How to Sell Without Feeling Manipulative (Ethical Marketing for BCBAs)

The best sales call you’ll ever have is one where you barely talk about your offer.In this episode, Sarah pulls out an actual printed playbook from Beyond Billable Hours, and walks through a sales conversation from the first question to the moment you ask for the “yes.” It’s the opposite of a script: no false urgency, no convincing, no pressure to say the perfect thing. She also names the lines that she refuses to say and what belongs in their place instead.In this episode, you’ll learn about:Why you need to stop talking about your program for most of the call, and what to do with that time insteadHow people buy on emotion first and reach for logic afterward to justify itWhy asking about one specific moment works better than asking someone about their goalsAsk, reflect, connect, invite: the four moves to make once that moment comes upA full role play example, played out line-by-lineThe ‘so you can’ trick that forces every part of your offer to prove why it mattersHow to hear a client’s belief in the words they use, and shift it without arguing If talking about your offer makes your skin crawl, this episode gives you the structure that makes it feel like a natural conversation instead. Ready to stop guessing and start building a business people can actually find? Beyond Billable Hours, our on-demand course and community, is now available here. Love FREE high quality CEUs? Join our free community by clicking here.Want a step-by-step framework to make attracting your first client feel easy? Download it here!Thinking of joining our 32 CEU coaching program? Grab your exclusive podcast discount here.Follow me on Instagram: @sarahburby and @mindbodybehaviorFollow me on TikTok: @mindbodybxanalyst Subscribe + review: If you’re a BCBA building a life and business you actually love, subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode. If this one helped, a quick review helps other BCBAs and entrepreneurs find the show.

It's not a matter of if someone gets triggered by you. It’s a matter of when.In this episode, Sarah tells the story of a recent Instagram comment that turned particularly ugly when the commenter moved into her DMs. More importantly, she walks us through how you can handle a similar situation, while also admitting that years ago, this would have bothered her immensely. Before that story, Sarah opens with what she learned about her own rules after a recent podcast recording session ended in disaster.In this episode, you’ll learn about:Why Sarah recorded four episodes, deleted every one of them, and what that says about the rules we hold ourselves toThe comment that escalated into personal insults in her DMsWhy the same words would have flattened her five years ago, and what she does now insteadHow to tell the difference between a comment worth taking seriously and one that just sends you spiralingCommunicating clearly versus communicating so perfectly that nobody could object, and why only one of those is your jobThe time Sarah reacted emotionally to a comment, got it wrong, and apologizedThe questions to ask yourself before you decide to reply to comments like these If you’ve been holding back because of what someone might say, this episode will teach you how to care deeply about your work without needing every person to approve of it. Ready to stop guessing and start building a business people can actually find? Beyond Billable Hours, our on-demand course and community, is now available here. Love FREE high quality CEUs? Join our free community by clicking here.Want a step-by-step framework to make attracting your first client feel easy? Download it here!Thinking of joining our 32 CEU coaching program? Grab your exclusive podcast discount here.Follow me on Instagram: @sarahburby and @mindbodybehaviorFollow me on TikTok: @mindbodybxanalyst Subscribe + review: If you’re a BCBA building a life and business you actually love, subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode. If this one helped, a quick review helps other BCBAs and entrepreneurs find the show.

