Recently, I was watching a recording of a healing session that world-renowned energy healer Jen Ward was conducting for a client. He had been taken advantage of by a salesperson. And it got me wondering just how common these kinds of sales practices really are.

Have you ever been manipulated by a salesperson into making a purchase you didn’t want, only to regret it later? I know I have. That is what happened to Jen’s client. But first, here is one common way sales people are able to manipulate the buyer. This unethical sales practice that all of us have been subjected to is called anchoring. This happened to me so now I am on the lookout for this technique when I shop.

Deep dive into the anchoring technique

I was in a department store a few years back. This store is a major retailer throughout North America. Their customer base is low income and middle income shoppers. I was purchasing a suitcase and the display sign read $50.00, 40% off. I was saving $20.00. With a coupon, the final cost was $25.00. I felt good about how much money I had saved. A few weeks later, I was in another department of the same store to buy blue jeans.  The display read a higher price, with 50% off. Looking around, I saw that everything was marketed that way, and I realized my suitcase was probably made to sell for $25.00, not $50.00.

Here’s how it works. The first price the shopper sees, the anchor price, is actually a psychic ploy setting a benchmark against which the shopper evaluates other options. It creates a bias causing the customer to rely on the first bit of information they receive, regardless if it’s arbitrary or relevant to the actual value of the item. This time, my experience was in a department store. But in relating this to car sales, the subject of the session, it could also apply to the sticker price on a car.

Now that you are aware of the practice of anchoring, it is easy to spot. However, there are other unethical sales techniques that are not so easy to spot, even by an experienced sales person like Jen’s client.

Jen’s client and Batman the BMW

Now, let’s look at what happened to Jen’s client. In the session, we learned that Jen’s client brought his beloved BMW automobile to the dealer for routine service only. He had even given his car a name, Batman. While Batman was being serviced, the client browsed the showroom to pass the time. This is where the salesperson came into the picture. She was able to scan him and saw his vulnerability. She was able to exploit his vulnerability by being especially nice to him. This technique affected the client both psychically and emotionally and worked against him.

The client is a kind person who often has not been treated well by store personnel while shopping. This salesperson knew how to infiltrate his energy field with this technique because he wasn’t used to being treated with so much consideration. He let her into his energy field, which allowed her to control him. Even though most of us wouldn’t think it is unethical to be nice to someone, nevertheless, this was a psychic attack with intention of making a sale. And it worked. In the session, the client said the salesperson put a spell on him. It ended with him trading in his beloved Batman for another car. The next day, when he realized what happened, the client regretted his decision terribly. He wanted Batman back, but it was too late.

SFT taps to heal the psychic impact

During the session, Jen had the client do a series of Spiritual Freedom Technique (SFT) taps to release the psychic energy that had been used against him by the salesperson at the dealership. The SFT taps also addressed the sales practices of the dealership as they used similar practices against other customers as well. It should be noted that the client is also a car salesman and needed this lesson so he would not do this to his own customers. Some of the taps are as follows.

Each tap is said three times while continuously tapping on the top of the head, a fourth time while continuously tapping on the chest, and a fifth time while continuously tapping on the abdomen.

We release being played like a fool; in all moments.

We release being betrayed by those we trusted; in all moments.

We release being energetically raped; in all moments.

Another big reveal in the session was when Jen also addressed the consciousness of Batman, the car the client traded in. The atoms comprising inanimate objects have consciousness. They are energy. Batman was betrayed. He was only supposed to get routine service, not get traded away from the owner he had a relationship with. So the client did taps to release that issue as well, for himself and for Batman.

Because the client had animosity towards his new car, Jen had him do SFT taps to change that energy and establish a better relationship with the new car.

We release betraying our baby; in all moments.

We release hating our present car; in all moments.

We remove all blockages to loving and respecting inanimate beings; in all moments.

Ethical sales practices prioritize transparency, honesty and the customer’s best interest. It is essential for businesses and salespeople to adhere to ethical guidelines and build trust with customers through genuine customer-centric approaches.

A litany of unethical sales practices

Here are some other unethical sales practices. As customers become aware of them, they will not be effective and businesses that use them will have to become more ethical.

1. High-Pressure Selling: Using aggressive tactics to pressure customers into making immediate decisions without giving them sufficient time to consider their options or do research.
2. Bait-and-Switch: Advertising a product or service at a low price to attract customers, only to push them towards a more expensive alternative once they show interest.
3. Hidden Fees and Costs: Concealing additional fees or charges in the fine print or during the sales process, leading customers to discover unexpected costs after committing to the purchase.
4. False Scarcity: Creating a false sense of scarcity by claiming limited stock or availability to encourage impulse buying, even if the product is readily available.
5. Deceptive Advertising: Making false or misleading claims about a product’s features, benefits, or performance to lure customers into making a purchase based on false information.
6. Emotional Manipulation: Exploiting customers’ emotions, fears, or insecurities to encourage purchases they may not need or want.
7. Upselling Unnecessary Products: Pressuring customers into purchasing additional products or services they don’t need or want as part of the sales process.
8. Misrepresentation: Providing inaccurate or incomplete information about a product or service to manipulate customers into buying.
9. Exploiting Vulnerable Populations: Targeting vulnerable or disadvantaged customers, such as the elderly or financially distressed individuals, with deceptive tactics to take advantage of their situation.
10. Fake Testimonials or Reviews: Creating or promoting fake testimonials or reviews to bolster the credibility of a product or service, even if they are not genuine.
11. Negative Option Marketing: Offering free trials or samples that automatically enroll customers into ongoing subscriptions or contracts without their clear consent.
12. Preying on Fear or Guilt: Using fear-based or guilt-based tactics to pressure customers into buying products by suggesting that not doing so will have negative consequences.

Sometimes a customer’s own anxiety or unease can result in a situation where an unethical sales person can exploit the customer’s own fear of missing out. If a customer is afraid they are missing out on an opportunity that others are experiencing, a salesperson can exploit the fear to influence the customer’s decision.

Some ways to exploit a customer’s fear of missing out are to make limited time offers or countdown timers, among others.

Be the informed consumer

These days, consumers are privy to abundant information about products and sales techniques. It is incumbent upon us to do our research and take charge of our decisions. If we do this, sellers will have to become transparent and better serve the customer.