There seems to be an almost polarising feeling when it comes to the word "selling". Some people are cool with it, others are very clear they NEVER sell. 

Irrespective of what camp you are in, the key to selling, I reckon, is to make a CONNECTION between you and the buyer, you and what you are selling, and the buyer and your product or service.

Visually, it looks like this:

I have just had 2 full days of "selling" in Sydney which is a green fields market for me. Despite this, I still don't cold call. I look at who I know and go set up what I refer to as "connecting" meetings. In many cases, they could also be described as re-connecting meetings.

In these connecting meetings, my first priority is relationship. Building rapport, finding out what's going on in their world, sharing what's going on in mine. Then it splits, depending on the flow of the relationship part of the meeting. I either talk with conviction about what I'm doing or I share the value of what I'm offering to their world.

If I'm talking with CONVICTION about what I'm doing, I share the value I bring to clients and problems I'm solving with examples. Nine times out of ten, this leads to the VALUE conversation about problems they are experiencing, what they have tried and what my offerings might be. 

The results of my Sydney trip?  A request for info or proposals on a number of opportunities with interesting clients.