The 7 Seasons of Selling: Why I Don’t Climb Ladders
You’ve probably seen some version of the “Belief Ladder” floating around if you hang out in the online business coaching world.
It was originally created by Cole Gordon as a framework for high-ticket sales. And honestly? It’s smart. The whole idea is that before someone says yes to buying, they have to climb through seven different beliefs… like a ladder:
Pain – They need to feel what isn’t working.
Doubt – They need to believe they can’t fix it on their own.
Cost – Inaction needs to feel more expensive than action.
Desire – They need to want the solution deeply.
Money – They need to feel comfortable investing.
Support – They need people in their life to be on board.
Trust – They need to trust the coach, program, or product.
This is the architecture of belief. A mindset map. If you’re selling $5K+ coaching packages, it’s powerful.
How Fitness Coaches Took the Ladder
Then I saw Mike Romaine adapt Cole’s Belief Ladder for fitness coaches.
His version was basically the same seven steps, just applied to health and fitness. Pain = not loving how you look in the mirror. Doubt = “I’ve tried diets before and failed.” Cost = “If I don’t change, I’ll still be stuck next year.” You get the picture.
It was good. Clean. Linear. Step 1 → Step 2 → Step 3.
But here’s the thing: I’m not a fitness coach. And I’m not here to hustle my way into someone’s wallet by turning their pain into urgency.
Why Ladders Don’t Work for Me
The ladder model feels like this:
Climb to the top. Close the deal.
Game over. You won.
Which works if your goal is just to get the sale. But it’s empty if your goal is to create relationships, sustainability, and flow.
I lived that “ladder logic” in marriage once. My ex’s favorite line when I asked if he liked me or loved me was (when I challenged his there but not there presence in a room!): “Well, I married you, didn’t I?” In his mind, getting married was the top rung of the ladder. Job done. No more work required.
Spoiler: that’s not how marriage works. That’s not how sales work either.
Because once you “close,” you don’t arrive. You just enter the next cycle.
Enter: The 7 Seasons of Selling
So I decided to evolve the framework again. To take it out of ladder-land and root it in something more natural: seasons.
Because life isn’t a ladder. It’s a cycle.
Men’s hormones reset every 24 hours. Women’s reset every 28 days. Nature doesn’t climb…. it circles.
So what if selling wasn’t about climbing rungs, but about moving through seasons?
Here’s how I see it:
Awareness (Winter) – Not pain, just noticing. What isn’t working? What wants to shift?
Discernment (Early Spring) – Not doubt, but clarity. What’s mine to carry? Where do I want support?
Choice (Spring) – Not cost, but planting. Where do I want to invest my energy, time, or money?
Vision (Summer) – Not just desire, but dreaming. What bigger picture am I moving toward?
Commitment (Harvest) – Not just money, but resourcing. Am I willing to commit to what I’ve chosen?
Belonging (Autumn) – Not just support, but community. I’m not doing this alone.
Integration (Winter Again) – Not just trust in me, but trust in yourself. Anchoring what you’ve started into daily life.
This isn’t about rushing someone up a ladder. It’s about moving with their rhythm.
Why This Matters for my Partnership with Arbonne
This is the piece that clicked for me as I went further into being an Independent Consultant with Arbonne.
The corporate cycle is designed around urgency: new month, new promos, new sales goals. Which can be fun for a sprint… but it’s not a foundation.
I don’t want my business (or my clients’ choices) to depend on the hype of “September 1st! Prices are changing!” I want a system that regenerates, regardless of the corporate clock.
That’s what the 7 Seasons of Selling gives me.
For Preferred Clients: You get to choose products in your own season, without pressure. Start with Fizz or Greens when you’re ready. Integrate slowly. No rush.
For Future Consultants: You get a way of selling that doesn’t burn you out. You can benefit from the corporate promos when you want to—but your foundation is cyclical. You attract people, not coerce them.
This is how you build an Arbonne business that lasts. Not one that rises and crashes with every new month’s hype.
Ladders Close Deals. Seasons Build Worlds.
I respect Cole Gordon’s original ladder. I see why Mike Romaine adapted it for fitness coaches.
But for me, it had to evolve. Because I don’t climb ladders anymore. I build worlds. And worlds are sustained by cycles, not rungs.
So if you’ve ever felt like sales was all hype, urgency, or manipulation…. welcome. There’s another way. 🌱
The 7 Seasons of Selling.
My way of building a business with Arbonne that’s regenerative, aligned, and human….. And then next time someone wants to agitate your pain to sell you something…. Notice Are they trying to get you up a ladder…. Without awareness there is no choice….
Yes everyone is probably selling you something…but HOW they sell gives clues to what you get after the sale is made!
