Cringy Sales vs Conscious Sales: What’s The Difference & Why It Matters

Written by: Nina Concepcion • February 21, 2023

Image Source: https://unsplash.com/@blakewisz

When you think of sales, is it a negative or positive experience?

Where does your mind automatically take you? 

A waterfall or positive thoughts that fill you with joy?

Or, as it does for most, does a series of negative thoughts come to mind?

If it’s the latter, don’t worry. You’re not alone. As I say, this is what comes to mind for most people. Maybe it’s due to a personal experience you’ve had with a pushy salesperson.

Or maybe just because you’ve spent years trying to fit into what you think sales is.

… all the while feeling: this isn’t me; this is not how I want to do things!

Have you noticed our minds automatically remember the negative first?

Our default is to actually think negatively, remember the negative, and focus on the negative. 

Why? 

Because our minds try to keep us safe, not encourage our personal growth!

That’s a problem, especially for an entrepreneur like you.

Sales is important. It’s the lifeblood of your business. Like it or not, it plays an essential role.

And right now, you likely make your life even harder simply due to how you perceive sales. Those negative thoughts spiral forward, which leads you to lead unaligned and uninspired.

But what if there was another way?

Imagine, instead, that you focus on a positive sales experience you’ve had…

You no longer focus on the cringy side of sales, but instead on the positive impact it has on you, your business, and those you serve. You lead with alignment, inspired and serving your audience in a more purposeful and natural way.

It can be had. YOU can have this.

As an entrepreneur, you already deeply understand the power of our minds and how our thoughts and emotions create our reality.

With a negative outlook on sales, you’ll continue to have a negative experience with it.

And so will your customers!

Whereas if you change this outlook, your experience will change with it.

This is where the power of Conscious Selling comes in… 

First, take a moment to ask yourself … “who do I choose to be?”

Most people think that sales is a sleazy, unethical, and manipulative way to push someone to buy something they don’t want. 

And to be honest that IS the predominant experience most have.

The problem here is, as Tony Robbins says, the strongest human desire is to be congruent with who we believe we are. 

If we have a fear of what it means to be a good salesperson, and that belief is congruent with our own values, we sabotage ourselves when selling to our audience.

But over the years, I’ve learned to flip the script…

I have come to view sales as a heart-centered, ethical, and integrity-driven way to empower someone to invest in themselves. 

Sales, to me, is a reflection of the impact I have in the marketplace; how much love I can give and share with the wider community.

After I have supported my clients in doubling, tripling and even 5x-ing their sales, I ask them… what is the biggest benefit of working with me? 

Their response… 

“Nina, you mean other than the money I have made? 

Because I have doubled/tripled/quadrupled/10x my income! 

Making more money in my business is definitely a huge benefit… but other than that, it’s the impact you’ve had on my mindset. I no longer feel I need to be pushy or someone I am not in order to make lots of sales. 

Which has had a huge impact on me making more money in my business.”

When I hear this, I know the person I’ve worked with and served has fundamentally changed their perception of sales. Like most, they once resisted it and saw only the negative.

Not anymore… now they’re able to see the positive impact it has.

On both their business and the people they serve!

All this means their outlook on sales is now congruent with them being a good, loving, and caring human being (and entrepreneur). 

Which is in alignment with their values of who they believe they are.

AND leads them to be the person they want to be!

Rather than sales being sleazy, how can we see it as heart-centered? 

First, you need to place your own agenda and beliefs to one side and focus on the person in front of you asking for help. Rather than sales being unethical, focus instead on what this person ACTUALLY says (instead of trying to sell something they don't want or need).

Rather than sales being manipulative, it’s important we think about the decisions that align with our integrity—sometimes this means expressing we are not the best person to support them right now.

Rather than trying to push someone to buy something, how can we provide a solution for the problem THEY express—and that they’ve clearly stated is a priority for them right now? 

That way they’re investing in themselves, their growth, what they care about, and what is important to them in becoming the next highest version of themselves.

During my Tedx Talk, I talk about all this in more detail… sharing the connection between the congruency of our own values and the value we share with the world (the marketplace)...

This is a key piece I share in my Conscious Sales Method.

It’s through embracing our imperfections that we feel like we belong and make a difference. 

When we stop apologizing for who we are, we can focus on the impact we’re here to make. 

This is why vulnerability and connection sit at the foundation of Conscious Sales. 

As Brene Brown says…

The whole-hearted are willing to let go of who they thought they should be, in order to be who they are

In other words, we need to admit who we are NOT so we can accept who we ARE. 

To embrace our strengths, we must learn to stop judging our imperfections. 

From there, you give yourself permission to be vulnerable, which breeds connection that leads to conscious sales and effective communication. 

At its core, we deeply care about making a difference, sharing our gifts, sharing our heart, and being able to be ourselves. 

I have found the best way to make the biggest difference is to do exactly that!

To be fully ourselves… 

Then as entrepreneurs, sharing this unique gift and personality with our audience.

Conclusions & Next Steps

As an entrepreneur, sales plays an important role in your life whether you like it or not.

You can choose to try and fit into a series of strategies and approaches that do not align with who you are… or you can change your perspective toward sales and find true alignment.

In my experience, it’s much better when you do the latter.

This is the massive impact Conscious Sales can have.

You still sell. You still guide your audience on a journey. You still serve them. Only now you do so in alignment with your values. You lead with positivity instead of focusing on all those negative thoughts, beliefs, barriers, and more.

So in order to move from Sleazy Sales to Conscious Sales, you must…

1. Decide on your values and who you want to be as a person

2. Embrace your imperfections and share these with your audience

3. Communicate with integrity and focus on how you can serve them

Decide → Embrace → Communicate.

I often say, "We beat imposter syndrome when we shift our attention from self to service”.  

This is something I personally struggled with for a long time… I see so many of my clients also struggle with this exact same thing.

But when we remind ourselves to decide and claim what we desire, embrace who we are, and communicate from our heart, we move into more service, abundance, and impact.

What used to be a struggle (and a perceived weakness) becomes a strength.

You benefit from this, but, more importantly… so do your customers.

Because they need help. You help them in a way nobody else can (or will).

For this reason, sales is an amazing thing you get to do each day.

… so long as you approach it with the right mindset.

To dive deeper into all this, you may like to look at my book, The Naked You. It takes what we’ve discussed here to more exciting levels, allowing you to implement Conscious Sales into your business and life.

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