I think there are a lot of great sellers who actually don't try to sell. They are naturally good at identifying problems and communicating solutions.
That said, I could see how communicating "I'm here to sell you" could also work. Something I've learned from thousands of cold calls and coaching hundreds of SDRs is that there is value in that kind of direct honesty.
Many new SDRs struggle when answering a screening question like "Is this a sales call?" Reps would say something like "No, I'm just looking to introduce a product/solution" but this still screams sales call to the person on the other end.
So, an alternative is to own the question and say "Yes," but then put that into context. Like clarifying you hope it could be a sales call, but aren't sure yet if there's a problem you can solve. Or it could be a sales call if they're facing the same challenges you typically encounter with similar teams.
I think many buyers already assume that sellers are there to sell them, so leaning into that couldn't hurt. But if you're genuinely not there to sell them, then authentically communicating that could also be valid. Focusing on understanding the problem and helping the prospect find the best solution, even if it means losing the sale.
Guess I see both sides of the coin. If you happen to have the LinkedIn post, I'm curious to take a look.
