We were next to them at the expo and because of our proximity I got to listen to them all day long. They were selling books. They were friendly and knowledgeable but their sales technique made me want to vomit. To be clear, I was in medical sales for 10 years and was in upper management in the company. I coach people in sales, specifically in the energy behind sales. It wasn’t discomfort in the sales process that made me want to vomit, it was their approach. I listened to them time and time again approach people with insincerity and play on their need for validation. They would throw empty compliments at people and then tell them how they needed to buy these books, they had single books and then bundles of books. As the day progressed my dislike for their sales strategy only increased. It made me cringe as they would target people who appeared disempowered and then pounced on them like a cat with a mouse.
I watched them play with each customer. Sometimes taking photos with the people only to mock them when they walked away. I watched them change their identity from person to person. I watched them pitch their product in a way that made my heart hurt. We were sitting in a spiritual expo and I know that not everyone comes with integrity, but having to witness it so closely made my heart hurt.
Later in the day one of them came over to talk. He asked how the day was going and I politely smiled and gave a superficial answer, not wanting to engage with his energy. He offered me food that he had brought and I recognized that the offer was sweet but there was zero chance that I would put food that was cooked in that vibration into my body. I thanked him for the offer and declined.
As we parted ways for the day I felt grateful for the reminder to show up with integrity because the alternative was appalling. I closed my eyes and felt intense gratitude for this lesson and then walked away closing the door on that energy.