If your stomach flips every time you try to sell, this one's for you.

There was a point in my business where I was frantically trying to figure out how to market myself. I consumed all the “expert” advice I could get my hands on—sales pages, templates, courses, scripts. And somewhere along the line, I started recognizing the tricks.

You know the ones.

Artificial scarcity. Guilt-laced urgency. Tactics designed to trigger shame so someone clicks “Buy Now” just to stop feeling like a failure.

Now with voice—because sometimes reading feels like a lot.

I'm testing out something new: a casual audio version of this newsletter article you can listen to while walking, sipping, or pretending to answer emails (no judgment). If it’s helpful, I might make it a regular thing.

🎧 Click here to listen

I'd love to know—should I keep doing these? Just hit reply and tell me.

Once I saw it, I couldn’t unsee it. Not just in the advice I was being fed, but in the marketing all around me. It left me with a full-body ick.

Here’s the truth: I was tempted. When you need to make money, and everyone is telling you that manipulation works, you start to believe that you have to sell that way. But I could never bring myself to do it. I couldn’t create fake countdown timers or pretend I was almost out of spots when I wasn’t. And I definitely couldn’t use someone’s fears or insecurities as leverage. That’s not why I started this business.

So I stopped creating offers out of desperation, and I stopped trying to sell in ways that didn’t sit right with me. I shifted my pricing to reflect value, not billable hours. I focused on creating services that I knew could truly help someone—and started trusting that the right people would feel that and respond.

Now, selling with integrity means showing up honestly. Offering something because it can make a real difference. And letting go of the need to convince someone who’s just not ready. Because here’s the thing: if someone isn’t in a place to take the next step, no sales tactic in the world is going to make the transformation stick.

If you’re stuck in that icky place with your own sales strategy, here’s what I’d say:

"Stop trying to mimic what’s working for everyone else and get quiet with yourself."

Ask:

• Who am I really, and how do I want to connect with people?
• What kind of energy do I want to bring into my business?
• What do I deeply believe is possible for the people I want to help?

Authentic selling starts with authentic self-knowing. Otherwise, you’re just playing someone else’s game with someone else’s rules.

And frankly, you deserve better.

Because business should always feel human 🫶🏻,

Ready to sell based on value, not hours? ⏳

My self-paced course Setting Your Rates Based on Value is designed to help you shift your mindset, pricing, and offers to reflect your true worth.

It’s 50% off through April 30th, 2025.

Grab it here → https://payhip.com/b/7hBsp

🗣Tell a Friend, Save a Soul (from Sleazy Marketing)

You know that friend who hates selling because it makes them feel like a used car dealer with a vision board? Forward this their way.

Sharing this newsletter means one less entrepreneur gets trapped in “bro marketing” nonsense—and one more gets to build a business that actually feels like them.

More humans. Less hustle. Let's spread the word. 💌

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