How did you transition from consultant to salesperson as you got promoted past manager?

I’m at the point in my consulting career where I feel very comfortable managing engagements and with the technical side of things, but need to start focusing on developing sales skills if I want to keep moving up (currently a manager). I’ve been trying to help with pitches, sit in on orals, and absorb as much as I can from SMs/Partners, but I feel like there’s so much I don’t know it’s a bit overwhelming.

I also have a former coworker who I was casually talking to for the first time in a while and they mentioned their company is going through a tough merger in the industry I specialize in. They are director level and have significant influence over big decisions. Im not super close with them so I wouldn’t be too upset on a personal/professional level if I took a shot at a pitch and burned a bridge or just came off as a bad salesperson or cringey. This seems like the perfect opportunity to try and pitch my firm and start building a book of business to help my promo case, but I have no idea how to initially start the pitch. Every time I draft up a text back it seems very transparent that I’m basically trying to say “I know you didn’t ask for help but it looks like you need it. please hire us!”

How do you guys learn to become more natural with sales?