A lot of business owners I coach don’t mind serving people.
They just hate selling.
And I get it. Most of the time, it’s not because they’re lazy or greedy. It’s because they don’t want to be pushy. They don’t want to manipulate anyone. They don’t want to feel like they’re taking.
But there’s a simple shift that changes everything.
If what you offer genuinely makes someone’s life better, it’s service to offer it.
Why selling feels gross even for high-integrity people
When someone says, “I hate selling,” what they usually mean is: “I hate the idea of pressuring somebody.”
They don’t want to corner people.
They don’t want to use tricks.
They don’t want to talk someone into something that isn’t right for them.
In other words, they don’t want to be the hero of the story.
And that’s the problem.
Because when you make sales about you, it will always feel weird. Even if you’re doing it politely.
The customer is the hero - you’re the guide
This is the StoryBrand shift that keeps paying dividends.
Your customer is the hero. They’re the one trying to win the day.
You’re the guide.
Guides don’t pressure for selfish reasons.
Guides clarify.
Guides point out what’s possible.
Guides help the hero see the path forward and take the next step.
That’s why, when you finally see yourself as the guide in the sales process, you finally understand how selling can become service.
You’re not trying to get something from them. You’re helping them get what they want and overcome the problem that’s keeping them stuck.
What you’re really selling isn’t the thing
I saw this clearly in a recent coaching conversation with a client.
On the surface, the business was about cattle feed.
But the real value wasn’t feed.
It was peace.
The customers were living in constant low-grade stress:
- ordering last minute
- scrambling when trucks break down
- worrying about holidays and storms
- wondering if deliveries will show up when they need them
So the “product” wasn’t feed. It was predictability. It was one less variable in a chaotic world. It was waking up in the morning with a plan instead of panic.
When we finally named that, the sales process got simpler, not more complicated.
Because now you’re not pitching features. You’re connecting dots to their life.
What this looks like in my world
Same thing happens constantly in coaching and consulting.
A business owner hits a wall. They can’t scale themselves anymore. They realize they are the ceiling.
They’re redlined.
They’re overwhelmed.
The business is bleeding into their home life.
And when we implement a few mindsets and systems, something changes: the business grows, yes, but their life gets lighter too.
They stop living in constant reaction mode.
So if I genuinely believe I can help someone move from overwhelmed to steady, from chaos to clarity, from being the ceiling to building a team, then being timid about offering that help isn’t humility.
It’s withholding.
A simple gut-check for the next time you resist selling
The next time you feel that internal resistance and you start thinking, “Ugh, I don’t want to sound salesy,” ask this:
Does this genuinely make their life better?
If the honest answer is yes, then you don’t have to pressure.
You just have to serve.
Offer the next step.
Make it clear.
Let them choose.
And stop making sales weird.
To thriving,
Zach
