Years ago, when I was offered my first consulting gig, I was shitting myself.  Consulting was my dream job and I couldn’t wait to get started working with clients.  But... I knew that taking on this entrepreneurial role would mean I’d need to bring in new clients.  And seriously,  just the IDEA  of selling conversations  - let alone actually having them - made me want to spew with nerves.

You see, I’d had a few bad experiences with ‘salespeople’ trying to push me into buying stuff I didn’t need or couldn’t really afford.  I’d rather die than make anyone feel like that.  And I was terrified of ever coming across as salesy, being judged, or making anyone (me included!) feel uncomfortable.  I wasn’t (and I’m still not) a ‘sales professional’.  I had no idea how to have an effective sales conversation with anyone - let alone a client I really wanted to work with.

But I took a deep breath and with knees-knocking decided to follow my dreams.  I took the job… and I never looked back.

Here’s why: I was lucky to learn from a master who taught me that conversations with potential clients could be one of the most fun and genuinely feel-good parts of the job.