This episode of The Sales Today Podcast is a little different - a live webinar recording where Fred Copestake breaks down a practical approach to closing more sales without compromising how you do business.

At the heart of it is a simple idea: ethical selling isn't about being "nice" or "soft"… and it's definitely not about making things complicated. It's about finding the balance - what Fred calls the Goldilocks dilemma.

Too hard? People assume ethical selling is expensive, slow, and requires a complete overhaul of processes and training. Too soft? Others worry it means becoming passive, giving everything away, and losing commercial edge.

The reality sits in the middle. Done right, ethical selling creates win–win–win outcomes - where the customer benefits, the business benefits, and the salesperson can stand behind what they've done.

Fred reframes ethical selling as something practical, not philosophical. Yes, there are principles behind it - honesty, transparency, integrity - but what really matters is how those principles show up in day-to-day sales conversations. That's where tactics come in.

This episode introduces the ETHICAL model, a framework designed to make ethical selling usable in the real world. It focuses on seven key areas where small shifts in behaviour can lead to better conversations, stronger relationships, and ultimately more deals closed.

A big theme running through the session is clarity - helping customers make sense of their situation. Buyers don't just want information; they want support in making decisions. That's where good salespeople stand out.

Fred shares seven practical takeaways you can apply immediately:

Asking better questions - not just more questions, but the right types. Open questions, probing prompts, hypotheticals, and even silence all play a role in helping customers think more clearly.
Leading with a flaw - being honest about where you might not be the best fit builds trust faster than trying to be perfect.
Treating value as something to discover together - not something you present, but something you co-create with the customer.
Prioritising buyer safety - making it easy for someone to say "no" creates more honest conversations and better long-term outcomes.
Using the "Does it make sense…?" close - a low-pressure way to move things forward while respecting the buyer's process.
Thinking like a partner - shifting from "selling to" someone to working alongside them changes the entire dynamic.
Negotiating through exchange, not concession - the simple "If you, then I" approach keeps value balanced on both sides.
And finally, adopting a growth mindset - recognising that selling is a skill you continuously refine, not something you've "already mastered."

What ties all of this together is intent. Ethical selling isn't about tactics alone - it's about using them in a way that genuinely serves the customer while still achieving commercial outcomes.

The result? Better conversations, stronger trust, and more sustainable success.

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

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/rW02bZ1i-bU

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/

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