You don’t have to leave stability behind to build something of your own.In this episode, Sarah sits down with Dr. Andrea Murray. She is the founder of Momentum Coaching & Consulting, a university professor, and a board certified health coach. Additionally, Andrea went through Sarah’s first coaching cohort and now helps teach it, all while growing her business alongside the job she loves. They talk about flopped launches, the incorrect stories we tell ourselves, and what happens when you finally ask yourself what you actually want.In this episode, you’ll learn about:Why Andrea kept her full-time job instead of going all in, and how she built her business alongside itThe masterclass that Andrea held which turned out to be a total bustThe difference between what you think you should want and what actually makes your life feel goodHow motivational interviewing changed the way she works with students, clients, and colleaguesWhy Andrea coaches women who are so committed to helping everyone else that they fall off their own list of prioritiesHer advice for perfectionists, starting with an honest audit of where your time and mental energy goWhy saying no feels so threatening when you’re an overachiever, and how to try it as a small experiment If you’ve been waiting to feel ready, or telling yourself it’s all or nothing, Andrea’s story is proof you can build something real without blowing up the life you already have. Ready to stop guessing and start building a business people can actually find? Beyond Billable Hours, our on-demand course and community, is now available here. Love FREE high quality CEUs? Join our free community by clicking here.Want a step-by-step framework to make attracting your first client feel easy? Download it here!Thinking of joining our 32 CEU coaching program? Grab your exclusive podcast discount here.Follow me on Instagram: @sarahburby and @mindbodybehaviorFollow me on TikTok: @mindbodybxanalystFollow Andrea: momentumcoaching.net and @momentum.coach.consultTry the Perfect Day exercise here. Subscribe + review: If Andrea’s story hit home, subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode. And if you’ve been the one who holds everything together for everyone else, check out her coaching program.

What's holding your business back probably isn't a lack of knowledge. It's that you don't have the time, because you've given it away. In this episode, Sarah makes the case that protecting your time is a prerequisite skill to getting your first client. She walks through the short, direct sentences to use instead of the long replies that you’re trying to people-please with.In this episode, you’ll learn about:The overexplaining habit, why we're so conditioned to do it, and what it's actually costing youThe pause, decide, respond sequence, along with the question to ask yourself before you say yes to anythingHow to tell when a one time favor has quietly become the expectation everyone has of youThe respectful script that hands prioritizing back to your bossWhy your rate is actually a time boundary too, and why you never owe anyone an explanation for itThe 24-hour rule for emotional emails, and why responding to emotion with emotion never ends wellHow to set client expectations and working hours from day oneIf you've been telling yourself you'll start when things calm down, this episode is your reminder that the time won't appear on its own...you have to take it back.Ready to stop guessing and start building a business people can actually find? Beyond Billable Hours, our on-demand course and community, is now available here.Love FREE high quality CEUs? Join our free community by clicking here.Want a step-by-step framework to make attracting your first client feel easy? Download it here!Thinking of joining our 32 CEU coaching program? Grab your exclusive podcast discount here.Follow me on Instagram: @sarahburby and @mindbodybehaviorFollow me on TikTok: @mindbodybxanalyst Subscribe + review: If you're a BCBA building a life and business you actually love, subscribe so you don't miss the next episode. If this one helped, a quick review helps other BCBAs and entrepreneurs find the show.

If you think a successful business requires someone who can get people to say yes on a call, you're thinking about sales backwards. In this episode, Sarah pushes back on the advice flooding the online business space and explains why sales actually starts the second someone finds your content. She also shares why her consultation calls have zero pressure in them.In this episode, you’ll learn about:Why every interaction someone has with you is a trust building opportunity, not a sales pitchWhy being clear about who your offer is NOT for brings you better clientsThe real test of whether your marketing is ethical: what you do when someone tells you noWhy leading with your credentials falls flat, and what people actually want to hear insteadWhat Sarah actually does on a discovery call rather than being “salesy”Why someone can meet you and not buy until two years laterIf marketing has ever felt like something you'd have to become a different person to do, this episode is proof that clarity does the work that pressure never could.Ready to stop guessing and start building a business people can actually find? Beyond Billable Hours, our on-demand course and community, is now available here.Love FREE high quality CEUs? Join our free community by clicking here.Want a step-by-step framework to make attracting your first client feel easy? Download it here!Thinking of joining our 32 CEU coaching program? Grab your exclusive podcast discount here.Follow me on Instagram: @sarahburby and @mindbodybehaviorFollow me on TikTok: @mindbodybxanalyst Subscribe + review: If you're a BCBA building a life and business you actually love, subscribe so you don't miss the next episode. If this one helped, a quick review helps other BCBAs and entrepreneurs find the show.

