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Last week launched our first instalment of The AC Growth Programme with ‘The Principles of Selling Expertise’ delivered by world-renowned Blair Enns, founder of Win Without Pitching.

Blair’s session explored the four models of conversation, how to navigate sales, the expert mindset, and the difference between expert you and salesperson you—which we’ll dive deeper into here!

Expert You vs. Salesperson You

In the world of agency work, there are two distinct roles you will often find yourself playing: the expert and the salesperson. Understanding and navigating these roles can be the difference between success and frustration in your career.

You’re Here To Be An Expert

You likely got into the agency business because you wanted to create meaningful work and deliver real results for clients. You are the strategist, the creative director, the leader – in other words, the expert. In this role, your clients recognise your expertise, they value your insights, and they come to you for guidance. They ask, “What should we do here?” and you advise them.

Being in this expert role is probably where you feel most comfortable. It’s natural for you because it’s what you’re good at. You didn’t start this business to be a needy vendor, chasing after clients, but to serve them by providing value.

However, there’s another job that comes with running a business: selling.

The Salesperson Role: Your Second Job

Whether or not you like it, selling is part of running an agency. Many agency owners, especially those who haven’t had proper sales training (and let’s face it, most haven’t), may feel like they’re juggling two personas.

The first job is being the expert, and the second is being the salesperson. And in many cases, these roles seem to contradict each other. As a salesperson, you might feel the pressure to be overly enthusiastic, putting on a forced smile while pitching ideas in hopes of securing the project. You’re nodding, agreeing, and maybe even working for free in the hopes of winning the account.

These two roles—expert and salesperson—are often at odds with each other.

The Contradiction Between Expert and Salesperson

Let’s break down the differences:

  • Expert You: In this role, you are the trusted adviser. You’re discerning, present, and focused on providing real value. You ask the right questions, guide your clients through decisions, and expect to be paid accordingly. Your clients know they are working with someone in demand, someone with expertise.
  • Salesperson You: In contrast, as the salesperson, you may feel like you’re always pitching ideas, presenting with enthusiasm that doesn’t always feel genuine, and trying to answer every question perfectly. You might even find yourself working for free just to get your foot in the door, all while projecting the image of being eager to please.

The dynamics in these roles are reversed: as the expert, you are present, asking thoughtful questions, and your client recognises your value. As the salesperson, you might feel like you’re constantly in presentation mode, trying to meet expectations and “sell” the client on your value.

The High Cost of Selling

One of the most frustrating aspects of this dual role is the sense that, as the salesperson, you’re giving away too much for free. In the expert role, you communicate your value clearly and expect to be compensated fairly. Yet, when you shift into sales mode, the tendency is to overextend yourself, working hard to win the business, often without pay.

This dichotomy creates a fundamental tension in the way you approach your clients. On one hand, you are a high-value expert who is in demand. On the other hand, you may feel like a needy vendor trying to persuade clients to hire you.

Solution: Drop the Salesperson Persona

The key to reconciling these two conflicting roles is simple: stop being the salesperson. Drop the needy, over-enthusiastic persona and embrace the role of the expert in every situation.

Most agency owners haven’t been trained in sales, but that doesn’t mean you need to default to the conventional pitch-and-persuade method. Instead, show up as the expert from the very beginning. Stop seeing yourself as the vendor who has to win the business by any means necessary. When you position yourself as the trusted adviser, clients will recognise your value without you needing to sell them on it.

Be the Expert, Not the Vendor

Ultimately, there are two ways you can be seen by your clients: as an expert or as a vendor. The expert is recognised for their knowledge and insight, with few real competitors. The vendor, on the other hand, is seen as one of many, often pitching, persuading, and offering work for free.

So, which version of you is going to show up? Will you be the discerning, highly paid expert, or the needy vendor trying to win the client over? The choice is yours.

By fully embracing the role of the expert, you can eliminate the need to play the part of the salesperson altogether. Your clients will come to see you as the valuable adviser they need—not just another vendor in a crowded marketplace.

What is the AC Growth Programme?

The Growth Programme provides crucial peer support alongside expert talks, events, and networking designed for agency leaders who want to take their agency to the next level, whatever that means for you.

Key features include:

  • 45-minute expert sessions with a 15-minute Q&A.
  • Optional 30-minute group discussions after each module.
  • Unified learning through video calls, with accountability groups based on agency size.

Find out more about the Growth Programme here.

Want to hear more from Blair?

Become an Agency Collective Grow member to access the full recording and all Growth Programme sessions. To chat about membership options book a call with Jacob.

The Agency Collective

The Agency Collective

A peer support community for agency owners. A safe place to talk about your challenges openly – when you need the help most. An opportunity for you to build new long lasting relationships with people who can provide support and leads for future work.