Not long ago, I conducted a leadership conference with a number of managers and sales executives. At the meeting, one of the managers shared with the group a story about one of his tenured salespeople.

During a typical field day, a manager and his salesperson were doing “rounds” to not only catch up with some of their existing clients, but also make connections with some prospects to discuss their products. In one scenario, an existing customer with limited interest happened to turn the corner, approach them and ask simply, “What’s up?”

The salesperson froze, forcing the manager to take over the call. Eventually the salesperson re-engaged and completed the conversation. After this happened, the manager took the salesperson aside and asked, “What happened?”

The salesperson simply replied, “The customer surprised me!”

Most of the managers and sales executives at the meeting related to the story. In our research about what gets in the way of mid-level performers rising to the next level, we often find that most simply fail to anticipate what will happen next—they don’t anticipate what the customer, whether existing or prospective, will say or do next and how they will respond or react to new information.

But most customers are highly predictable—in fact, 80% of them tend to open conversations the same way. Instead of being surprised, top performers are prepared. They anticipate how the conversation will unfold. With a little forethought and anticipation, a salesperson should be able to almost map out what a customer will say.

Attention to the customer’s patterns and responses is essential for business growth. Lead by example—and show your sales team that a little anticipation will go a long way.

Charles D. Brennan, Jr. is the author of McGraw Hill’s “Take Your Sales to the Next Level” and director of the Brennan Sales Institute, a leading provider of advanced sales training programs.