Lena writes: "I know I need to sell, but I hate it. I feel pushy. How do I get better at this?"

Scott's confession: For years, he hated selling too. He did it to pay the bills, but he didn't love it.

The belief shift: Sales isn't convincing. It's solving problems.

Where the sleaze comes from: Pitching before diagnosing. If you start selling before you understand the problem, it feels pushy—because it is.

The reframe: You're not asking for money. You're offering to help someone solve a problem they already have. That's what doctors do.

The financial advisor story: Pitching bonds didn't work. Asking "Are you hoping to grow your money for future generations?" did. The shift: stop pitching products, start diagnosing problems.

You already sell every day. When a family member asks for advice, you give it. You even push them a little. The only thing missing is the money exchange.

The Starbucks exercise: If you're terrified of asking for money, go to Starbucks and ask: "Can I have a discount on this because I'm having a rough day?" The word "because" increases compliance. Practice asking for something.

The prescription:

• Stop pitching.
• Start asking: What's going on? What have you tried? What would solving this mean to you?

The close: It's a mindset problem first. Solve that, and your business takes off.

Got a business question? Ask Scott here: scotttodd.net/ask