If you can't sell, you can't serve

I was talking to a nutrition coach (Adam) last night about my liver health, candida and other fungal infections and how they affected my mood, energy level and cashflow, which I'm certain they do.

He said that for many people (meaning in particular "middle aged white men" like me), such a regeneration can take 7 years. Wow. I was hoping for a 7 day cleanse and a bottle of pills. No such luck.

Clearly, it's going to work better for me to think of my health as a process and a lifestyle choice rather than a series of disjointed "projects" grasping for the seemingly harder to find feel good moments.

Adam is smart (clearly) and passionate (obviously) and I think understands the gravity of the service business: if a person with health issues, does not become and client and remain a client for prolonged periods of time, the person makes no lasting changes, gets no benefits and Adam makes no money and has no impact.

I left the conversation with Adam more connected to the value of my health. It's a good start. I don't currently pay Adam and so the chat last night was a sales conversation even if it seemed like a social one at a house party.

No valuable lasting change ever happens unless a sales is made first. That's right: "a sale", that most nasty of four-letter words in the service business.

But I propose that a service provider (coach, lawyer, accountant, financial planner) is only as good as his or her sales skills and attitude. We are all in the intervention business and anyone too shy, insecure, backed up or afraid to sell is not going to be as useful to me when the situation gets hard and I really need to rely on someone. Many well-meaning and well-educated people with value to contribute are starving or at least not making the difference they are capable of because they are unwilling to sell.

Selling is not an affront to professionalism. Selling is the apriori professional skill. I make no difference to anyone with no clients, no money for food and my mortgage and no opportunities to hone my craft. Sell-serve-sell-serve-sell...etc.