The Serve Call Framework

If you're bad at sales, it's probably because you're a good person. You don't want to make the relationship weird. You don't want to freak someone out or have a bad conversation that ruins a friendship or a future relationship. You're smart about your relationships. You're not a spammer. You're not pushy. But that creates a real problem unless you figure out how to sell in a relational way, not a transactional way.

I learned this framework from John Meese, author of Serve to Sell and creator of Sold Out Coach. I met him at a Donald Miller event in Nashville. He told me the origin story of the Moscow Mule over Moscow Mules in the lobby of the Omni. One of the friendliest, warmest, and smartest guys I know. And boy does he know how to run and scale a business.

I've been in his coaching program since fall 2024, and I've used this call format on almost every sales call since then. It's helped me sell over $10,000 in coaching services and counting. The core idea is simple: stop running sales calls. Start running Serve Calls. You actually help the person, whether they buy or not. And if they're a fit, the invitation to work together feels natural.

This guide breaks down the full 7-step framework (the 6Rs + Hearts First), how to book the calls with simple Hand Raiser emails, and the field notes I've picked up from 18 months of using it in the real world.

If you want to build your sales process alongside other small business owners who are keeping it simple, join us at smallbusinessvideoschool.com.