Whether you’re 5 months or 5+ years into owning your business, you’ve likely noticed there are things you like—and dislike—about the online space and sales.
Specifically, how people sell and how people teach you how to sell.
From the LuLaRoe documentary to scrolling through Instagram stories, you’re experiencing firsthand how people sell, how it makes you feel, and how you want to show up and sell to your audience.
But let’s put a name to it: The feel-good part? That’s the ethical side of sales. The feel-bad part? That’s the unethical side of sales.
You’ll see plenty of both the longer you’re in business, but the more we talk about it, share about it, and decide what we’re willing to tolerate and DO as business owners, the less unethical sales strategies are normalized (and used).
Ethical vs. Unethical Sales: What’s the Difference?
Ethical sales, or ethical selling, looks a little different for everyone. But, overall, it’s selling in a way that creates a more informed, aware consumer who feels safe and confident in investing in your offer. They feel good and trust you with their money.
Unethical sales, or selling, gives people the ‘ick.’ It’s selling in a way that makes consumers feel pressured into buying or else.
The “or else” being a loss in their reputation as an expert, success as a business owner or person, or losing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that’s actually an “anytime” opportunity. Your consumer feels pressured and uneasy giving you their money.
Both are rooted in sales psychology—the study of consumer behavior, emotions, and cognitive processes to understand why and how customers buy—but one uses it to build confidence and trust in your offers, the other uses it to create pressure and false urgency to coerce a “yes.”
So, What Does This Mean for You?
You’re selling 24/7 whether you realize it or not. Every conversation is a sales conversation, whether you’re convincing your best friend Chomps is the best office snack or you’re talking about your experience and offers.
And when you’re selling, you need to be aware of how you’re doing it and how it makes your audience feel. From the moment you grab their attention with a good hook to the moment they sign your proposal, it builds the experience and their relationship/perception of you.
Ethical sales and marketing always:
- Communicates clearly, honestly, and transparently
- Centers the buyer’s autonomy and actual needs
- Puts people before profit (but knows both can exist without conflict if you’re intentional)
- Delivers what was promised, every single time
When you use ethical sales strategies, you’re building a positive relationship. You’re becoming someone who delivers, who they connect with, and who they want to work with.
You’re sharing an offer they understand, desire, and can easily say “yes” to.
They feel good about themselves and YOU (and you feel good marketing to them).
Reframing How You Sell And Selling Ethically (Whatever That Looks Like for YOU)
You don’t have to agree with everything I say or what I’ve shared as ethical vs. unethical—that’s fine, and human. Ethical sales is simply sales that put people first, not profit, however that looks and feels to YOU.
The goal is to reframe how you approach sales, one step at a time (with this being just one step in many). We’re always learning, changing, and adapting. The same applies to how we show up and sell.
But if you’re looking for strategies to implement ASAP, the Bestie Sales & Copy Custom GPT is your best option—or walkthrough Reveal’s Brain-Based Buying Framework©, a simple and scientific 5-step framework that will take your audience from “I’ve never heard of you” to “I’m your new favorite customer.”
