As a founder, I’m expected not only to be good at sales but to enjoy it. The truth? I don’t. In fact, I dislike it. But here’s the catch: no matter how much I dislike selling, my business—like every business—still needs sales to survive.
Sales today, especially online, have changed. Most people do their homework before making a decision. They don’t want to be sold to—they want to discover things for themselves. This shift doesn’t mean sales are obsolete. It means the way we approach them needs to evolve.
For me, that evolution came in a form I genuinely enjoy: I teach instead of selling. And surprisingly (or maybe not), it works—often better than traditional sales techniques.
Why teaching works better than selling
A 2022 HubSpot study revealed that 90% of buyers are more likely to purchase from a company that offers helpful, non-pushy information. That statistic mirrors my experience perfectly.
At Fuzelift, before clients subscribe to any of our digital marketing services, they’re invited to book a free consultation. Yes, it doesn’t scale easily. But as Paul Graham from Y Combinator famously said, “Do things that don’t scale” So, that’s what we do. We talk to people. More importantly, we listen.
We have no AI chatbot on our site. No pre-written scripts. Just real conversations with real people. We ask questions. We share what we know. And often, we explain concepts many business owners have never had properly explained to them—how Google search works, what’s effective on social media, why email marketing isn’t dead.
From these calls, we see an 80% conversion rate into paid subscriptions. Why? Because we focus on building trust before making a pitch. And as Edelman’s Trust Barometer shows, trust is now more valuable to consumers than price. When people feel “sold to,” trust evaporates.
But isn’t that a waste of time?
It may sound like it. Offering free consultations, turning away clients who aren’t a fit, spending time educating people who may never convert—where’s the ROI?
Think about it this way: You’re building brand equity—for free. You’re becoming a trusted voice. And when someone does become a customer, they’re the right kind of customer. As a result, our churn rate stays very low, because we attract clients who understand and value what we do from the very beginning.
Teaching can scale too
I love teaching. It energizes me. And thanks to digital platforms, I get to do it at scale.
According to Salesforce, 80% of customers say the experience a company provides is as important as its product or service. Creating helpful content—blogs, videos, social posts—lets you educate, inspire, and engage. You can repackage one idea into multiple formats and reach new audiences without burning out.
I once heard the quote, “People like to buy, but they don’t like to be sold to.” That resonates deeply with me.
People buy for emotional reasons and use logic to justify their choices. Not every person you teach will become a customer—but maybe you’ve still helped them improve their business. That kind of goodwill comes back to you in ways you can’t always measure.
So no, I don’t sell. I teach. And in today’s world, that might just be the best sales strategy of all.
