Why Sales Is Misunderstood—and How to Turn It into Your Competitive Advantage
Sales isn’t a dirty word—it’s your business’s lifeline. In a recent episode of the Scale Smart Grow Fast podcast, Harley Green sat down with Beth McClary-Wolford, a Fractional Sales Leader and founder of Superpower Strategies, who debunked common sales myths and offered real-world strategies to transform your sales team into confident, high-performing professionals.
Preferred listening on the go? Catch the full podcast episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
From Fortune 500 to Small Biz Impact
Beth’s background spans 30+ years in Fortune 100 and 500 companies. But her passion lies in helping small and mid-sized businesses—where she says the sales needle can have the biggest impact on local economies.
Everyone Sells—Even If They Deny It
One of Beth’s core messages? Everyone is in sales, whether they realize it or not. Yet, the profession has suffered from a decline in authenticity and professionalism, largely due to over-reliance on digital, transactional methods. Sales, at its core, is about solving problems and building trust.
“People don’t buy on price—they buy on emotion and value,” Beth emphasized.
Shift the Focus: It’s Not What You Do—It’s What You Do FOR Them
Sales teams often struggle to communicate value. Beth encourages leaders to reframe conversations around the client’s “so what.” What’s in it for them? That’s where the magic happens.
Know Your Metrics, Know Your Impact
Beth breaks down why understanding your lead conversion metrics—and nurturing those leads over time—is crucial. She recommends at least 18 meaningful touchpoints to stay top-of-mind. This isn’t about spamming; it’s about strategic, value-based persistence.
When Should Founders Let Go of Sales?
Beth advises founders to stay involved in sales early on because it’s the fastest way to validate your value prop. But eventually, a structured process, accountability, and consistent coaching are essential if you want to scale.
The First Step You Can Take This Week
Ask your best customers: “Why do you buy from us?” Use those emotional insights to clearly define what makes your business different. It’s the foundation for building a powerful and authentic sales strategy.
Key Takeaways:
- Sales is about helping, not convincing.
- Emotional value drives buying decisions—not price.
- Lead nurturing is a long game—consistency builds familiarity and trust.
- Founders must eventually delegate sales—but only after installing the right process.
- Your unique value should be clearly communicated across your entire team.
Want to grow a confident sales team? Connect with Beth McClary-Wolford at superpowerstrategies.com or email her at .
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Harley Green:
All right, we’ll get started here. Hey everybody. Welcome back to the Scale Smart Grow Fast podcast. Now everyone sells whether they admit it or not. In this episode, Beth McCleary-Wolford, Fractional Sales Leader and Sales Team Strategist, breaks down why sales has become a misunderstood word and how to reframe it as a competitive advantage. With 30 plus years of experience building high-performing teams and revamping sales processes, Beth’s going to share how to transform hesitant teams into confident sellers through assessment, coaching, and real-world connection. Beth, welcome to the podcast. How are you doing today?
Beth McClary-Wolford:
It’s a real pleasure to be here. And it’s a beautiful sunny and hot day.
Harley Green:
Nice, very nice. Well, Beth, maybe you can give a little background about your story. What brought you to doing what you are doing today, helping people with sales?
Beth McClary-Wolford:
So I’ve spent most of my career working for Fortune 100, Fortune 500 companies. And it’s great, and I got great experience and a lot of wonderful training. But the problem is that most businesses in the United States and in Chattanooga are small to medium-sized businesses, and they are the ones that need the most help. And that is where I realized I could make the most impact. And so three and a half years ago, I started Superpower Strategies to bring my experience and all the wonderful things that I’ve learned in my 30 plus years to that marketplace. Moving that sales needle for those small to medium-sized businesses is a significant impact and it impacts the economy and it gives us hope for the future.
Harley Green:
Yeah, that’s powerful. You’re helping your neighbors and the community really improve their businesses by bringing their service to people that need it. It’s a win-win-win situation. I love that. Now you often say that everyone sells, but many don’t want to admit it. Why do you think that sales still has such a negative stigma and how do you help people reframe that?
