From Conversations to Clients: The Student Skill Most People Ignore

Learn how to close clients in the DMs without sounding salesy. This post breaks down the real art of conversational sales and how students and early-career professionals can turn conversations into cash flow, ethically and authentically.

In my final year at Brigham Young University–Idaho, I learned something that no textbook or lecture could ever teach.

And it didn’t happen in a classroom.

It happened in a WhatsApp chat.

Back in Spring 2021, I was part of a group project for CIT 380: Project Management. Our task? Build a full-scale recipe app—featuring step-by-step instructions and meals from every country in the world. I worked as one of the developers on the team.

We didn’t just learn how to code. We learned how to collaborate, solve problems, and meet deadlines as a real team.

Fast forward to July 2023—two years later.

Out of the blue, I woke up to this message:

“Hey Timmy, we worked together on CIT 380. I’m stuck on this app I’ve been trying to finish. Can you help me get it running?”

We hadn’t spoken in years. But because we worked well together and I delivered on our past project, he remembered me. He trusted me.

I said yes.

For the next three days, I worked nonstop to rebuild his app. We fixed the backend, cleaned up the front-end, and deployed a working product.

✅ He was happy.
✅ He paid.
✅ I earned my first income from my skill, using nothing but a chat app.

That moment changed how I see “opportunity” forever.

Here’s what most students and early-career professionals don’t realize:

📌 You don’t need a fancy business plan to earn money.
📌 You don’t need a perfect website or profile.
📌 You don’t need 10,000 followers.

You need a conversation.
You need confidence in your skills.
And you need relationships, even ones built in a class group, a workshop, a BootCamp, or a LinkedIn thread.

That’s it.
Today, I close deals, collaborate on global projects, and grow my brand—using only DM, Cold Emails, and chats.

It works on:

• 📩 LinkedIn messages

• 💬 Instagram DMs

• ✉️ Cold emails

• 💼 School group chats

• 🤝 Internship networks

But here’s what most people do wrong:

❌ They pitch too soon.
❌ They send copy-paste messages.
❌ They don’t ask the right questions.
❌ Or worse… they don’t reach out at all.

What works:

💬 Be human.
🎯 Focus on value.
🙋🏽‍♂️ Solve problems, don’t sell services.

Because every opportunity is attached to people.
And people respond to conversations that feel authentic and intentional.

This is why I teach “Sales by Chat” to students, freelancers, and young professionals. It’s a simple but powerful way to:

• Attract the right opportunities

• Get paid for your skills

• Build a reputation without needing a ad budget, or a huge following

What You Can Do Today:

If you're:

• A student looking for remote work or internships

• A creative struggling to get their first paying gig

• Or just someone with a skill and no roadmap…

“Opportunities don’t float like clouds in the sky.
They’re attached to people, and people respond to conversations.”

Let me help you turn your inbox into your income stream.