Sales Without the Sleaze: How I Learnt to Sell as Myself

If you’d told me five years ago that I’d one day enjoy sales conversations, I’d have laughed – eeeww, nope, not me, no way, cringe!

I used to put “sales” in the same category as cold calls, pushy pitches, and cliche business jargon. It felt icky. Uncomfortable.

But when you go solo, something shifts.

Suddenly, you are the product. There’s no big brand or commercial director fronting the pitch — it’s your face on the Zoom call. Your name on the invoice. Your energy people are buying into.

And that’s exactly why I had to rethink what selling meant.

Reframing Sales: From Pitch to Partnership

I remember one of my first “sales” calls as a new fractional FD. I’d prepped like mad, had my credentials lined up, but as we eased into a comfortable chat I realised that I could ditch the pitch. 

I was interested in what they were saying. I asked questions. I listened. I offered a few insights, a couple of ideas. And at the end of the call, it just seemed a natural progression to just get stuck in, and sure enough, we talked about when I could get started.

The lightbulb moment: good sales isn’t about convincing. It’s about connecting.

What Selling Really Is (When You Do It Right)

Here’s what I now believe selling looks like for fractional FDs:

• Listening more than you speak
  Not just hearing the numbers problem, but understanding the personal frustration behind it.

   

• Framing your work as support, not service
  You’re not flogging a day rate. You’re offering a way to take the weight off their shoulders.

   

• Letting your values show up in the conversation
  People buy from people. If you’re warm, honest, and clear about what working together feels like, that matters.
  

• Recognising it’s not about being the hero
  You’re not swooping in to save the day. You’re joining their story as a guide, helping them steer more confidently.

• It’s not about tricking people into saying yes.
  It’s about helping the right people make a decision that feels good.

   

Whether you’re currently solo, or employed, remember that selling yourself, or your ideas, isn’t about being the loudest in the room, it’s about asking the right questions and really listening to the answers.

You’re not trying to sell something that people don’t want – you’re offering them a solution to something they want help with – and that’s priceless.

Selling is just a conversation with purpose.