Shiny New Clients!

Episode: Why Selling Feels Icky (And How to Finally Fix It)

Host: Jenna Harding (Warriner)
Date: September 18, 2025

Overview

In this insightful episode, Jenna Harding (Warriner) tackles the common discomfort that entrepreneurs and service providers feel about selling. She demystifies why selling can feel "icky," reframes the act of selling as helping, and lays out actionable mindset shifts and strategies to make the entire experience more authentic, effective, and enjoyable. Jenna also shares her marketing philosophy, personal anecdotes, and a sneak peek into her Magic Marketing Machine program.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Myth of the 10,000 Follower Benchmark

Timestamp: 01:10 – 04:00

• Jenna addresses the obsession with having 10,000 followers as a marker of business success and explains why it's a misleading target.
• She encourages listeners to consider the actual conversion rates: "If all you need is three sales calls to book one perfect client, all you really need to book one perfect client is one perfect follower."
• Quote:

  “Why in the world are we aiming for 10,000 followers and trying to get 10,000 people to buy in on us and like us, if all you need is three sales calls to book one perfect client?"
  — Jenna (01:50)

The Real Reason Selling Feels Icky

Timestamp: 04:01 – 08:15

• Jenna explores the idea that people set big follower goals as a subconscious way to avoid selling because it feels uncomfortable or sleazy.
• Attributes people's unease with selling to past negative experiences (being pressured or treated poorly by salespeople).
• Personal anecdote about a sexist contractor experience illustrates how bad salespeople make us wish to avoid being like them.
• Quote:

  “Maybe you were in a sales situation that you felt uncomfortable with and you don't want to do that to other people because you're a good person, right?”
  — Jenna (07:00)

Reframing Your Mindset About Selling

Timestamp: 08:16 – 11:45

• Jenna invites listeners to start with a "blank slate" and view selling as a neutral, even positive, act.
• She insists selling, at its core, is about helping people find the solution they’re actively searching for.
• Emphasizes the importance of providing clarity, addressing questions, and using social proof to make prospective clients comfortable.
• Quote:

  “Selling is literally just about helping them. It's about putting all of this information in front of them that helps them make their decision and to learn what you're about.”
  — Jenna (09:05)

Messaging That Resonates—Speaking Your Client’s Language

Timestamp: 11:46 – 15:20

• Importance of matching your language with your audience's ("content" vs. "posts").
• Jenna introduces her GENIE method (from her Magic Marketing Machine program) for uncovering the exact words clients use to describe their desires and problems.
• The goal isn’t to manipulate, but to connect and clarify.
• Quote:

  "If I say content, there's like this wall between the two of us, right? But if I say posts, then they're like, oh yeah, I do take too long on my posts, right? So that's what I mean."
  — Jenna (13:00)

• She reinforces non-manipulative, authentic messaging:

  “You don’t come in and I go, okay, great. Here's how to manipulate people into buying from you. … No, I say here’s how to answer their questions. Here’s what I think makes you special. Let’s lean into that.”
  — Jenna (14:55)

Selling as Service for Helpers & Healers

Timestamp: 15:21 – 18:30

• Jenna specifically encourages service providers—coaches, therapists, designers, etc.—to see selling as a route to doing more of the work they love, with clients they love.
• Envisions a business model where waitlists and price increases are the main concerns, not client scarcity.
• Quote:

  “Selling and getting clients from Instagram is your path to spending more time doing that thing every single week with the most perfect clients and enjoying the job that you built for yourself.”
  — Jenna (16:29)

Why You Can’t Afford to Avoid Selling

Timestamp: 18:31 – 20:45

• Stresses that hating or avoiding selling is not an option for sustainable business growth.
• Discusses the necessity of learning to sell authentically and with integrity to fuel your business and serve your ideal clients.
• Quote:

  “You rely on your business. Your business needs to have revenue. So we need to instead figure out a way to sell in a way that feels good and an integrity and authentic to you.”
  — Jenna (19:39)

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• “I almost wonder sometimes if believing that we need 10,000 followers is almost like a shield that we're putting up because we're uncomfortable selling.” (05:25)
• Humorous and heartfelt aside about being ignored by a contractor, which emphasizing how negative sales experiences shape our behavior.
  “He would only address my husband... and still wouldn't address me… my father in law was actually uncomfortable.” (06:40)
• Relatable marketing tip:
  “Helpers and healers and teachers and coaches and therapists and mentors and designers and service providers… all these people who come to me, you want to help and heal and teach and serve and manage. You know what I mean? This. Selling... is your path to spending more time doing that thing with the most perfect clients.” (16:10–16:40)

Important Segments (with Timestamps)

• 01:10 – Debunking the 10,000 follower myth
• 05:25 – Selling as a shield against discomfort
• 06:40 – Personal story: The disrespectful contractor
• 09:05 – Selling as service, not sleaze
• 13:00 – “Content” vs. “Posts”—how language matters
• 14:55 – The GENIE method: Messaging for connection, not manipulation
• 16:29 – Vision of a fully booked, soul-aligned business
• 19:39 – Selling as a non-negotiable, authentic business skill

Conclusion

Jenna leaves listeners with permission—and actionable encouragement—to view selling as a form of helping, not hustling. By shifting the focus from follower counts to meaningful client relationships and authentic messaging, she shows that anyone can find their groove with sales. Enrollment is open for Jenna’s Magic Marketing Machine program, with extra bonuses for quick action.

“Imagine a world where you just have a steady flow of people coming in. You have a wait list. I want your next problem to be... you’re wondering what to do with yourself—and if you should raise your prices—because you have such a long wait list. Been there. I want that problem for you.”
— Jenna (17:10)

For more connection and support, Jenna encourages listeners to join her upcoming free Instagram strategy session and to enroll in Magic Marketing Machine for deeper support in mastering authentic selling.