The 4 HIDDEN levels of Consciousness for Marketing your Online Business 

As an entrepreneur that’s already built success and momentum but you’re beginning to realize what got you to this point won’t get you to where you want to get to… one of the most important skills you’ll learn moving forward is to not only hone in on what you need but appreciate WHEN you need it.

This is never more apparent than in your marketing!

I imagine you’ve noticed this. Maybe one day, long-long ago, it was easy. You had a choice between magazine/newspaper ads, TV commercials, and billboards. What worked, worked. The rules were simple.

Not anymore!

There’s so much choice these days. Nothing works for everyone, and nothing works all the time. This is why traditional marketing does not work for most people because they assume the rules are the same.

They are not. And much of this centers around your (and your customers’) levels of consciousness.

It’s an essential ingredient hardly anyone talks about, and chances are you haven’t thought about it. Yet once you do, it revolutionizes your relationship with your audience—not only building greater trust but engaging them on new levels that catapult your ROI.

If you like the sound of that, grab your notebook and keep reading 👇 👇

This is what we’ll explore today:

  • Why You Can’t Attract Customers With Traditional Marketing
  • The Four Levels of Consciousness (& HOW They Impact Your Marketing)
  • 1: Reactive
  • 2: Willful
  • 3: Intellectual
  • 4: Intuitive
  • How To Build Your Business Around These Levels of Consciousness
  • Conclusions & Next Steps

Why You Can’t Attract Customers With Traditional Marketing

When you boil it down to its simplest ingredients, marketing and sales are easy. If you know who your customer is, the problems they face, and the state of mind they’re in, you’ll deliver effective results.

The problem is, this isn’t how most business owners approach it.

They want to, in an ideal world. But there’s so much choice it’s hard to know what to listen to.

So you end up trying this latest hack, that newest trend, and one method, framework, etc… after another.

It’s not only exhausting but near impossible to build a successful business this way. I found this out firsthand. Not only through my own businesses but after working with hundreds of clients.

If you don’t know me, I’m Scott (dive into my story here).

I’ve been an entrepreneur for as long as I can remember, and I’ve built, scaled, and exited multiple businesses over the years.

I like to think I’ve helped a lot of business owners in this time.

BUT I also appreciate I’ve been part of the problem.

Let me explain…

In 2015, I created the SSF Method. This quickly built a lot of momentum and helped many online business owners build and scale their businesses. 

I’m proud of this method and it continues to help lots of people. But only certain ones…

I didn’t appreciate it at the time, but I was at a certain level of consciousness and I attracted others at a similar level of consciousness. But more on this in a second…

Before that, I developed a new methodology in 2017/18 called The R.O.I. Method. This once again built massive traction and helped A LOT of businesses scale to seven and even eight figures. 

In turn, this led me to write my first major book, The Nuclear Effect (published in 2020). 

Once more, this blew up and helped a lot of people. But as my work before, it missed a key ingredient…

It’s this missing ingredient that’s inspired me to write this article.

Because this missing ingredient can save you a lot of time, energy, and money.

Let alone help you serve your audience in a much deeper, more impactful way!

This came on my radar after I read Frederick Dodson’s book, Levels of Energy, a few years ago. It isn’t a book about marketing, but as I read it my entire perception of marketing (and business overall) shifted.

The Problem with Marketing—an Instant Epiphany

Here’s the problem with marketing…

You have an audience, and they need you to help solve their problem. You appreciate they all have individual quirks, but you create an avatar and various segments to better organize them.

This in itself isn’t a problem. But it’s the beginning of a big one!

Because what comes next is some kind of funnel, methodology, framework, or whatever else someone like me gives to you (ie: The SSF Method, R.O.I. Method, Nuclear Effect…).

None of these methodologies, frameworks, or funnels are bad per se.

They can and DO have a massive impact on some.

The issue is, they place your audience into a specific environment that treats them like everyone else.

It removes their individuality and also removes your own. For a while, maybe the method you use works. But then maybe another hot trend hits the scene so you try to implement that one too. You’re left constantly second-guessing the situation, wondering what will and will not work.

The missing ingredient to all this is your (and your audiences’) level of consciousness.

