--- title: You Are Not a Marriage Broker | The Sales Blog description: You have a big call, and you don’t have the subject matter or technical expertise you need to create value on the sales call. So you invite a subject matter expert to join you on the call so they can have the conversation and handle the questions that you can’t yet handle. Bringing a subject […] image: https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_59450956.jpg --- ### [Now booking SKO meetings for 2026/27! 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So you invite a subject matter expert to join you on the call so they can have the conversation and handle the questions that you can’t yet handle. Bringing a subject matter expert on sales calls is a good idea. Up to a point. At some point, it’s a weakness and a real problem. You aren’t a marriage broker. A salesperson’s role isn’t simply to bring two people to together to see if there is a fit. You are a value creator. #### Are You a Dependent? If you depend on a subject matter expert to make your sales calls, you are a [dependent](http://thesalesblog.com/2015/05/06/how-to-know-if-you-are-a-dependent/). This dependence is a problem. If the only value you bring to your client is arranging to bring a person from your company who can create the value that you can’t, you aren’t creating enough value to be consultative. You can’t be a trusted advisor without trust, and you can’t be trusted advisor with the advice. By abdicating your responsibility to know enough to create value in every sales interaction with your dream client, you bring too little to develop a real relationship. Not knowing enough about what you do, how you do it, and why it matters doesn’t create a preference for you nor does it create a competitive advantage. #### Get Smart Fast You can get smarter. Every time you take a subject matter expert on a sales call with you, write down the statements they make so you can study them. Write down the questions that your prospective client asks and your SME’s response. When you leave the meeting, review what your SME said, the customer’s questions, and their answers. Ask them why they said what they said. Ask them to share their thought process to deepen your understanding of their area of expertise. You may never have the same level of expertise as your subject matter expert, and you don’t need to. However, you ought to be able to make people believe you are a subject matter expert in your own right. And if you can’t do a web demo, you likely have learned helplessness. If you wanted to, you could learn to do it in a couple of hours. [**Tweet](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=You+Are+Not+a+Marriage+Broker&url=https%3A%2F%2Fthesalesblog.com%2F2016%2F03%2F02%2Fyou-are-not-a-marriage-broker%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3DSocialWarfare&via=iannarino) **Pin [**Share54](https://www.linkedin.com/cws/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthesalesblog.com%2F2016%2F03%2F02%2Fyou-are-not-a-marriage-broker%2F%3Futm_source%3Dlinkedin%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3DSocialWarfare) [**Share14](https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fthesalesblog.com%2F2016%2F03%2F02%2Fyou-are-not-a-marriage-broker%2F%3Futm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3DSocialWarfare) [**Email](mailto:?subject=You%20Are%20Not%20a%20Marriage%20Broker&body=You%20have%20a%20big%20call%2C%20and%20you%20don%E2%80%99t%20have%20the%20subject%20matter%20or%20technical%20expertise%20you%20need%20to%20create%20value%20on%20the%20sales%20call.%20So%20you%20invite%20a%20subject%20matter%20expert%20to%20join%20you%20on%20the%20call%20so%20they%20can%20have%20the%20conversation%20and%20handle%20the%20questions%20that%20you%20can%E2%80%99t%20yet%20handle.%20Bringing%20a%20subject%20matter%20expert%20on%20sales%20calls%20is%20a%20good%20idea.%20Up%20to%20a%20point.%20At%20some%20point%2C%20it%E2%80%99s%20a%20weakness%20and%20a%20real%20problem.%20You%20aren%E2%80%99t%20a%20marriage%20broker.%20A%20salesperson%E2%80%99s%20role%20isn%E2%80%99t%20simply%20to%20bring%20two%20people%20to%20together%20to%20see%20if%20there%20is%20a%0D%0A%0D%0ARead%20More%20Here:%20%20https%3A%2F%2Fthesalesblog.com%2F2016%2F03%2F02%2Fyou-are-not-a-marriage-broker%2F%3Futm_source%3Demail%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3DSocialWarfare) [**Pocket](https://getpocket.com/save?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthesalesblog.com%2F2016%2F03%2F02%2Fyou-are-not-a-marriage-broker%2F%3Futm_source%3Dpocket%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3DSocialWarfare) [**Buffer24](https://bufferapp.com/add?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthesalesblog.com%2F2016%2F03%2F02%2Fyou-are-not-a-marriage-broker%2F%3Futm_source%3Dbuffer%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3DSocialWarfare&text=You+Are+Not+a+Marriage+Broker) 92 Shares ###### Tags: [Sales](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/sales) [2016](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/2016) Post by [Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/author/anthony-iannarino) on March 2, 2016 Written and edited by human brains and human hands. ![Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/ai-blog-profile-crop.jpg) Anthony Iannarino is an American writer. He has published daily at [thesalesblog.com](https://www.thesalesblog.com) for more than 14 years, amassing over 5,300 articles and making this platform a destination for salespeople and sales leaders. Anthony is also the author of four best-selling books documenting modern sales methodologies and a fifth book for sales leaders seeking revenue growth. His latest book for an even wider audience is titled, The Negativity Fast: Proven Techniques to Increase Positivity, Reduce Fear, and Boost Success. Anthony speaks to sales organizations worldwide, delivering cutting-edge sales strategies and tactics that work in this ever-evolving B2B landscape. He also provides workshops and seminars. Connect with Anthony on LinkedIn, X or Youtube. You can email Anthony at [iannarino@gmail.com](mailto:iannarino@gmail.com) [Follow me on my website](https://www.thesalesblog.com/anthony-iannarino) [Follow me on Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/thesalesblog) [Follow me on LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/iannarino/) [Follow me on Twitter ](http://www.twitter.com/iannarino) [![AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27.jpg?width=400&height=400&name=AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27.jpg)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/authority) [![ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1.jpg?width=318&height=179&name=ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1.jpg)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/free-cold-calling-video) ![salescall-planner-ebook-v3-1-cover (1)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/salescall-planner-ebook-v3-1-cover%20(1).jpg?width=768&height=994&name=salescall-planner-ebook-v3-1-cover%20(1).jpg) ### Free Sales eBook: Sales Call Planner Planning your sales call improves the likelihood of making a successful call, and it demonstrates to your dream client your professionalism. 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What we’re doing right now **is working**, even in this challenging economy. **Would you like some help?** [![Solve for Sales](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035) ### Join my Weekly Newsletter for Sales Tips Join 100,000+ sales professionals in my weekly newsletter and get my *Guide to Becoming a Sales Hustler* eBook for FREE! --- ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org/", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Anthony Iannarino" }, "dateModified" : "2021-06-15T5:43:54 PM", "datePublished" : "2016-03-02 21:42:41", "description" : "You have a big call, and you don’t have the subject matter or technical expertise you need to create value on the sales call. So you invite a subject matter expert to join you on the call so they can have the conversation and handle the questions that you can’t yet handle. 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