what tech leaders can do instead.
Ari shares how to transition from solution-centric pitching to problem-centric diagnosing, helping prospects see the cost of inaction before presenting a solution. He offers powerful language patterns and mindset shifts that compress long sales cycles into a single conversation, without pressure or chasing leads. Listeners will hear real-world stories, including Ari’s personal turning point that inspired him to build a global movement around truth and trust in sales.
Whether you’re a founder, executive, or sales leader, this episode will help you rethink your approach to business growth—moving from transactional selling to creating deep trust that drives long-term success.
Takeaways
Trust-building, not persuasion, is the foundation of modern sales.
Stop selling pre-sale—diagnose problems first, like a doctor with a patient.
The cost of inaction (COI) is critical: help prospects see the risk of staying with the status quo.
Compressing the sales cycle into one call creates clarity and commitment without pressure.
Relationship-building pre-sale often backfires; it can put you in the “friend zone.”
Avoid using the phrase “follow-up”; ask for feedback instead to uncover the truth.
Silence is a powerful tool—let prospects talk first and reveal their core issues.
Clarity is the true value you provide, not your product demo or case studies.
Create cultural change in sales teams by teaching trust-based frameworks, not scripts.
Use trust-based language to keep prospects on your calendar and avoid chasing ghosts.
Personal transparency and authenticity—like Ari’s lessons from his son Toby—make you more effective.
Market to the problems you solve, not your solutions, to stand out in a noisy world.
Chapters
00:00 Intro & Why Trust-Based Selling Matters in Tech
01:30 The Shift: From Product-Centric to Problem-Centric
03:15 Cost of Inaction: The Real Sales Trigger
04:55 The One Call Sale Framework Explained
06:40 Trust vs. Relationship Building
08:20 Real Story: Why “Great Meetings” Don’t Equal Sales
10:40 Diagnosing Over Delivering: Coaching Case Study
13:15 Ari’s Sales Call Script (Doctor Analogy Breakdown)
15:00 The Birth of Ari AI and What Makes It Unique
18:00 How Leaders Role-Play and Write Better Emails with AI
20:00 Difference Between Fact-Finding and Trust Questions
21:40 Never Use “Follow Up” Again Use This Instead
24:30 Building Culture Without Falling into the Friend Zone
26:20 Sales Teams Need Interventions, Not Programs
28:00 Avoiding Bad Business: Qualifying for Urgency
30:00 Ari’s Aha Moment: The Muted Sales Call That Changed Everything
33:30 Why “Being Professional” Still Lost the Deal
35:15 Favorite Book: 80/20 Sales & Marketing
36:00 Why Ari Writes a New Book Every Quarter
37:20 Writing Problem-Centric Cold Emails That Cut Through Noise
39:00 Personal Wisdom from Ari’s Son, Toby
40:10 Final Advice: Trust is the New Currency
Ari Galper’s Social Media Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/arigalper/
https://www.youtube.com/@ari_galper
https://www.instagram.com/ari_galper
Ari Galper’s Website:
Resources and Links: