Why You Bought That Expensive Course You Didn’t Really Want: Behind the Psychology of Sell-From-Stage Pitches

30 minute read. [I know. Sorry.]

Oh, look at that. A free half day course! On how to sell more / build a business / make millions from social media / live a better life / find every success I’ve ever wanted!

But wait… surely there’s a catch? Why would someone want to give me all this valuable information, their time and resources, for free?

As a keen participant in the personal development space, I’ve found myself at a few of these “free” courses over the years. Some of them have been good, others terrible.

It’s a scary, unregulated space we’re in. Some speakers are insightful people who serve their clients with real value that can help them. Other figures project this perception of expertise and prey on the vulnerable, promising them the world before handing them an atlas.

When I first started sales training, I went to a few of these events. I wanted to learn, but I also wanted to understand how people conducted them. How did they get the ROI from the ‘free’ half-day event?

The most interesting thing I started noticing, though, was the common thread of psychological techniques used to influence the attendees. That’s what this article is about.

I should put the disclaimer that if used with integrity, and a genuine intention to serve their clients, many of these techniques are – in my opinion – perfectly fine to execute. There’s nothing wrong with framing your message in an appealing way if it’s done honestly and authentically. What I dislike is when people turn from building urgency to pressuring people. When you get that icky feeling that you’re buying something because of the person at the front singling you out, or the people around you looking at you expectantly.

Even though we all make our own choices, it’s important to be aware of why, exactly, you might be feeling like you should buy at these events, and how this happens. Speakers can create an emotional environment built for impulse buying. And I want to show you how they do it.

I write this not because I want to ‘expose’ anyone, or put down the personal and professional development industry. I’m in professional development myself, and I think of it as one of the most important industries in the world – particularly for younger generations who (according to research) crave more knowledge, investment, growth and meaning from their jobs. We can always improve our skills. Again, some people who use the sell-from-stage business model are wonderful, skilled, authentic and authoritative. That’s cool man. Other people behave like – dare I say it - predators. Categorically not cool, man.

I want to highlight what exactly is going on at some of these events, so you can recognise them if you’re there. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t buy that upgrade from that person. It means perhaps you can distinguish between the techniques and your views and be a little more objective about your choices. I have tried to minimise my personal judgment on each technique and focus on simply showing you what’s happening and why. (I have failed at minimising my judgment on certain points, which you’ll see). At the very least, my hope for you is if you find yourself buying an insanely expensive product and regretting it later, you’ll be able to explain to your judgey friends later how exactly that happened.

So, now that all my disclaimers are covered, without further ado, here we go…

If you’ve ever gone to a modern ‘free course’ and found yourself accidentally walking away with thousands of dollars exited from your credit card, this is for you. Here are some of the things you can expect from the modern “half-day free course”. I have broken it down into key steps:

1.    An environment built for buying

Music.

It is rare that you will walk into one of these seminars and not have happy, upbeat music playing as you enter. We are all aware of the effect music can have on our mood – immediately, you will probably associate the environment with more positivity and social connection. Some studies indicate that when listening to your favourite songs, you get a hit of that beautiful chemical dopamine, which makes you feel good. Other research suggests that music can elevate levels of happiness, and in some cases increase creativity.

On a basic level, it’s a much more pleasant environment when there is music playing. I begin my training sessions with music playing – always. And while some may think it’s because I like to boogie (not untrue), I do this intentionally to set up a positive atmosphere before we start learning.

In the case of a sell-from-stage situation, music is the first of many subtle tools utilised to set people up for a positive emotional experience from the start.

Elevated mood through movement and touching.

Research suggests that dancing for just five minutes can improve our creative thinking and make us feel happier. Dancing, like most exercise, releases endorphins, helps us connect with people, and generally feels good.

Some speakers will utilise physical movement as a way to get their attendees into that dance-rush. I have seen some who will have everyone up and dancing prior to making their big offer – presumably partly in hope that people will be more open to their offer when they’re feeling good after a little boogie.

Similarly, some speakers will get people holding hands, hugging, hi-fiving or otherwise touching each other. Physical connection with others can help stimulate a sense of community and belonging, and in some cases even be a source of serotonin, one of the known love chemicals. Again, these exercises can put people into a more positive emotional state.

Creating an environment built for buying involves getting people into a more emotive state. Through music and physical movement, people are doing more feeling and this sets the scene for a potentially emotional decision to come.

2.    An emotional backstory

Stories are very powerful things. Yuval Harari, famous historian and author of Sapiens, writes about how stories are one of the key things that differentiate humans from all other animals. We use them to understand everything from politics, to history, to religion, family, friends, business and people. They help us connect with each other. He writes:

“ It's relatively easy to agree that only Homo sapiens can speak about things that don’t really exist, and believe six impossible things before breakfast. You could never convince a monkey to give you a banana by promising him limitless bananas after death in monkey heaven…

… However, fiction has enabled us not merely to imagine things, but to do so collectively… such myths give Sapiens the unprecedented ability to cooperate flexibly in large numbers…” [Sapiens, p29]

I don’t intend to suggest that the stories you hear at these seminars are ‘myths’, but rather emphasise that stories are used to enhance the collective emotional experience of a crowd.

A powerful story here is often employed to demonstrate the ‘hero arc’ of the speaker. If you haven’t heard of the speaker before, it helps you to connect with them. The classic hero’s journey in this context involves a story of hardship (something bad, traumatic or difficult they had to endure – you often see stories with drug-addictions, terrible car accidents, losses of a parent or both parents, or homelessness), which the person then had to overcome.

Of course, often these stories alone are very inspiring by their very nature. I have great admiration for anyone who has overcome hardship in their life. We also know, from a behavioural science point of view, research indicates that those who face adversity are often more resilient and able to overcome future difficulties.

We usually see this in the arc of:

“At first, I had to endure [difficult event]…

It left me [negative state]…

Then, I discovered [unique selling point or frame]…

And I was able to [positive outcome / ideal self attained]”

Sometimes, when telling their personal story, the speaker will themselves become quite emotional. Others will show pictures of the difficult time in their life, to really demonstrate the gravity of what their situation looked like.

Of course, speakers are not the only people we see this arc from. Reality TV shows love contestants to frame some sort of hero’s journey for different television shows. Everyone is more empathetic and more human when they show their vulnerabilities, and more inspiring when they show how they overcame difficult times. It’s relatable, and it’s sometimes amazing when the feat is great.

Sometimes this story gives credibility to the speaker in some way. Sometimes, though, it seems like it’s not even related to the expertise of the speaker. A tragic childhood is a terrible thing to have to endure, but does that really make you more authoritative in how to use social media for business? Does a drug-addicted past contribute to your expertise in investing? I don’t know. Something to consider.

We shouldn’t disregard these stories. We should, though, recognise that this, again, hits the emotional side of our brain. We’re building an emotional attachment to the story that connects with our own hopes and dreams.

3.    Building interest in the upcoming offer while delivering the free content

Usually, the next part of the free seminar will involve a lot of great value points. The speaker will present some helpful information that aligns with their message.

“So this is one of the key points… we go into it in a lot more depth in the [big course to be offered]…”

“This is the basic formula. The important additions to this are covered in the [big course to be offered]…”

“In the [big course to be offered] I’ll show you how to use this easily and efficiently.”

Speakers will usually give you some of their best stuff at the free course event. This makes sense, because the free course is almost like a movie trailer, enticing you to watch the whole thing. Some of the coolest titbits are presented (which can be why these free events genuinely bring you value).

But then, you start to feel like you’re in a video game where you’re on level 1 and all the other levels are locked. You’ll get some information, but the rest is locked out, accessible only if you buy the bigger sales offer. The speaker will bring attention to this, teasing you with the promise of even more brilliant stuff from the course they’ll be pitching.

Although this is a very effective technique, I don’t think it’s overly effective unless you’re interested in the content being given to start with. If you’re not enjoying the current value, it seems unlikely that mentioning the “extra secrets” that come with the bigger investment will make you feel more urgency to buy it. Some might argue that even if you don’t particularly care for what’s being shared, you might have some FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) kick in and this would increase your urgency to buy.

That said, this is very common in the speak-from-stage set up. Also notable is the potential psychological power of repeating the name of the course a series of times in the lead up to offering it. This perhaps aligns to what we call the “mere exposure effect” – that the very fact of being familiar with something (by being exposed to it a number of times) can increase an individual’s liking for that thing. The mere exposure effect is used a lot in social media marketing, and is the reason why you are genuinely considering getting a Koala mattress. (I think I’ve had an ad for that pop up on Facebook about 9600 times… or is that just me?)

4.    Reciprocity on the sell

In a sell from stage scenario, the ‘selling’ part comes at the end. They always sell at the end. Why?

After sitting through a couple of hours of free value, the speaker is essentially asking that you listen to their sales pitch as payment. You’ve already gained that value, and you can’t exactly give it back, so it’s a solid argument to keep you there.

This is the concept of reciprocity – that when someone gives us something, we feel inclined to give them something to return the favour. In this case, you are giving them your time to listen to their pitch because they’ve given you value. This is why you’ll feel inclined to listen and pay attention – and in some cases, you’ll already feel an urge to buy their product, as though you must thank them for their time with your money.

The word “free” in this context never means “free”. It means “you don’t have to pay with money”, but inevitably you must pay with something. This is like when an online app is “free”, but you give it all your personal data when you sign up – the currency there is information.

This kind of reciprocity model is similar to the ‘pay what you think we deserve’ style of restaurants that were a fad for a while. That whole concept is reliant on the principle of reciprocity – that people will feel obliged to give a lot in exchange for the meal and service.

5.    Anchoring

What if I told you that I have a course you can buy, that is only $2500?

Oh? A little steep?

What if first, I told you that this course is usually a whopping $12,000? And today only, for the first 100 people, you’re able to get it for $2500?

That’s a saving of $9500. A massive 79% off the normal price.

One of the most common frames of the sell from stage process now involves a once-off, insane discount to a product or service. There’s a lot going on in the back end here, so I’ll break it down bit by bit. Let’s start with anchoring.

Anchoring is a well-documented cognitive bias. Daniel Kahneman, Nobel-prize-winning psychologist and economist, writes about many of these biases in his legendary book, Thinking Fast and Slow. One experiment conducted by Kahneman and Amos Tversky in 1973 beautifully demonstrates anchoring in action.

People were asked a question, to which the answer was a number or value.

Before they were asked the question, a wheel of fortune was spun in front of them and the number it fell on became the starting point. Each person had to decide whether the starting value on the wheel was too high or low, and then estimate the answer to the question. Of course, the starting value was entirely arbitrary and had no bearing on the true answer.

For example, one question was to estimate the percentage of African countries in the UN. For groups which had 10% as a starting point, the average estimate was 24%.

For those who had 65% as the starting point, the average estimate was 45%.

By being exposed to a certain number beforehand, you become “anchored” to that number. It affects the way you think about succeeding numbers presented to you.

So, when I say to you, this course is usually $12000, your mind anchors at $12000. When I then give you a much lower sale price of $2500, your instant reaction is to compare that (consciously or not) with the price you heard before it. It suddenly seems like very little to spend.

Anchoring is used everywhere in marketing – online shopping will excite you with a skirt that was $50, and is now only $25; and retail stores will use signage to explicitly cross out the old price but leave it legible so the customer knows the saving.

So, it’s not only in the sell-from-stage situation that we are presented with this. I also train salespeople to use anchoring, to demonstrate the total value of the product and then, when there is a promotion on the product, to show the customer what they’re saving.

Personally, my litmus test for when anchoring looks dodgy is this: When it sounds exaggerated, it probably is. When someone says that this course is usually $100,000, but they’re selling it to you for $100, or the service for today only is 97% off, alarm bells start ringing for me. It’s the equivalent, to me, of something like “I’m actually losing money here, but I’m doing it out of my dedication for you”. These really unrealistic claims of puffery should be a signal that this person is using the technique for the sake of the technique, and not from a place of authenticity. 

Also, be aware of the subtle use of language here. When a speaker says the course is “worth” $100,000, they probably don’t mean it has ever been priced at $100,000. What they have likely done is quantify the different things you could gain from the course (e.g. if someone gained 10 clients worth $10,000 each because they could sell more to them), and used that to determine the overall value.

6.    Puffery

Puffery is a fun legal term that refers generally to a statement so exaggerated that no one would reasonably rely on it. There’s a bit of complexity to it that I won’t unpack, but it’s generally a big sweeping statement that is so absurd or extreme that it wouldn’t mislead a consumer.

For example, “the best coffee in the world”, “it will blow your mind”, “this will be the greatest experience you ever have”, “it’s like floating on air”, “it’s sensational”, “it’s incredible”, “it’s out of this world”, etc.

You’d hardly approach the café and get angry because you once had a better coffee in Italy, right? Or go up to a course convener and sneer that this course turned out to be very much in this world, and not out of it.

These are examples of puffery, and they are rife in the sell-from-stage world. In the pitch, you’ll often hear really strong statements about changing your life forever, shifting your whole world, getting the best course in history, etc.[1] Usually it won’t be quantifiable – “You’ll make $200,000 more every year”—but general and emotional.

The point is, these grand, exciting statements transfer confidence and certainty to you – and speak directly to your emotions without really promising much.

I have seen a number of speakers offer a money-back guarantee, along the lines of “if you don’t love it, I’ll give you a refund no questions asked.” For this approach, I have a lot more respect. At the same time, when you place an emotional measurement (“if you don’t love it”) on something’s success, I would suggest that people are less likely to request a refund compared with a refund policy indicating a measurable bar for success. That’s a personal inkling though, so I’d be interested in the thoughts of others.

7.    Scarcity

Not only is this a massive saving, but the offer is today only?! For the first 100 people?

This is what the words “today only” and “for the first 100 people” bring to (subconscious) mind for the average person:

1.    I need to make a decision quickly;

2.    If I don’t take the program now, I’ll miss out; and

3.    If I do take it, I’ll be in an exclusive club of 100.

Scarcity is the concept that when something is less available, we find it more attractive. It’s cognitive FOMO.

So, when someone says something is only available for a limited time, our mind moves not necessarily to what we will gain from the decision, but what we will miss out on if we don’t. Humans are loss-averse creatures, so this can be very persuasive. It also means we force our decision-making process to speed up into overdrive, which can lead to impulsive choices.

You’ll see this, again, online all the time. Hotels use this a lot, with pop-ups on the screen declaring there’s only one room left! to encourage you to move forward. Suddenly, there is urgency to buy.

8.     Public Commitment

I went to a free course once where the speaker, after giving a very powerful emotional backstory, going through some nice content points to give value to the audience, and making his exclusive today-only, heavily discounted offer for the greatest program in the history of mankind[2], did something I’d not yet seen.

First, he said, “who thinks they’d be interested in this course?”

Some hands went up.

Then, he said, “actually, if you are willing to step up and invest in yourself with this course, I want you to stand up. Show us, who thinks they might go forward and are interested in this course?”

Then, he waited.

In silence.

Until people stood.

He included another scarcity-based value-add. “If you stand up today, not only will you get the [existing offer], I’ll also throw in [additional thing] for free. Who wants it?”

More people stood.

I have to say, simply from the vibe of the room – the speaker’s expectation, the very silent air, and the audience members all looking around to each other, perhaps guessing who would be next to step up – I felt that emotional urge to stand. I didn’t stand, because my brain stopped me (I didn’t actually want the course), but I felt it: This strong, expectant pressure that the room acquiesce to the next stage of this speaker’s process. I am almost certain that while some people would have stood out of genuine interest, others would have stood purely from a perceived pressure. It all felt a bit yucky, personally. 

This was perhaps the most high-pressure sell of the several I’ve seen. His next step, with the people standing, was to direct them to the back of the room to make their purchases. We all watched as they walked back down the aisles to the workers with the point of sale machines ready to go.

You couldn’t possibly change your mind then, could you? You have literally been ushered to the back to get your credit card out. Everyone is watching. How embarrassing for the individual who is thinking carefully and deciding they want to sit back down!

And thus, we have our next careful psychological frame: Public commitment.

The concept of Public Commitment, or the Norm of Commitment, is that when we commit to something in public, we feel more inclined to follow through with it. For example, if you tell everyone you’re bringing in muffins for the office tomorrow, you’ll be less likely to get home and decide you don’t feel like baking after all. If you’re already in line at a shop but start to rethink your purchase, you’re more likely to go through with it because you’ve already practically bought it. If you announce to your friends at the restaurant that you’re on a diet, you’ll feel obliged to order the salad and skip dessert. As humans, we like to be consistent.

Consequently, if you stand up in a room of people to indicate that you’re interested in a course, you’re far more likely to continue the process and get out your credit card.

What I have noticed is some of these speakers try to utilise the exact point when the person is making the public commitment. For example, they might ask those who are interested in learning more about their new program to put their hand up. Then, they might ask them to keep their hand up, so one of their workers can go around and get the details of each person. You’ve already told the world you’re interested, so now you’re going to let them make you a legitimate lead.

I probably don’t need to point out that this is technique can get icky. When you think you’re being asked for an expression of interest (a very small commitment), but that becomes pressure to make a very large commitment of money, time or both, there’s a massive problem. I have even heard stories of a speaker singling out someone who changes their mind in one of these situations, asking them, ‘why? What’s going on?’ if they go to sit back down, for example. This, in front of a group of people, where social pressure would kick in and it would feel like David v Goliath.

So, this section has officially gotten me all depressed and concerned for the future of humanity but the point remains that public commitment is a common tool used to sell people on things, especially in the context of free seminars.

I use public commitment all the time in training, where I ask people to put up a hand as an agreement to support each other, engage with the process, and give things a go. This is something I do to try and establish that everyone is in the same boat, dedicated to the training, and committed to creating a safe space of support and openness. I would call this a positive use of the technique.

Public commitment can therefore be used in a really positive way (“Put your hand up if you’ve decided to focus on your goals from now on”) or a really negative, manipulative way (“put your hand up if you’re going to pay more attention to your goals… now keep it up so I can put you down for my course on goal setting”).

Make sure, if you’re genuinely interested in a speaker’s upgrade, that you make the decision of your own volition, and not because you “feel like you should” after expressing some form of public commitment. Don’t be afraid to be the person that sits back down.

9.    One more thing…

Say you’ve sat through the half day course and it’s coming to an end. You’ve gained some good value, you’re happy with that, and you’ve chosen not to go ahead with the bigger offer at the end. Now is a common time for the speaker to bring in ‘one more thing’. It might be that there is a much smaller course, a Facebook group to join, a book to buy, or something else that – compared with the other offerings – seems like a very small commitment to make.

The speaker might throw some social proof in there, like “we have had 5000 people take this small course and see immediate results”. Social proof is essentially the cognitive bias that says, “if everyone else is doing it, I should do it too.”

But the reason the “one more thing” approach is perhaps so effective comes from the fact that you haven’t bought anything yet. It is almost asking you, “at the very least, after saying no to my larger request, could you buy this small thing?”

This relates somewhat to what’s known as the “door-in-the-face” technique. The concept is that you first ask someone for a huge favour, that they deny (I believe this is the ‘door-in-the-face’ part). Then, you ask a second favour, much smaller in comparison. Theoretically, the person will have a higher likelihood of compliance. It’s basically anchoring in a more specific way.

You can see how this also utilises techniques we have already spoken about, like reciprocity and scarcity. Again, if you are attending a free event, the speaker wants to gain some return on investment somehow. Even if all you do is join their Facebook group, that means they have someone new to engage with on that platform (who may buy from them in the future). It makes sense.

Structure summed up

In all, we have:

A.   A carefully constructed environment designed to put people into a positive emotional state;

B.   An emotional story that builds connection and credibility of the speaker;

C.    Presentation of value-adding content with teasers of what will be added in the big offer;

D.   A pitch at the end, which we feel inclined to sit through because of reciprocity;

E.    A big offer that is heavily discounted (anchoring);

F.    The offer is sprinkled with puffery to hit emotions and make massive claims without guaranteeing anything;

G.   The offer is only available during the event (scarcity); and has already helped many many people (social proof);

H.   A request for public commitment that leads to sales; and

I.     A ‘one final thing’ that might get the speaker a last-minute win from those who don’t take the bigger offer.

What to do

I have spent my adulthood dedicated to studying, learning and teaching human behaviour – including influence. I train people on selling, and I will often train them on the use of techniques mentioned in this article like anchoring, scarcity and social proof. When it comes to free courses, I respect the hustle of a speaker who has the confidence to sell from stage. I respect that this is how they are building a business and potentially helping people. There’s nothing wrong with it in theory. It’s the execution that has to be monitored. These techniques must be used in a positive, honest, authentic way, if they are to be used. People should never buy from someone because they feel like they have to. Ever. They should buy because they love the value, love the offering and want to move forward. Or, because they can rationally see that the benefits of the offering outweigh the cost, and it serves their current goals.

If people feel coerced, things are very bad indeed.

Like most things, it is not the tools themselves that are bad, but the way people use them that determines whether they are positive or negative, ethical or unethical, helpful or harmful.

What I suggest to you is to be aware of the environment being carefully sculpted to entice you to buy. Sometimes the big offering is worth it because it will help you on a practical level, with real, valuable information or services. Other times, it’s easy to get so caught up in the hype of it all that you walk away having spent hundreds or thousands of dollars, and only hours later do you wake from the daze and descend into buyers’ remorse.

Daniel Kahneman suggests that the best way to improve decision making, is to almost postpone intuition. Try and take in all the information first, and then engage with your intuition. If you decide based on intuition immediately, you’ll be looking for information to validate that feeling, rather than openly absorb all the facts.

I don’t think we should avoid all free courses because of this article. I simply think we should make the best decisions we can for ourselves, using the information we have, and without feeling like we must succumb to external pressure. We should enter the situation with caution, an open but curious mind, and a focus on ourselves.

I’m Not Affected By These Things  

I think it’s safe to say that some people are more likely to be persuaded by this structure than others. (Hot tip, I am historically a prime candidate for impulsive purchases). Some may be thinking to themselves, “that’s not me at all”. 

Before we decide, “that’s okay, I can see how all this would work, but actually I would recognise immediately what’s going on and make a far more rational decision”, hold up a second. There are a number of studies indicating that being more intelligent or academically gifted doesn’t necessarily correlate to immunity from cognitive biases. In fact, in some settings, you might even decide that you are “too smart to fall for things” and this arrogance can lead to a bigger blind spot for framing and biases. (I am reading a wonderful book at the moment dedicated entirely to why smart people do stupid things – it’s called The Intelligence Trap by David Robson, and it is a ripper).

Even our legendary, Nobel Prize winning Daniel Kahneman responded in an interview, when asked how people can improve their decision-making processes, “Well, I would say that when you talk to an individual, I refuse to answer that question because, you know, I know how little studying this problem has done for the quality of my decisions, so I’m not…” The interviewer confirmed – “You don’t feel like you make better decisions after the last 30 years?” and Kahneman replied with a laugh, “Seriously, no.”

Another point to consider is that even if you have been affected by these techniques, and this has resulted in you buying something that you wouldn’t normally, you might not admit that to yourself anyway. Confirmation bias is another one of our brain’s friends that help us justify our views – or in this case, our decisions. So, after you’ve already put down that $5000, you’ll be more likely to retrospectively justify the decision than question it. It’s much more calming for the brain to look for evidence to support that it was a great choice. So that’s what most of us do.

In conclusion

As a sales trainer, I am all about influence, human behaviour, and helping people make great decisions. I think it’s important to frame your message in a positive way, and to give people the best chance to buy – sometimes using some of the techniques above. But I am also a firm believer that people must ultimately hold autonomy for their own decision-making. They must choose to buy from you because they want to, they feel a personal urgency, they see the benefit, they choose this – and not because they are acting on an emotional impulse stemming from external pressure and manipulation. They must know and feel wholly that this is their choice to make. The public commitment example I used in point 8, I would call unequivocal manipulation.

I also think context matters. When your free seminar is, for example, about finding happiness or trying to build personal financial wealth, you are likely to attract some people because they don’t have those things. If I am desperately unhappy or in a bleak financial position, or otherwise in a particularly vulnerable state and that’s what’s brought me to this free course, it is highly likely that those emotionally-centred techniques will have more of an effect on me.

I have bought many expensive courses before. Some of them have provided some of the most valuable tools I’ve ever learned. I am a raving fan of some speakers and figures and will buy most anything they offer. I am the last person to tell you that you should never buy a course. But I hope that this information has been helpful to you, in understanding how this process works and how things can go too far.

Perhaps, the next speaker you see will use some of these techniques in a way that connects with integrity and real value. I hope that’s the case. I hope you get to experience the good ones, and not the terrible ones. And enjoy yourself along the way. I have also sat in the room and thought to myself, “they’re making us dance so we have a more positive emotional attachment to whatever is coming next”, but enjoyed the dance anyway.

Well, almost 6000 words later and it’s time for me to stop. But I would love to hear your experiences and thoughts on this – please share in the comments.

Sonia

Follow me for more content like this on the regular. You can also check out my book, Confidence is Uncomfortable, on Amazon and other online retailers.

[1] (Note: In some circumstances some of these phrases could very well fall into the guarantee category, I don’t know. This is not legal advice, etc.)

[2] I may be exaggerating there.