Module 1 of 7
Why selling feels dishonest
And the version that isn't.
The discomfort is not irrational and it is not something to be talked out of. What most people picture when they think of selling is a person trying to produce a yes regardless of whether the yes is good for you — pressure, invented deadlines, a discount that expires this evening. Disliking that is a sign of judgement, not a weakness to be trained out.
The version that is not dishonest is narrower and duller. It is: find out precisely what this person is trying to do, say plainly whether you can help, and if you cannot, say that instead. That is the whole discipline. Everything technical in this course — the questions, the proposal, the follow-up sequence — is machinery for doing that reliably rather than only on the days you feel confident.
And the reframe that makes it possible to start. If you have something that genuinely helps a particular kind of person, then not telling them is not modesty; it is a decision on their behalf that they would probably not endorse. Selling badly is a real harm. Not selling at all is also a cost, and it is usually paid by the person who needed the thing.
The honest version is: find out what they are trying to do, say plainly whether you can help, and say so when you cannot. Everything else is machinery for doing that reliably.