In this episode, Fred is joined by Chelsea Burns - marketing psychologist, brand ethicist, and non-manipulative marketer to explore where ethical marketing and ethical selling overlap… and where they can go wrong.

Chelsea introduces a practical way to draw the line between persuasion and manipulation: Agency - a person's genuine ability to choose. From there, the conversation goes deep into real-world examples of questionable tactics, why "FOMO" can backfire, and how the brain evaluates purchases immediately after the transaction.

Chelsea also shares her four pillars of ethical branding - consent, reciprocity, trust, and belonging and explains how relational psychology can turn ethics from "debating club theory" into day-to-day, tactical decisions that build long-term relationships (and better business).

Fred rounds things out with sales parallels like transparency selling, "lead with a flaw," and a brilliant ethics conundrum involving goats, segmentation… and B1G1.

What You'll Learn

• Why ethical persuasion is possible and why "all marketing is manipulation" isn't true
• The ethical line: agency and a customer's ability to choose
• A real example of manipulative tactics (and how they show up in launches)
• Chelsea's four pillars of ethical branding:
• • Consent
  • Reciprocity
  • Trust
  • Belonging
• Why manufactured urgency and "never-ending discounts" blur ethical consent
• How FOMO can turn into FOMU (fear of messing up) and increase buyer anxiety
• Why buyers judge value immediately after purchase and how negative emotion backfires
• The "transformation arc" in marketing and selling: current state → desired state → bridge
• Why implementation is what people pay for (not just information)
• A practical ethics test: transparency + intent + consent + follow-through

If you want marketing and selling that drives results without crossing ethical lines, this episode will give you a clear framework and a few things you may never unsee again.

And if you've ever wondered whether a tactic "works" but feels a bit… off ,Chelsea's agency test is a great place to start.

Connect with Chelsea

· LinkedIn: Chelsea Burns: linkedin.com/in/chelseaburns26

· Website: https://www.the-marketing-psychologist.com/

Follow Fred: https://linktr.ee/fredcopestake

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/2CHGDwCMtpc

Watch Fred's FREE YouTube Course: Sales Mastery for Engineers: https://bit.ly/Sales-Mastery-For-Engineers

Useful resources

• Take the Collaborative Selling Scorecard – free
  Check how well your sales approach fits today's buying environment https://collaborativeselling.scoreapp.com/