• You left another appointment with “we’re going to think about it,” and you already knew what that meant before you got back to the car.

• You spent the night before building a deck — then spent the whole appointment talking.

• You walked in without actually knowing why they were selling.

• They asked whether they have to pay the buyer’s agent, and you heard yourself hedge.

• You emailed the CMA ahead to be helpful. By the time you arrived, they’d already anchored to the number.

• You’ve been treating it like an audition — because that’s how everybody taught you to treat it.

You’re not bad at this. You’ve been rehearsing for a competition that, four times out of five, isn’t happening.