I Don't Sell and I Don't Have Customers
I Don't sell and I Don't Have Customers
I like to think I've never sold anything to anyone.
Sure, I've been in sales roles pretty much all of my working life. I've earned many awards and accolades for consistently being a top performer. I've been recruited by multiple organizations to improve their numbers and coach their teams.
I love it so much that I have now built a whole business doing exactly that.
But whenever I sat down to mentor a new salesperson, I encountered two things:
People who were uncomfortable with the practice of selling.
People who didn't believe they had the knowledge to sell.
The fear was real. I saw people willing to face disciplinary action—even termination—because they so deeply despised "selling." Others were petrified to open their mouths for fear that a potential customer would ask a question they didn't know the answer to.
I would always start by pointing to the awards on my shelf and sharing a secret:
"I don't sell. And I don't have customers."
You see, salespeople have customers. Those are transaction-based interactions that are usually one-and-done.
I have clients. I strive to build lasting relationships as an empathetic advisor. These clients generally remain with me for years, even decades, and they refer their family and friends because they trust me.
The "Expert" Myth
Usually, my mentees would panic. They would tell me, with distress and dismay, that they definitely didn't have the expertise to be an "Advisor."
I would smile and accept their feelings. Then, I’d shift to a casual conversation about the products and services they represented. I kept it basic, authentically praising them for what they knew. Then I would ask one question:
"Before you worked here, did you know all that?"
Of course not. Because the general population walking through the front doors does not have that knowledge.
The same applies to you.
In any conversation with a potential client, you are already the expert at the table. It doesn't matter that you don't know absolutely everything—no one in the organization knows everything. But you have the map. You know the terrain. Your client is looking for a guide, and you are the only one in the room with a flashlight.
So how do we shift from "salesperson" to "partner"?
You bear witness to this every week in this newsletter. It is never a pushy pitch to get you to buy something. It is a gentle invitation to gain insight. It is the building of trust so that when you do need something, it will be my privilege to assist and advise you.
It is simply a presentation of tools and resources to support your attainment of your goals and the vision for your future. Whether you are "selling" coaching or "selling" cabinets, what people remember most is how you made them feel.
Join us to master this skill.
We practice these exact skills within our Speak & Scale workshops—an exclusive, monthly training environment for the women of Freya’s Arbor (formerly The Genius Network). Our curriculum moves through six revolving modules designed to move you from salesperson' to 'trusted advisor.' If you are a Woman Entrepreneur looking for a community that values deep mastery over transactional selling, I invite you to learn more about Freya’s Arbor.
One final tool for the road:
I know the fear of "not knowing" can be paralyzing. So, allow me to close with a very useful tool. When someone asks a question to which you don't know the answer, it is perfectly acceptable to respond with something like this:
"That is a great question. Let me write that down and get back to you so I can make sure I am giving you the most up-to-date information."
No one expects you to know it all. They just expect you to care enough to find the answer.
See you in the workshop,
