I had to shake the waters

A salesman was upset about a company not performing their duties timely, and so he needed to prompt them to act. He then uttered this incongruent conflation of “muddy the waters” (introduce something to an issue that will make it less clear) and “shake (one’s) tree” (to compel someone to take action). “Test the waters” (to experiment) might also be in the mix. Props to Mike Kovacs for hearing this one and sending it in.