Master your "Flash Roll"
R3 I guardianmarketing.substack.com I ExperienceR3.com
Ever feel like you're constantly fighting up hill trying to convince prospects that you know what you are talking about, that you can help them and solve their problems?
It seems like no matter what you say, there's an invisible wall of skepticism in front of you.
No matter what proof you provide.
Your promises and claims don't seem to make a difference.
It makes sense ... after all they’ve heard promises like those before. And they’ve been burned before by similar promises. Confidence becomes meaningless when its not backed by the result.
So when you say “I know exactly what to do, I’ve done this a hundred times before”, a sophisticated buyer is not going to believe you.
It’s not that they don’t think you might be a good choice.
It’s that they’ve seen this before. Someone else has told them, with just as much confidence, that they knew what to do. And that person was wrong.
So now, when they hear another confident pitch, another enthusiastic claim, another “I know exactly what you need” - it all blends together. They don’t believe it, not because it isn’t true, but because they’ve learned they can't trust those kinds of claims.
And this is where most people lose the sale. Because when they sense skepticism, they double down on the wrong things.
They push harder.
They over-explain.
They try to prove their expertise by listing credentials and case studies.
None of this works.
Because the issue isn’t what you know ... it's more about how you demonstrate that knowledge and expertise.
Planck Knowledge
There's a story about Nobel Prize Winning Max Planck.
The story goes that, he would often travel around and give extensive lectures and take questions and go into deep discussion with the audience.
After traveling around to many of these lectures, at one stop, his chauffeur said "you know, I bet I could give your lecture just as good as you."
Planck said, "yea! go for it!"
And so at the next stop Planck's chauffeur stood up on the stage and gave the full lecture (realize, this was like 100 years ago, so most of the people there didn't really know what Planck looked like).
The lecture went perfectly.
Afterwards, someone in the audience asked a detailed question about the content.
The chauffeur said "That's a great question. To answer it I'm going to have to turn this over to my chauffeur" - and out came Planck to finish the lecture.
It's easy to learn how to repeat words that you have heard.
But that doesn't mean you really know the subject and content surrounding those words.
However with all the authority you can muster backing you, many people out there are walking around knowing the words to say but not really having the contextual understanding to speak more than the words they have essentially memorized, and thus convincing others that they are an expert.
That is, in essence, Chauffeur knowledge. Mirrored knowledge. Repeated knowledge.
Planck knowledge1 is getting up on stage and answering any question handed to you in deep detail without preparing an answer ahead of time. Because you know the context and reality so well, you can answer any question usefully.
You want to put yourself in situations where you can demonstrate Planck knowledge. Because this is the kind of demonstration which shows sophisticated buyers you really do know what you are talking about.
The Flash Roll
There's no one right way to accomplish this, however a useful tool in your tool-belt for demonstrating expertise - for demonstrating Planck Knowledge - is The Flash Roll.
It allows your prospect to experience how you think and work in the moment.
When someone asks you a question, you don’t just give them a recommendation - you walk them through the mental framework that leads to the answer. And when they see that process unfold, they trust the conclusion because they trust the reasoning behind it.
The Flash Roll in Action
Imagine you’re a financial strategist, and someone asks:
“Should I invest in X?”
❌ A bad answer:
“Yes, it’s a great investment.”
✅ A Flash Roll:
“It depends. Historically, I’ve seen that when people invest in X, their returns hinge on [key factor]. If you have [specific financial position], it’s an incredible opportunity. But if you’re dealing with [different situation], there’s a major risk you might not have considered. In your case, I’d evaluate these three things first…”
Why This Works
Instead of making a claim, you demonstrate your ability to analyze and adapt.
Instead of forcing them to take your word for it, you let them see your reasoning unfold.
Instead of “selling” them on an answer, you walk them through how an expert thinks.
And when someone watches you think at a level they haven’t considered before, hiring you becomes a much more obvious decision.
How to Figure Out Your Flash Roll
If you've ever seen the movie Old School, the Flash Roll is like that scene where Will Ferrell's character blacks out during the debate, rattles off a long, detailed, and brilliantly insightful argument, then snaps back and has no idea what he just did.
That’s what a great Flash Roll feels like.
Your best Flash Roll moments happen when someone asks you a question, and without hesitation, you just go. You roll through every important factor, breaking it down in detail, citing examples, connecting patterns, and exploring unique scenarios - all without forcing it.
It’s effortless expertise in action.
