Gooroos Are Hurting the Industry More Than the 80s Ever Did

The Ongoing Blame Game

I see gooroos out there continuing to knock tactics from the 70s and 80s.

We get it—selling in the 70s and 80s relied on high-pressure, arm-twisting, predatory tactics and gimmicky "gotcha" strategies. And sure, those approaches left a bad taste in people’s mouths.

Now, fast-forward to today, and we’re all dealing with the fallout. Let’s face it: everyone hates salespeople.

Cool story, bro. No one disagrees with you. Sales pros have all felt the disdain the average buyer has for what we do.

But here’s the thing: if you ask me, the REAL damage to the sales industry today isn’t coming from what happened over 40 years ago.

It’s coming straight from the same self-proclaimed 'experts' who currently dominate the market—the ones who’d have you believe the 80s are to blame for the lingering mistrust and skepticism in sales today.

The Reality of Today’s Training

Yes, there are some trainers out there pushing for genuine, ethical approaches. But let’s be honest: too many are still clinging to cheesy, manipulative playbooks that harm both sales reps and prospects.

Think about the methods being taught today:

Instead of the high-pressure urgency and persuasion tactics of the 70s and 80s— which often relied on exploiting the prospect’s lack of information and abusing their trust—

we’re now pushing highly manipulative 'closing techniques' that attempt to over-engineer conversations.

These methods try to control every word, response, and tone as if a single misstep will shatter the entire deal.

Rigid Structures Are Killing Connection

The problem? These conversations have become so rigid and over-structured that they’ve lost their natural flow.

We’ve replaced genuine connection with rehearsed performances.

And then there are the shallow word tracks and magical "word-for-word" responses that turn well-meaning sales reps into bland, run-of-the-mill pre-scripted automatons— leaving prospects wondering if they’re not already talking to AI.

Or worse, wondering if the rep they’re speaking to is the same one they talked to yesterday, saying the exact same thing in the exact same way. (Hint: both are trying to carbon-copy the big-name trainers.)

The Obsession with Tonality

Let’s not forget my favorite: the obsession with tonality over substance.

Sure, tonality has its place—as a natural byproduct of confidence and alignment with your message—not something to artificially manipulate.

But when tonality is overemphasized at the expense of substance, it becomes a crutch that undermines a rep’s ability to have real conversations.

Focusing on tone instead of what actually matters makes you a great actor, not a great salesperson.

What We’ve Lost (And Failed to Rebuild)

In the 80s, sales reps could lean on the trust people had in professionals—and they had to—since prospects had limited access to information.

Now?

As a result of abusing that power, we’ve lost that trust entirely.

And today, prospects have the internet to fact-check every word we say.

So instead of trying to rebuild trust with buyers, the playbook has shifted to manipulation through a bunch of mind games and overcomplicated, confusing, hard-to-execute tactics.

These tactics aren’t about serving the prospect—they’re designed to trick and force rapport instead of earning it.

And what’s the result?

Prospects are being turned into literal walking objections.

Same Damage, Different Era

Different era. Different approach. Same damage.

These aren’t relics of the 80s.

This is MODERN gooroo damage, and it’s doing far more harm than any slick-haired, plaid-suit-wearing, loudmouth [wolf] salesman ever could.

We’ve had decades to get this right, and yet here we are.

Maybe the real problem isn’t the system but the human heart behind it.

Salespeople need a Savior, too.

Stay humble, hustle hard.

What’s Your Take?

Have you experienced or witnessed these modern sales tactics firsthand? Drop your thoughts in the comments—I’d love to hear your perspective.