The easiest sales happen before the sales conversation
Read time: 5 minutes
For a long time, I had a real mental block around sales.
Pushy cold calls, awkward pitches, and trying to convince people to buy things they didn't want never appealed to me. In fact, for ages I actively avoided anything that felt "salesy".
Then I started posting on LinkedIn. Not to sell or generate leads, just to share my journey and what I was learning.
And over time, people started reaching out: potential clients, podcasters, investors. And often they'd say: "I've been following you for months."
I realised then that the easiest "sales" conversations happen way before the conversation itself.
And when people have seen and read your content, there's far less convincing needed.
Here's what I've found works best.
1. Sell your thinking, not your service
I think most people spend too much time talking about their service, product or offer. But people rarely buy into this information alone.
They primarily buy because they trust your approach.
And the more you share in terms of your lessons, mistakes and observations, the more trust you create.
Try this: Instead of promoting your offer, share a lesson you've learned recently or a problem you've helped solve.
2. Answer the questions people ask you a lot
When you create content around real problems — questions people ask you, problems they face, things people have seemed confused about — you attract people experiencing those exact problems.
Those people are often your future customers, clients, or collaborators.
And often by the time they reach out, they're already sold.
Try this: Write down the 3-5 questions you get asked most often. There's probably months of ideas sitting there already.
3. Build a simple content funnel
Most people create posts randomly. One about leadership. One about AI. One about an event they attended. Maybe a personal story thrown in too.
I think that's fine, but it does make it harder for people to understand what you're known for.
The best content tends to reinforce a few core themes repeatedly, and over time people start to associate you with those topics.
Try this: Pick three themes you want to become known for and create most of your insights around them.
4. Use AI to increase consistency, not replace your voice
AI has made writing so much easier, but many people use it the wrong way. The goal isn't to replace your thinking, it's to remove friction.
I use AI to help organise ideas, improve structure, and speed up parts of the process. But the story and perspective still need to be mine.
Because ultimately that's what people connect with.
Try this: Use AI to help generate ideas or improve drafts, but don't outsource your experiences, opinions or stories.
5. Focus on trust, not transactions
This is probably the biggest shift of all. When people think "sales", they often focus on closing the next deal.
But I think it's much more useful to focus on building trust. Because trust compounds. The content you share today might lead to an opportunity six months from now.
The person reading your newsletter may not need your help today, but they might next year.
Visibility allows people to get to know and trust you before you've ever spoken.
The takeaway
I've learnt that sales doesn't have to feel uncomfortable, at least not in the way I used to imagine.
It's not about selling hardest. It's about building trust consistently and allowing the content to do the heavy lifting.
That's when "sales" starts to feel much more natural.
Speak soon,
Dupé
PS: If you've ever felt uncomfortable selling yourself, or like you're not getting enough visibility, this is exactly what I help people with.
I work with founders and professionals to improve their positioning, visibility, and personal brand so opportunities come to them more easily.
If you'd like to explore that, respond to this email with YES and I'll get back to you!
