Selling Feels Fake or Pushy? Here’s What’s Really Going On

Let’s Get Honest About Something…

If the word sales makes your stomach tighten a little, you’re not alone.

You might be amazing at what you do. You might care deeply about your clients. But when it comes to actually selling your services? You freeze. You avoid. You feel like someone you’re not.

Here’s the truth:
You don’t hate selling. You hate how it makes you feel.

And those feelings awkward, uncertain, even embarrassed aren’t flaws. They’re clues.

Let’s unpack what’s really going on beneath the surface… and how to move through it without becoming someone you’re not.

The Hidden Inner Resistance Behind Your Sales Struggles

You’re not lazy. You’re not unmotivated. You’re not “bad at sales.”
You’re experiencing something almost every business owner and professional faces, whether they admit it or not: inner resistance.

Here’s what that looks like:

😭 You’re afraid of rejection

Not just being told “no” but what that “no” starts whispering in your head afterward.
That they didn’t want you. That your offer was flimsy. That your business is smoke and mirrors.
That deep down, they saw through you and knew you’re not as put together as you pretend to be.

And that kind of rejection doesn’t just sting, it lingers. Because it doesn’t feel like they passed on the offer.
It feels like they passed on you and in doing so, confirming all your internal self doubt.

There’s a reason it hits so hard. Neuroscience shows that the brain processes rejection using the same neural pathways as physical pain, literally lighting up the same regions as a burn or a cut. It’s not just in your mind. It’s in your body.

So naturally, you start pulling back. You second-guess your pricing. You soften your pitch. You avoid the follow-up call.

And over time, that quiet avoidance starts costing you real opportunities.
You’re not choosing strategy, you’re choosing safety. And that’s no way to build the business you actually want.

😔 You feel like an imposter

Maybe you wonder if you’re really qualified. Maybe you think you need more credentials, more time, more proof before you can own your expertise.

The problem? That mindset keeps you stuck day in, day out until one day it’s too late.
You tell yourself you’ll start selling when it feels better, but if you wait for that moment, there may be nothing left to sell.

It also makes you shrink when you should stand tall. You find yourself apologizing for your pricing instead of owning your value, when the truth is, your services, your product, your business might be exactly what your client needs most.

😳 You don’t want to be “that” salesperson

You’ve seen them. The pushy ones. The loud ones. The ones who talk over you, follow up too aggressively, or use manipulative tactics that make you cringe.

And because you never want to come across that way, you go to the opposite extreme.
You downplay your offer. You tiptoe around pricing. You wait for clients to bring up the sale instead of owning your value with confidence.

You tell yourself you’re just being respectful. But in reality? You’re filtering every sales conversation through fear. Fear of being annoying, of being judged, of being misunderstood. And that fear leads to hesitation, which clients can feel.

The truth is, you don’t have to choose between being authentic and being effective.
But only if you stop running from the discomfort and start redefining what sales actually means to you.

The Shift: Selling From the Inside Out

Real sales success doesn’t start with better scripts.
It starts with better self-awareness.

When we flip the script and begin selling from a place of clarity, purpose, and emotional strength, everything changes.

Research backs this up and more importantly, so do real results.

Here’s what that looks like:

✅ Mindset First, Strategy Second

You can have the best CRM, the slickest script, the most polished pitch deck in the world but if your mindset isn’t in alignment, none of it sticks.

Mindset is the lens through which you live your life. If your internal narrative is full of fear and doubt then even the best tactics will come out flat. Best training courses will be a waste of money. Until you work on what really matters here, which is the way you look at self and selling.

High performing professionals know this:
It’s not just about what you know it’s about what you believe.

Salespeople with high self-efficacy consistently outperform those with stronger tools but weaker internal confidence. This is the foundation of the Inside-Out Sales Method™ the inner clarity that fuels outer results.

❤️ Emotional Intelligence Is a Sales Superpower

At its core, sales isn’t about convincing. It’s about connecting.

Emotional intelligence (EQ) gives you the ability to read your client’s energy, manage your own responses, and navigate conversations with empathy instead of ego. It’s what helps you stay grounded when a call goes sideways, and calm when a client challenges your pricing.

EQ trained sellers aren’t just better listeners, they’re more trusted. And trust is what turns conversations into conversions.

Studies show that high EQ sales professionals produce significantly higher revenue than their peers. Why? Because they build relationships, not just transactions. They don’t push…they partner.

And when a client feels understood, appreciated, and safe?
The sale often becomes inevitable.

🔁This Is Where the Shift Happens

When people seek out sales help, it’s not because they lack strategies. It’s because they’re tired of second guessing themselves.

They’ve read the books. Watched the webinars. Tried the templates. But still, something’s off. And that “something” is usually internal.

Coaching helps you find it.

It brings awareness to the blind spots, the stuck patterns, and the quiet but constant self-doubt that’s been running the show behind the scenes. That inner critic voice that says “You’re not ready” or “Who do you think you are?” coaching doesn’t silence it with motivation. It helps you understand it. Reframe it. Move beyond it.

That’s when things shift.

A Harvard Business Review study showed that mid-performing sales reps improved their results by nearly 20% with consistent coaching support. Not because they learned new tricks but because they stopped fighting themselves.

When you have the right guide, you stop carrying the weight alone. You stop spiraling in circles.

When Selling Feels Like You, It Starts to Work for You

You don’t have to grind through every sales conversation. You don’t have to twist yourself into someone you’re not.

You just need to come back into alignment with what you believe in, how you serve, and the kind of connection you want to create with your clients.

Because when you stop performing and start showing up as yourself, everything shifts.
Selling becomes more honest. More effective. And a whole lot more sustainable.

If the problem is in you, that means the solution is too.

🪞Feel Like This Was Written for You? It Was.

Whether you’re a solo business owner who dreads every sales conversation or you lead a team that’s lost its confidence and consistency, this work is for you.

If fear and hesitation are holding you (or your people) back from making real connections and closing real business, it’s time to change the conversation, from the inside out.

Let’s talk about what’s getting in the way. And more importantly, what’s possible when it’s no longer in control.

Book a free discovery session, and we’ll walk through the internal blocks keeping you or your team stuck and what it looks like to finally move forward with clarity.

Because the sale doesn’t start with a pitch.

It starts with YOU.