A lot of experienced professionals think their biggest problem is selling.
They say things like:
- “I’m not a salesperson.”
- “I don’t like selling myself.”
- “Selling just doesn’t feel like me.”
But most of the time, selling isn’t the real issue.
Why Selling Feels Awkward
I used to say exactly that.
Not because I didn’t believe in my work, but because every time someone asked how they could work with me,
I felt like I had to explain my entire career just to justify a conversation.
Selling didn’t feel wrong. It just felt… awkward.
What’s Missing
What people are actually reacting to isn’t selling.
It’s the discomfort.
The vague conversations.
The sense that you’re circling the point instead of offering something clear.
So selling starts to feel pushy. Forced. Inauthentic.
Not because your work lacks value.
But because it hasn’t been shaped yet.
The Pantry Problem
Think of it like this.
Most experienced professionals are walking around with a very full pantry.
- Years of experience.
- Hard-won insights.
- Stories, tools, frameworks, judgment.
It’s impressive.
But when someone asks, “How can I work with you?” you open the pantry door…
I remember a call where someone asked me exactly that: “What do you actually offer?”
Ten minutes later, I was still talking.
Not because I was unclear in my own head, but because everything felt relevant.
And I could feel it happening. The more I explained, the harder it was for them to choose.
Ingredients everywhere. Possibilities in every direction.
And suddenly, the other person doesn’t know what to say yes to.
What Clients Want
What people actually want isn’t your pantry. They want a menu.
- A small number of clear options.
- Each one named.
- Each one designed to solve a specific problem.
A menu doesn’t diminish the skill of the chef. It makes choosing possible.
Selling feels hard when people don’t know what they’re buying.
Not because your work lacks value. But because it’s unstructured.
When everything is possible, nothing is easy to say yes to.
So conversations drag. Pricing feels wobbly. And selling starts to feel like persuasion.
What Selling Is…
Here’s the reframe: Selling isn’t persuasion. It isn’t confidence. And it isn’t personality.
Selling is downstream of structure.
When your value is structured:
- Conversations relax
- Pricing stabilises
- Decisions feel easier
You’re no longer convincing. You’re offering.
This is why everything we’ve talked about so far matters.
- Clarity.
- Naming your work.
- Integrating your experience.
- Translating value.
- Letting the right people find you.
Until those pieces are in place, selling will always feel harder than it needs to.
Making Sales Easier
So if selling feels awkward, don’t judge yourself.
You’re not bad at selling. You’re just trying to sell unstructured value.
People don’t want to buy your pantry. They want to choose from a menu.
And once the menu exists, selling stops feeling like selling. It starts feeling like service.
That’s when monetising your expertise actually begins.
More on The Myths of Experience
If you want more clarity and to make sense of what you already know, read these posts next:
- Why Smart Professionals Can’t Explain What They Do
- Why Visibility Isn’t Your Real Problem
- Your Experience Isn’t Too Broad
