Don’t Sell. Educate.

I once ran a startup that tried every trick in the “cold outreach” handbook. We wrote enthusiastic subject lines, we teased freebies, we typed out persuasive bullet points about our tool’s unique features—only to discover we were getting polite nods and minimal traction. Once in a while, a bigger client said, “Sure, we’ll try it.” But the energy felt hollow. We’d chase them, they’d ghost us, we’d chase more, they’d sign a small deal, then maybe churn a few months later.

Finally, we started talking to these potential customers like normal people. We didn’t lead with a pitch. We just asked about their problems. We offered experiences we’d had that were relevant. We sent them links to articles we found interesting in that domain. And the mood shifted. People relaxed. They started telling us things we’d never have uncovered by rattling off product specs. Eventually, they’d ask, “Wait, can your product help us do X?” and we’d say, “Actually, yes, let’s talk about that.” Suddenly it was their idea. They were more invested. We realized we’d stumbled onto something crucial: Don’t sell. Educate.

Most of us roll our eyes when we get a pushy pitch—especially from someone we just met. But if that same person says, “I read this report about how B2B teams often misdiagnose their top challenges,” and they share a quick anecdote about something you’re actually experiencing, you perk up. That’s not sales. That’s help. And ironically, it’s exactly how to sell in the modern world.

Momentum, in a way, is built on that principle. When you meet someone new, you have two choices: either talk about yourself and your product for 30 minutes, or learn about them and share insights. One path yields a short, forced conversation. The other path can lead to real engagement—maybe a champion inside a large organization, or someone who recommends you to a colleague. If you keep giving people perspective they didn’t have, or analysis they hadn’t considered, you become the “person worth talking to,” not a tedious hawker.

Interestingly, there’s a hidden advantage here. If you show up to a conversation with a mindset of, “What can I teach them that might help?” you start doing better research. You keep up with your industry’s news. You refine your thinking about problems you solve. This makes you smarter and more confident. Over time, you become known as an expert, not a salesperson. People trust experts. And once they trust you, ironically, they have no problem buying from you.

I’ve found that the biggest block to adopting this “education first” approach is the fear that you won’t close deals fast enough. It’s tempting to wedge your product pitch in. But the best relationships in business start from shared understanding—only then do they become transactions. The short-term approach might bring a few quick deals, but it rarely leads to the big wins. The big wins come from someone who’s convinced that you truly care about their problem and have something intelligent to say about it.

So the next time you hop on a Momentum call or any new meeting, consider this: talk about the problem. Share an idea. Ask a question. Let them discover you’re the person they want to work with. The difference in outcome is massive. And if you need confirmation, just look at all the pitches that get ignored in our inboxes every day. People want fresh insight, not recycled sales lines. If you give them that, they’ll come back for more—even if you never once say, “Buy from me.”