📌 From the Cash Now Blitz2:
What we’re trying to do is engineer you getting into that flow state, where you just go ‘Oh yeah, no problem—blah blah blah,’ and people are left thinking, ‘Oh my God, you know everything about this space.’
Your Flash Roll is the moment where the prospect experiences your expertise firsthand.
Finding Your Flash Roll Questions
The best advice we can give is this:
✅ Think about the questions you are _excited_ to answer. The questions you really HOPE they ask you.
✅ What topics or situations in conversations with prospects put you in that “flow state” where the ideas just come naturally?
✅ What are the questions where, once you start talking, you could keep going forever?
Because those are the moments when people stop seeing you as just another option** and start thinking:
“This person has clearly seen this a thousand times. They know exactly what to do. As long as I go with them, I’ll be fine.”
And that’s exactly what we’re trying to create.
How to Implement Your Flash Roll
Once you’ve identified your Flash Roll topics or questions - the questions that allow you to get into that effortless flow of expertise - the next step is putting yourself in a position to use them.
You can't just flash roll out of context with anyone.
You need to be asked the right question by the right person or guide the conversation toward it.
Positioning Yourself for a Flash Roll
There are two ways to do this:
1️⃣ Get Asked the Right Question*
The obvious way to "Flash Roll" is to get asked the question you can riff off. For me a lot of times that sort of question is around a 'how do I do XYZ?'
The reason for that is the "it depends" reply opens up a broader playfield on which to showcase expertise.
> “How do I make more revenue from my email list?”
It depends! What's your current active retention rate over 90 days, 180 days, and 2 years?
Most of the time I find people don't actually know that answer, and I can riff on relationship, long term engagement, and the low hanging fruit of sales that happen from getting more people consistently engaged and reading - this will often be accompanied by ideas about direct response, selling, human behavior, etc (and it always depends on the person I'm speaking with). And if they DO know that answer, we can dig deeper with other details.
"It Depends" is a subject all unto itself.
But understand that "prescription without diagnosis is malpractice." How can you give someone advice and guidance without deeply understanding their specific situation, needs, and desires?
From there, does knowing the uniqueness of your service relative to individuals give you a ton of different detailed things to talk about which reveal your expertise?
Probably.
The "It Depends" scenario leads into the most controllable and ideal Flash Roll setup ...
2️⃣ Ask a Question That Sets Up Your Flash Roll
If your prospect isn’t naturally asking the right question, you can lead them into it by asking them something that puts you in a position to Flash Roll.
📌 From the Cash Now Blitz:
Let’s say someone tells Laurel they’re spending a million a month on ads, but their returns have dropped from 5x to 3x. She won’t just say ‘I can fix that.’ Instead, she’ll ask: ‘Can you give me your funnel numbers - cost per lead, video sales letter play rate, application rate, and sales conversion rate?’If they can answer those, I know I’m in a position to Flash Roll. I can run through the numbers, break down inefficiencies, and make them go ‘Holy sh**, I never thought of that before.’
The key here is that if they answer your setup question, you now have the information you need to Flash Roll effectively.
But if they can’t answer, that tells you something too - that they may not be the ideal client for you (in which case, a Flash Roll is not useful).
Where to use it?
This technique isn’t limited to sales calls. Laurel points out that she uses this approach in **hundreds of messenger conversations every week.**
📌 From the Cash Now Blitz:
“People ask how I handle 100+ messenger conversations a week. The answer is, I ask questions that let me Flash Roll. If they answer them, I can change their entire perspective in five minutes. That’s how I sell so quickly—it’s not about convincing, it’s about demonstrating.”
This works anywhere—on stage, in email replies, in DMs, or in a one-on-one consultation. The key is:
Know the setup questions that lead to your Flash Roll.
Use those questions to filter for the right conversations.
When the moment comes, roll effortlessly through your expertise.
If you do this right, you don’t need to “sell.” Your Flash Roll does the work for you.
Taking Action: The Flash Roll is Just the Beginning
The Flash Roll is part of The Silver Bullet Campaign, a strategic framework built around five essential sales questions that uncover hidden opportunities, build trust instantly, and make closing effortless.
The Silver Bullet Campaign—including all five of these questions—is fully detailed inside the Cash Now Blitz Workshop, available exclusively to Man Bites Dog paid subscribers.
If you want to see real-world examples, watch Nic and Laurel refine these strategies live, and start using them in your business right away, get access here:
Be Useful. Be Present. Love the Journey.
Joseph Robertson, CMO Man Bites Dog
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Creating digging questions for prospects that set me up to flash roll has been a serious game-changer for identifying leads and converting them into great-fit clients.