Andy NearyI help insurance professionals turn brand awareness into business growth.

20|60|20 Rule: 20% of your audience will never like you. Stop trying to win them over.

28 May 2026 · 2 min

Watch on YouTube

1:54

In this keynote-style YouTube talk, Andy Neary explains the 20‑60‑20 rule—a framework for audience and prospect segmentation that he learned from his speaking coach, Jerry. He argues that in any sales or speaking situation, roughly 20% of the audience are already loyal (they love you and will buy from you regardless of what you say), another 20% are permanently unreceptive (they will never buy or like you no matter what), and the remaining 60% are undecided. Neary stresses that sales professionals waste time trying to convert the unreceptive 20% and should instead focus their energy on the 60% who are on the fence. He draws a parallel to political campaigns, which target undecided voters rather than their base or the opposition. To win over the 60%, he recommends building a distinctive personal brand, crafting a unique sales message, and positioning yourself as a “one‑of‑one” on platforms like LinkedIn. By making it easy for the undecided audience to decide, you can create a thriving sales pipeline in 2026.

Chapters

What is the 20-60-20 rule and how does it apply to your sales success? I learned this lesson from my speaking coach, Jerry. When I walk in a room to deliver a keynote, here's what I already know about that room. 20% are already bought in. They love me no matter what I do. I can do no wrong on the stage. Maybe they follow me on LinkedIn, met me at another conference, or maybe they're an existing client. I can do no wrong for that 20%. But here's the reality. There's another 20% who are never buying in. No matter what I say or do, they're not buying it. They don't like me. Maybe it's because of how I look, or I remind them of somebody they used to work with they don't trust. Whatever it is, they are not buying into me. Yet we waste so much time and energy trying to win that 20% over. We let that 20% dictate our sales activities. And here's what we're ignoring. There's 60% of the room who's still undecided. That's who you're supposed to win over. When I'm in that room speaking, I'm trying to win over the 60% who are undecided. This is how political campaigns are won. They're not trying to win over the 20% who will always vote for them, nor are they trying to win over the 20% who will never vote for them. It's the undecided votes that win the campaign. How are you applying this to your sales strategies? When you look at your prospects, 20% love ya, 20% are never going to buy in. 60% who are undecided. Quit letting that 20% dictate your sales activity. Stop trying to win them over. This is what's holding you back from delivering value on platforms like LinkedIn. It's from— it's what's holding you back from putting yourself out there because you're afraid of the 20% who are never going to like you. Win over the 60% who are undecided. How do you do it? Build a brand. Craft a unique sales message. Stand out. Be a one of one. Make it easy for that 60% to decide if they like you or not. That is the way to build a thriving sales pipeline in 2026.