You're Not the Hero, You're the Guide: Reframing How You Sell

Have you ever wondered why some people seem naturally gifted at persuasion? That special ability to share perspectives without making others uncomfortable—while somehow getting them on your side?

After a friend pointed out this skill in me, I realized it stemmed from years teaching challenging students in classrooms where I literally had to dodge chairs. Those experiences taught me to connect with difficult personalities and guide them toward solutions—exactly what effective selling requires.

Most business owners overcomplicate sales. We think we need elaborate "nurture sequences" filled with our life stories, but that misses the point. Your potential clients aren't initially interested in your background—they care that you see their problems and have solutions. When you position yourself as the knowledgeable guide rather than the hero, sales becomes less about "selling" and more about speaking their language.

This perspective shift transforms everything. You're not pushing yourself or your offers; you're offering genuine solutions. The connection you create naturally leads to conversion because you're addressing specific needs with confidence and clarity. Remember, you aren't the hero in their journey—they are. You're simply the guide helping them navigate toward success.

An important realization: you won't be the right fit for everyone, and that's perfectly fine. Some people may find your teaching style, pace, or mannerisms don't resonate with them. That's valuable self-selection at work. Focus on attracting "your people" by being authentically yourself while confidently guiding them toward solutions.

Ready to transform how you approach sales? Join my four-day "Turning Visibility Into Sales" challenge at jenymelrose.com/visibility-into-sales. Whether you're planning Black Friday promotions or launching new products soon, this challenge will help you connect with ideal clients and guide them toward your solutions.

Chapters

• 0:00 Natural Persuasion Skills
• 1:04 Sales Is About Showing Solutions
• 2:05 Guide, Don't Be the Hero
• 3:39 Not For Everyone
• 5:55 Visibility Into Sales Challenge

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:01

I recently had a friend that is one of my daughter's friends' mom who was sitting next to me in a volleyball game, and she said to me, One of the things I've realized about you is that no matter who you're talking to or what you're talking about, you have a way of being able to share your point of view without making other people uncomfortable and somehow manage to get them on your side, to make them see it and think that that's the right next step, whatever it might be. Whether it's arguing, not arguing, I shouldn't use the word arguing, whether it's speaking to a coach about practice going over late and why it's not going to work out for all the parents that have to go in 18 different directions to pick their kids up, or if it's deciding to go to a different volleyball club. The reason I tell you this is because one of the great things about what we do as business owners is that we listen to people's problems and then we show them the next step that they should be taking. And for some people, this is a skill that they're not used to. And it seems for some reason that I naturally have learned how to do it. I think it's because for years I was in classrooms dodging chairs from kids that didn't have the best behavior. And my favorite students were always the toughest kids. They were always the ones that every teacher said, I can't handle this kid. I don't know what to do with them. They're such a problem. What is the issue? Those were my favorites. And they were my favorites because they were the most challenging to get through to. And that's exactly what you were doing. That is what you do when you sell. And I think we try to make it so much harder than it actually is. We think that when we get someone to come onto our email list, that we need to nurture them. And you do need to nurture them. But nurturing them doesn't just mean you tell them all about their yourself and you show them the next free thing that you offer. Nurturing them is telling them, I see you. I see that you have a problem. I know I can fix it. Here's the solution. And you show them ways that you fixed it for others. And you show them through storytelling how you actually do understand their problem and their solution. When you're able to do this, it's not about sales anymore. It's about making a connection that will then turn into a conversion because you're speaking their language. And I want you to start to start thinking about sales in a different way. It's just speaking a different language. And it doesn't have to be so complicated that you get frustrated or you feel awkward or you feel silly. You have a solution. You need to be able to offer it to them with confidence without feeling like you're being pushy about it. And when you nurture them through sales emails, not just through some crazy nurture sequence that tells them all about your life history and where you come from and why you do what you do. That's all well and good. But put it in a podcast episode and then give them a call to action. Don't do it in an email sequence where you should be selling them something that you offer. Because they honestly, they're not there initially because of you. They're there because they see that you see them. They see you as the expert. So if you go on and on and on about yourself and your family and why you do what you do, you're gonna lose them. Instead, continue to be that guide for them. You are not the hero in their journey. They are. You're the guide that's gonna take them along and help them get to the other side of their problem by providing them with the solution. I've never really put this into words before and seen why sales comes so easy to me. And it does. It comes down to the fact that I connect with people, I understand them, and I walk them through and show them how I'm gonna be the best choice for them. Now, here's the thing about this: I know everyone is not gonna choose me. And I'm okay with that. That is why you put out content. That is why you should be getting in video. That's why you should be doing a podcast, letting them hear your voice and understanding the way in which you teach and the way that you're gonna take them on this journey. Because some people are gonna say, you know what, that girl talks way too fast, she does way too many stories. I don't want to know about it. Fine. Find someone that is meant to be your person, your expert. You're not for everyone. So, with that being said, you have to start to think about the people that you can serve that are meant for you. You're gonna attract probably the relatively similar people. Every time I get a new person that comes into my programs, I ask the question, why me? And the answer is usually because you were a teacher. Because you're able to explain things to me that I never truly understood because the way that you take the time to explain it. You go and dive in and out of the nuances, trying to make sure that it's really clear while not taking up two hours of my time. Somehow you manage to do it in 10 minutes. That is what you want. And some people are gonna say to have also said why they haven't chosen a program, it's because they can't handle the way that I talk or the way that I use my hands when I talk. Whatever it might be, you need to make sure that you are trying to attract the right people to you, your people. And they are out there when you are yourself, when you are confident, when you are showing them, here's your problem, I see you, let me guide you on your journey to getting a solution. Now, if you are someone who's listening to this and going, I struggle with this, join the four-day challenge that I am offering, turning visibility into sales. It is going to help you with any sales that you make in the future. Whether you are looking to run Black Friday sales, whether you were thinking of launching a new product in January, February, whatever it might be. This challenge is for you. So you can go to jenymarrows.com forward slash visibility dash into dash sales. It's going to be linked for you in the description so that you can make sure to save your seat. I will see you there.