Understanding this removes all the guesswork. It takes you and your current situation into consideration, as well as your audience—as a group, but also individually. It removes the need of choosing one marketing method over another. 

It makes you more adaptable, capable of honing in on what you need… WHEN you need it!

It changes everything, placing the power and control back into your hands.

The Four Levels of Consciousness (& HOW They Impact Your Marketing)

So, what are the different levels of consciousness?

I’ve distilled them into the following:

We’ll dive into each one next, but before we do it’s important to know no level is better than another. You’ll notice I use terms like higher-level of consciousness and lower-level of consciousness. This doesn’t mean Reactive is bad, though, and intuitive is best. They’re just different—they focus on different stages.

Take The SSF Method, for instance…

This remains an effective and highly-valuable resource for many people. Yet it isn’t one that serves those at the intellectual and intuitive levels. That’s fine. Not everyone is at those levels. 

Not that long ago, I was very much in the wilful level of consciousness.

Today, I attempt to live at a combination of Willful, Intellectual, and Intuitive. 

Just like you, I’ve been on a journey. I continue on this journey and will always be on it.

My customers are, and different ones are at different stages. That’s the point of all this!

… it helps you better appreciate where you are and where you’re heading.

… and, at the same time, better step into your audiences’ shows so you can better serve them.

Keep this in mind as you read on. It isn’t about which level is best. It’s about understanding them all so you choose the right path at the right time.

Let’s dive in…

1: Reactive

The first level of consciousness is Reactive—and it’s the one you will see most in the online space.

Think “bro” marketing and all the heavy-hitting tactics that come with it. At this level of consciousness, you and your customers are literally reacting from one decision to the next. Everything’s built around the short term, preying on fear and insecurity to get your customer to pull the trigger.

I’ll be upfront and say this is the one level of consciousness you do not want to be on or focus on.

For you, it keeps you in a reactionary state, feeding your feelings and moving from one thing to another. It’s a vicious cycle and isn’t a state of mind that helps you build a successful business. 

But you also don’t want to attract this kind of customer because someone like this isn’t loyal. They too react from one decision to another, never committing to any one thing.

It’s feast or famine, moving from one trend to the next. It works, as much of the online marketing world proves. But it isn’t good for the long term, and it doesn’t help you have a lasting impact.

The Marketing That Works With This Person…

The marketing that fuels this level of consciousness centers around scarcity and fear.

If you want to be a good dad, you need to act on this now!
To finally make good money and pay your bills, you need this!
If you don’t take me up on this offer right now, you’ll remain unhealthy and unhappy!

Everything surrounds acting “right now”, and everything involves some kind of fear and/or insecurity. Your customer either desires something they don’t have or are desperate to get rid of something they do. 

Your message hits on this over and over, assuring them that your solution is what they need.

The Marketing That DOES NOT Work With This Person…

As you can imagine, someone at this level of consciousness doesn’t show patience. 

You don’t want to give them a long application form. You need to give them the ability to buy now, making it as simple as possible. That isn’t to say a long-form sales page or video doesn’t work. But it constantly needs to trigger their pain and direct them to purchase.

Focusing on the long term doesn’t work with this type of individual, either.

They want immediate results; they want action, and they want it now!

If we use the example of buying a car, the person selling the car will follow one scarcity-driven tactic after another. If you buy this car now, you’ll save $800… I’ll throw in a free one-year warranty, but you need to act now… if you want to own this car, you need to pull the trigger now because it will be gone tomorrow.

And the person buying will nod along and say okay because they’re at the mercy of their emotions.

So they buy the car there and then, but likely feel duped further down the line. They’re a customer, but will they come back to this car lot next time around? Probably not!

In short… someone at this level of consciousness won’t help you achieve your long-term goals. You can make a lot of money at this level—the online world proves this each day—yet it’s reactionary and focused on the latest trends, hacks, and tricks to get someone to buy your thing (without seeing the entire picture). 

Yet it’s reactionary and focused on the latest trends.

From your point of view, it’s exhausting. It also means you work with an audience that’s near impossible to retain. You want to avoid this as much as you can, which leads us to the next level of consciousness…

2: Willful

There’s a lot of overlap between the reactive and willful levels of consciousness. Someone at the high-end of reactive is basically at the same stage as someone on the low-end of willful.