If you've put in the work and still feel like you're nowhere near where you should be, the problem might be what you're measuring against. In this episode, Sarah walks through the gap versus gain idea and why looking at how far you still have to go will always leave you feeling behind. She also shares the prompts she uses to pull herself out of that spiral.In this episode, you’ll learn about:Why measuring yourself against how far you still have to go leaves you feeling inadequate and ready to quitSarah's honest look back at her own year, including letting go of employeesThe one-line journal prompt she uses when she starts spiralingWhat teaching her 3-year-old to ride a bike shows about focusing on the gainWhy nobody would ever finish grad school or 2,000 supervision hours by looking at the gapWhy switching up a habit can change what you notice in your life and your business If you've been talking to yourself like you're behind, this episode is a reminder that the evidence of how far you've come is already there.Ready to stop guessing and start building a business people can actually find? Beyond Billable Hours, our on-demand course and community, is now available here. Love FREE high quality CEUs? Join our free community by clicking here.Want a step-by-step framework to make attracting your first client feel easy? Download it here! Thinking of joining our 40 CEU coaching program? Grab your exclusive podcast discount here.Follow me on Instagram: @sarahburby and @mindbodybehaviorFollow me on TikTok: @mindbodybxanalyst Subscribe + review: If you're a BCBA building a life and business you actually love, subscribe so you don't miss the next episode. If this one helped, a quick review helps other BCBAs and entrepreneurs find the show.

You can have a solid salary and still be broke. In this episode, Sarah explains what the name No Broke Behavior Analysts really means, and why feeling bound, overworked, and exhausted shouldn't be the norm in our field. She also covers the first small, doable step toward making income and impact outside of billable hours.In this episode, Sarah chats about:What BROKE stands for: bound, restricted, overworked, knowing but not doing, and exhaustedWhy the real drain is the disconnect between what you signed up for and what you're doing day to dayWhy she doesn't recommend quitting your job to go all in on a business, and the scarcity trap that comes with itHow learning to get your first client builds a skill that generalizes to any business, product or serviceSarah's own story of how that disconnect spilled into her marriage, her friendships, and her quality of lifeThe three questions to answer this week: who you want to help, what impact you want to make, and what your bigger why isWhy money matters, and why it only makes life better when it amplifies your impact, freedom, and flexibilityIf you've been telling yourself this is just part of the job, this episode is your reminder that it doesn't have to be.ALL THE LINKS! Want to build your first private-pay client outside the clinic without quitting your W-2, needing a huge following, or becoming a pushy marketer. ⁠Join Beyond Billable hours HERE. ⁠Want a step-by-step framework to make attracting your first client feel easy? Download it here!Thinking of joining our 40 CEU coaching program? ⁠Grab your exclusive podcast discount here⁠Love high quality FREE CEUs? Join our CEU community here.

Long before "BCBA in health and fitness" was a category, Dr. Nicholas Green was already building one. In this episode, Sarah sits down with Nick, founder of Behavior Fit, to talk about how he turned a grad school research niche into a full career helping people change health behaviors, and why waiting for the "ideal job" never actually works. In this episode, Sarah chats with Nick about: How a random public health blog post about sedentary behavior turned into an entire graduate research focus, and eventually a career Why you don't need a clear plan going in, you need to sample different jobs and tasks until you find what actually clicks The worst case, best case exercise Sarah uses to help clinicians weigh the risk of leaving a traditional role Nick's "plus, minus, equal" framework for choosing mentors at every stage of your career Why picking one platform and doing it well beats spreading yourself across every social channel Why a website only works once you're crystal clear on who you're actually trying to reach How pricing rejection is data, not a verdict, and why lowering your rate the first time someone says no is the wrong move If you have ever felt boxed into one path just because that's what your graduate program emphasized, this conversation is proof there is more than one way to build a career and a business around your BCBA. ALL THE LINKS! Want to build your first private-pay client outside the clinic without quitting your W-2, needing a huge following, or becoming a pushy marketer.⁠ ⁠Join Beyond Billable hours HERE. ⁠⁠Want a step-by-step framework to make attracting your first client feel easy? Download it here!Thinking of joining our 40 CEU coaching program?⁠ ⁠Grab your exclusive podcast discount here⁠⁠Love high quality FREE CEUs? Join our ⁠CEU community here. ⁠Follow Nick: behaviorfit.com and @behaviorfit

