Ethical Selling During Difficult Times
As I type this we are living through a global pandemic. Even typing those words feels surreal. Everything feels topsy turvy in all facets of life, including business.
You may be wondering if it’s even ok to keep selling when so many people are struggling deeply in the world. I’ll give you some real examples below, but the short answer is, “yes.”
Sure, some people bought up all the hand sanitizer, face masks, and toilet paper so they can sell it at a markup, but that’s not YOU. Heck, even when we aren’t navigating a crisis there are always jack asses trying to make a buck off of people’s fears and insecurities (hello diet culture!).
Before I dive into examples, I want to share something I deeply believe: Womxn with wealth are changing the world. There are stats to back this up, but you have to rid yourself of the belief that having and making money is somehow evil.
This just isn’t true. You only have to look to Oprah, Melinda Gates, or any other philanthropist to see all the good one can do with extra money.
Second, our economies need money to circulate. I’m not an economist but I know enough to know that local economies thrive on local dollars. Local charities thrive on local donors.
And if you have a VA, Social Media Manager, Coach, or other support for your business, when you make money you can pay them, and they can pay their staff, and so on. This movement of money is essential, especially in economically straining times.
Plus, think of all the ways you can use your unique gifts to help people! It’s not like you’re asking for money with nothing in return. You’re providing a very needed service right now.
Here are a few examples:
You’re a social media manager who helps people get found by their ideal clients on Instagram. Right now people who have been getting clients from in-person networking desperately need your help! If they can’t network face-to-face, they risk a decline in business.
You’re a digital course expert who helps 1:1 service providers move their knowledge and skills online. Right now anyone who offers an in-person service has been impacted. They may need an expert to help guide them through this process.
You’re a life coach for moms who helps navigate mindset and parenting issues. Right now working parents are being asked to be home all day with their children AND homeschool them. You can help them deal with the challenging feelings around this and help them create new structure.
I know for myself there are people who suddenly find themselves the sole earner for their family and they need to find better strategies for growing their business. Or they realize now is the time to really expand so they have more control over their financial destiny. Or they need to restructure some offers or their marketing plan.
Since these are things I can help with, I want to show up and serve.
And here’s why I can’t do that for free, for everyone, indefinitely:
Burnout is real.
I’ve figured out for myself that I’m pretty useless if I coach for more than 3 hours a day. I’m good up until that point, but after that my brain is just done.
It’s not fair to my paying clients if I use up my energy on unlimited free coaching. They won’t get the best of me if I do that.
I also need to be sure I’m making time to prioritize myself and my family. Since we can’t escape each other right now, it’s imperative to not work myself to the point of being cranky and short-tempered. I need to still give myself time for self-care.
I can only do this by creating healthy boundaries with my work.
However, here are some things you can do if you feel called to help outside of your normal offerings/rates:
Use a one-to-many approach to teach something for free. Use your social media, blog, podcast, Zoom, free Facebook group, or other people’s platforms to show up and teach people something useful right now that relates to your expertise.
Offer a flexible payment option for existing offers. If you have a course, you could offer 3 payments instead of 2. If you do 1:1 coaching or a done-for-you service you can either spread out payments or decrease the deliverables. Or even a pay-what-you-want option with a suggested price range. Divert a portion of your income from new sales to support a community resource that is in need of support.
Create a smaller one-off offering that helps give people some forward momentum right now. Going back to earlier examples a SMM could give someone a content calendar to implement; a course creator could help you with an outline; a life coach could do a one-hour session.
Lastly, don’t create something based upon scarcity, fear, or opportunism. Give yourself a moment to pause and think about your offer. You don’t have to do it right this second.
And if you’re completely stumped or simply want a second opinion, click here to find a time and we can chat about it. And, yes, this call has been and will continue to be free. ;)