Beth McClary-Wolford:
Well, one reason why sales has such a bad reputation is that the level of sales professionalism has been on the decline. We’ve become a very transactional society, or as salespeople, we want it to be transactional. That’s been stimulated by digital marketing, and it has its place and I love it. I would not give away all of my experiences and the campaigns that we have. But in that transactional marketplace, a salesperson’s impact has diminished. We’ve just gotten lazy and we’ve forgotten that sales is about providing a solution to a problem and addressing a client challenge. And if we’re just taking orders, we’re not helping them understand how what you’re doing can really make an impact on what they’re trying to accomplish. I wish that we could change the way that people define sales, because the definition is helping people do what they need and what they want and addressing challenges and providing solutions. It’s not about manipulation or coercion or tricking. It’s about listening and understanding and then creating solutions that identify and help. One of the things that I’ve realized in the marketplace is that the sales bar of expectations of salespeople is really, really low. If I can help raise that bar just a little bit for Chattanooga, it will be significant. That’s my goal. I want people, when they meet someone and they’re a salesperson, to enjoy the experience and realize that they’re better off today than they were before interacting with that company or that salesperson. I want them to think, they must’ve worked with Beth because the bar is here.
Harley Green:
Yeah, so what are some tips that you might share for people that could start implementing to improve that experience as a salesperson that their clients or potential clients have when they do meet them?
Beth McClary-Wolford:
We need to be very conscious of the “so what.” I always ask people when they go and talk with a potential client, what’s in it for them? It’s not about what you do, it’s what you do does for the person that you’re talking to. So in your case with WorkerGenix, you provide virtual assistance. You help people focus themselves so they can go out in the world and do what they do best, which is meet and greet and talk with people. You take away the administrative stuff that has to be done, but it doesn’t have to be done by me. What you do for me is save me time and allow me to invest my energy where it’s the most valuable, right? Keeping it very customer-centric is key because people buy on emotion. They don’t buy on price. And even if someone’s price is higher, there was a reason why it was higher. What are you doing? What does that extra money do for the client? You’re just not communicating it. Or you really don’t understand what their motivation is for making the decision. Don’t spray and pray. Ask a lot of questions. Ask people, what is it you want to accomplish this year? We’re halfway through. What steps are you taking today so that I can see if I can help you? Being very customer-centric and trying to walk in their shoes is probably one of the most important things a person can do. When you start talking about emotions, people get uncomfortable. But you do have to care. And no matter how technical or intangible your product or service is, it does something for that client. It can change everything about what they’re doing.
Knowing your numbers and understanding how many calls it takes to get an appointment can be depressing, but it’s important. When things get better, we can celebrate and know that our efforts and preparation helped us along. A lot of people don’t understand the value of a lead. Even if you don’t close the deal today, what are you doing to stay in front of that person? You need to continuously communicate your value so that when things change, they come directly to you.
Harley Green:
That’s a really good point about that follow-up. Do you have any guidelines or rules of thumb to help sales teams and leaders calculate that investment they should make in follow-up?
Beth McClary-Wolford:
It comes down to continuous touching. To get somebody’s attention, you’ve got to touch them at least 18 times. I’ve read studies that suggest it can go up as high as 50 to 100 touches. We’re overstimulated—emails, texts, everything. So in the beginning of a client relationship, I always say it takes 18 touches. People think that means picking up the phone 18 times, but that’s not what I’m saying. We’ve got to figure out the customer journey—how to help them find you and become warmer to you. That could be as simple as a business card. People may not remember why they know your company, but it’s because they’ve seen your logo around. Business cards, social media—even if you’re not getting likes or comments, you’re still visible. Build a strong digital presence and provide value, tips, and insights. Familiarity builds trust.
Being consistent and persistent on social media helps. Provide education and value. Most people don’t know what you do. You have to share it. One of my favorite things is when I call someone and say, “This is Beth McClary-Wolford with Superpower Strategies,” and there’s a long pause—they’re trying to figure out if they know me. That means I’ve done my job. It’s not about who you know, it’s who knows you. The more people you meet, the better off you are. Everyone has a compelling story. Sometimes they forget why they started their business. And sometimes that’s all it takes—me sitting down and asking, why did you do this?
