The 4x20 Rule at a Glance
Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2025 4:16 am
Let's start with a brief definition of the 4x20 rule : it's a sales technique that allows you to establish an optimal customer relationship from the first contact you make with your prospects.
This technique is based on 4 quality criteria, which are as follows:
The first 20 seconds , representing the first moments of contact, which allow a prospect or a client to form an opinion of their interlocutor.
The first 20 gestures , that is, the attitude and posture that determine the idea that your interlocutor has of you.
The first 20 words you use, including pitch and tone, are crucial as well.
The first 20 centimeters , or the proximity (physical but also more “metaphorical”) established in the first moments with the potential client.
Read on to dig deeper into this essential sales technique and apply it to your meetings to make them more effective!
How to successfully apply the 4x20 rule to your sales meetings?
Maximize your first 20 seconds
Thinking about the first 20 seconds of your sales meeting belarus phone number data means planning your arrival in front of the potential client.
While this may seem obvious, it's always worth remembering that you need to take care with your outfit and adapt it to your interviewee, whether in person or remotely . While a suit is the norm for a major company, a meeting with someone working in a more relaxed start-up will likely call for a more casual outfit .
In both face-to-face and remote meetings, the first 20 seconds can also help you identify the interlocutor's relational profile , to adapt the sales techniques that you will use later. There are 4 types of relational profiles: the processor, the commander, the conqueror and the consensual. Each has a different attitude and expectations in terms of exchanges, and your sales techniques can adapt to these to gain effectiveness.
To learn more about the subject, discover how to adapt your posture to the different profiles of your prospects during the contact and discovery phase .
This technique is based on 4 quality criteria, which are as follows:
The first 20 seconds , representing the first moments of contact, which allow a prospect or a client to form an opinion of their interlocutor.
The first 20 gestures , that is, the attitude and posture that determine the idea that your interlocutor has of you.
The first 20 words you use, including pitch and tone, are crucial as well.
The first 20 centimeters , or the proximity (physical but also more “metaphorical”) established in the first moments with the potential client.
Read on to dig deeper into this essential sales technique and apply it to your meetings to make them more effective!
How to successfully apply the 4x20 rule to your sales meetings?
Maximize your first 20 seconds
Thinking about the first 20 seconds of your sales meeting belarus phone number data means planning your arrival in front of the potential client.
While this may seem obvious, it's always worth remembering that you need to take care with your outfit and adapt it to your interviewee, whether in person or remotely . While a suit is the norm for a major company, a meeting with someone working in a more relaxed start-up will likely call for a more casual outfit .
In both face-to-face and remote meetings, the first 20 seconds can also help you identify the interlocutor's relational profile , to adapt the sales techniques that you will use later. There are 4 types of relational profiles: the processor, the commander, the conqueror and the consensual. Each has a different attitude and expectations in terms of exchanges, and your sales techniques can adapt to these to gain effectiveness.
To learn more about the subject, discover how to adapt your posture to the different profiles of your prospects during the contact and discovery phase .