If the word "selling" makes your stomach turn, you are not alone, and you are not doing anything wrong by wanting to help people while also making money. In this episode, Sarah breaks down the exact framework that separates ethical marketing from manipulation, and why staying quiet about your offer is not actually the more ethical choice, it just means people never find you. In this episode, Sarah chats about: The three things that make marketing ethical: clarity, specificity, and a direct invitation Why hiding your pricing to "sell on the call" is not the only way to do business, and why she does the opposite The difference between naming a problem clearly and exploiting someone's vulnerability with fear and urgency Real examples of manipulative sales language versus clear, respectful language, side by side Why a "no" is data, not a failure, and what it actually might mean instead How to talk about outcomes and transformation without ever guaranteeing results A quick update on what's changing with Clinicians Doing More, and a first look at the upcoming Beyond Billable Hours program If marketing has ever felt gross, aggressive, or like it required becoming a different person, this episode gives you the reframe and the exact language to talk about your offer without losing sleep over it. ALL THE LINKS! Want to build your first private-pay client outside the clinic without quitting your W-2, needing a huge following, or becoming a pushy marketer.⁠ ⁠Join Beyond Billable hours HERE. ⁠⁠Want a step-by-step framework to make attracting your first client feel easy? Download it here!Thinking of joining our 40 CEU coaching program?⁠ ⁠Grab your exclusive podcast discount here⁠⁠Love high quality FREE CEUs? Join our ⁠CEU community here. ⁠

67% of behavior analysts report being burned out, and Sarah wanted to know why, and what actually fixes it. In this episode, Sarah sits down with Daniella "Dani" Galvez Moreno, a fellow BCBA and founder of Self Set Go, the only conference built specifically around self-care and systems for behavior analysts, to talk about pivoting without shame, building something from scratch with zero experience, and why your nervous system deserves its own system too. In this episode, Sarah chats with Dani about: Why 67% of behavior analysts report being burned out, and what that says about the field as a whole Why pivoting your business idea, sometimes more than once, is a sign of growth, not a red flag Dani's own path from quitting the clinical side of ABA, to solo world travel, to building a conference with zero experience This year's Self Set Go theme, and why it centers on real systems for both your professional and personal life Why nervous system regulation earned its own pre-event workshop, and why grad school never taught any of it The one-degree airplane metaphor that reframes what "changing your life" actually looks like If you've been feeling the burnout Dani and Sarah talk about, or you've ever been scared to pivot publicly, this episode is the permission and the roadmap in one conversation. ALL THE LINKS! Want to build your first private-pay client outside the clinic without quitting your W-2, needing a huge following, or becoming a pushy marketer.⁠ ⁠Join Beyond Billable hours HERE. ⁠⁠Want a step-by-step framework to make attracting your first client feel easy? Download it here!Thinking of joining our 40 CEU coaching program?⁠ ⁠Grab your exclusive podcast discount here⁠⁠Love high quality FREE CEUs? Join our ⁠CEU community here. Follow Dani: @danigalvezbcba Register for Self Set Go 2026: https://behaviorlive.com/conferences/SSG26/registration/3797 Use code: NOBROKEBA15 Subscribe + review: If this conversation hit home, subscribe so you don't miss the next one. And if you've been feeling the burnout Dani and Sarah talk about, registration for Self Set Go is open now.