Harley Green:
I want to switch gears a little bit. As you’re assessing a company’s sales structure or processes, what are some of the first signs that something’s broken or just plain missing?
Beth McClary-Wolford:
In the assessment process, I meet with anyone who interfaces with clients. Some companies don’t even have salespeople—just people who interact with clients. I ask the same eight questions of everyone. The number one issue is that people do not understand the value they bring to the marketplace, and they can’t communicate it. I ask, what makes you different? Who’s your competitor and what makes you different? Everyone struggles. I thought it was isolated to Chattanooga, but it’s a common issue across the board. Founders may know what makes them different, but they don’t communicate it. Everyone on the team should understand your core values and what makes you unique. If no one else is talking about it, you can claim it.
There’s also the problem that after COVID, a lot of salespeople quit working. They were able to hide. In assessments, you can tell who’s working and who’s not. We all have those months or even years when we’re burnt out. The problem is not admitting it and hoping it will go away. But there are no shortcuts in sales. It’s hard work. If a salesperson is creative enough to get you on the phone and asks for 15 minutes, give it to them. That 15 minutes could bring value. People don’t want to be sold, but they love to buy. My process isn’t about selling—it’s about learning how to help.
Harley Green:
Is there a point at which it makes sense for the founder or leadership team to step back from frontline sales? What does that look like?
Beth McClary-Wolford:
Yes, absolutely. The number one skill a founder needs is sales. There’s a great Forbes article on this. People may have great products, but if they don’t know how to sell them, nothing happens. Often, the sales function is the first thing that gets pushed aside. Salespeople are handed a stack of cards and told to go sell, but there’s no infrastructure—no process, no technology, no coaching, no accountability. Teams are no different than children. They need expectations clearly communicated. Use the process. Be successful. Make money. Great sales teams have a process they follow without fail. They’re always prospecting. It’s not marketing’s job to provide leads—it’s the salesperson’s job to find prospects and share the story. I’m proud to be a sales professional. I still have customer relationships from years ago because I made a difference. It’s not about money. That’s just a reward. What really motivates a salesperson is making a connection and helping someone achieve something.
Harley Green:
You’ve helped people implement and revamp their sales processes. What’s one process most companies either overlook or underestimate?
Beth McClary-Wolford:
Lead nurturing. After your 18 touches, and once you get a meeting, you go out and do discovery. Then you come back to build a proposal. But before that, send a follow-up that says, “Here’s what I learned from our meeting.” That step alone raises the bar. It shows you listened. Use that information in your proposal. Say, “We talked, you shared X, Y, and Z. Is that still true?” Sometimes they add more. Always bring it back to their goals. Don’t assume they remember why you’re there. Remind them. You’re one of many vendors they’ve talked to. Remind them of your value. Sometimes people say, “That’s going to take a lot of creativity.” But if you have the right ideal customer profile, you can figure out how your solution fits. There’s always a return on that investment.
Harley Green:
If someone listening wants to strengthen their sales team, what’s one simple but powerful move they can make this week?
Beth McClary-Wolford:
Define your value. Who are you? What do you do? Why do people come to you? What makes you different? If you don’t know, call your best customers and ask them. Some people say, “I’m not the premier provider.” But you never will be unless you start saying it and acting like it. Ask yourself: why do people come to us? Fill in the blanks: because they’re overwhelmed with ____, frustrated with ____, looking for a partner who ____. And no, saving money isn’t one of those reasons.
Harley Green:
Beth, if people want to continue the conversation with you, what’s the best way to connect?
Beth McClary-Wolford:
They can go to my website and schedule a consultation at superpowerstrategies.com. Or email me at . Or call me at 423-551-3574.
Harley Green:
Awesome. We’ll include all that in the show notes. If you got value from this episode, hit like and subscribe so you don’t miss future strategies to help you scale smarter. Know someone who could benefit? Share the episode—it might be exactly what they need. Thanks again for tuning in. See you next time.
Beth McClary-Wolford:
Thank you!
