Why I Use Metaphors in Sales
By Rich Galgano
Let’s talk about metaphors and why I deliberately use them in every sales engagement.
A metaphor is simple.
It explains one thing by comparing it to another.
Not literally.
Conceptually.
A metaphor takes something complex, abstract, or difficult to read and makes it familiar, concrete, and usable. It gives the mind a handle. Something to grab onto when the situation itself is moving.
That matters more than most people realize.
Sales is Not About Features
In sales, the most important things are rarely stated out loud.
You are not navigating features.
You are not navigating pricing sheets.
You are not navigating product specs.
You are navigating people in motion.
What is actually happening in the room matters more than what is on the slide. The slide is static. The room is not.
You are reading:
- Who is leaning in and who just leaned back
- Where curiosity shows up and where it shuts down
- Which questions get answered easily and which create tension
- When the energy shifts and why
Those are the signals that matter.
They tell you whether trust is forming or eroding.
They tell you whether resistance is soft or hard.
They tell you whether momentum is real or imagined.
None of that shows up in a deck.
Why Scripts and Slides Fail
You cannot put those signals on a slide.
You cannot capture them in a script.
And you will not notice them if you are busy thinking about what to say next.
That is where most people lose control of the situation.
They are talking while the room is changing around them.
They are executing a plan while the conditions that justified the plan no longer exist.
Scripts create tunnel vision.
Slides anchor attention in the wrong place.
When something shifts, scripted sellers miss it. They keep moving forward because stopping would require judgment.
That is how deals get forced instead of earned.
What Metaphors Actually Do
If you want to operate at a high level, you need a way to see the situation while you are inside it.
That is what metaphors do.
They give shape to what you are sensing.
They turn vague feelings into clear pictures.
They help you understand where you are before you decide what to do.
A metaphor lets you recognize patterns without overthinking them.
You are not analyzing in the moment.
You are recognizing.
That distinction matters.
Recognition is faster than analysis.
Recognition preserves timing.
Recognition keeps you present.
When you say, “This feels like pushing a rope,” or “This room just went defensive,” or “This is a trust-building conversation, not a closing conversation,” you are using metaphor to orient yourself.
That orientation is what allows you to adjust correctly.
Metaphors Are Not Stories
Metaphors are not storytelling for effect.
They are not personality.
They are not charm.
They are tools for situational awareness.
They compress complex human dynamics into something the brain can process quickly while under pressure.
They help you stay aligned with reality instead of wishful thinking.
Used correctly, metaphors do not replace thinking.
They support it.
Code Yellow
Code Yellow is thinking in real time.
It is awareness under pressure.
It is seeing clearly before acting decisively.
Code Yellow means you are not rushed by urgency that does not matter.
It means you are not blinded by momentum that is not real.
Metaphors support that process by helping you recognize the situation as it unfolds, not after it is over.
They keep you oriented.
They keep you grounded.
They keep you operating instead of reacting.
That is why I use them.
That is Code Yellow.