It’s at this stage that it’s possible for an individual to make real money and commit to a vision.

They open their eyes, and, more importantly, choose to keep them open.

A good example of someone who helps people get from reactive to willful is Gary V (whether he’s conscious of it or not). His entire message centers around doing the work and grinding your gears. You need to commit and no longer chase one trend after another (reactive) and put in the hours and work for your success (willful).

In short, someone who moves into this level of consciousness is motivated to make real changes!

Maybe this is to prove something to themselves or someone else. Maybe they have a family and they have to step up to the plate. Maybe they desire a situation that isn’t part of their current reality. Or maybe they’re tired of suffering the same pain and are ready to finally take action.

If you think about hustle culture, it lives and breathes in willful consciousness.

You’re motivated. You will on success. You are ready to work harder and longer than everyone else.

A 4am start, no problem. An eighty-hour workweek, bring it on. In the office at midnight, it feels great!

The Marketing That Works With This Person…

Someone in a willful level of consciousness is VERY goal-oriented. 

You still need to trigger their pain, but your focus turns to what they desire.

In the next 90 days, you’ll turn your $1,000 investment into $10,000!
You will have the body you dream of in the next six months!
I will show you how to triple your audience in one month!

At this level, more traditional marketing continues to work well: copywriting, direct response, etc…

Scarcity also continues to work well here (countdown timers, bonuses, etc…) because someone in a willful level of consciousness still feels that pain and insecurity. They’re more motivated and intentional than an individual stuck at reactive. But that pain is still raw and real. 

The Marketing That DOES NOT Work With This Person…

As with a person stuck in a reactive level of consciousness, you cannot throw too many steps in front of someone here. You can focus more on the long-term—so long as it focuses on what they want/who they want to be—but it still needs to give them the opportunity to pull the trigger.

If we use the car example again, the person at this level is still at the mercy of their emotions but is more focused on what they desire. If you drive this car away today, you’ll look amazing and you will feel amazing… this car helps you close more deals because your potential clients know you’re the real deal… this car has all the latest features, which is sure to save you a lot of time… 

The person buying is sold.

They like what they hear and they want to feel this way. They’re ready!

For years, I remained at this level of consciousness and I attracted customers in the same place.

You can build a solid business here. It offers a lot more retention and long-term stability compared to the reactive level. Yet it has a low ceiling. For the most part, you still attract and work with people with a scarcity outlook on life. They’re driven by their fears as much as they are their goals and vision.

Further, it can lead to a lot of customers attempting for you to lead them in ways that aren’t actually profitable or that aren’t sustainable for any type of online business.

You can do okay here, but to truly have an impact we need to look toward the intellectual

3: Intellectual

As you move into the intellectual level of consciousness and work with people at this level, you notice a huge shift from tactics to strategy.

At the willful level, everything centers around hard work and action.

At the intellectual level, the focus turns toward working smarter and more effectively.

This is an exciting level for both you and those you serve as it’s often when you generate the most wealth. For starters, you can charge more because you’re having a genuine impact on your audience—and they’re at a level where they invest more into their business and/or lives.

Someone at this level isn’t only goal-oriented but has a greater perspective on life overall.

Sure, they want to make money and scale their business. But they don’t want it to be at the expense of their family (or their health). They don’t want to work eighty-hour workweeks. They don’t want to still be in the office at midnight. Instead, they want to build success through a world-class team.

They want systems… processes… effective operations that allow them to leverage their time and money.

The Marketing That Works With This Person…

It’s at this level of consciousness that more traditional marketing stops working. Until now, you can prey on your audiences’ fears and insecurities. You can use scarcity to push them to make a decision.

That doesn’t work with someone at the intelligence level.

This is someone who takes calculated moves and does their research. You need to explain to them why what you offer is what they need. You need to showcase the short-term impact, but also how it impacts them further down the line.

Long-form sales pages with detailed case studies and examples…
Application forms that help you (and them) know this is the right offer…
An exploration phone call so they can ask questions and gather the details they need…

You need to reason with someone at the intellectual level. 

They’ve seen it all before. They’re not driven in the same way as those at the reactive and willful levels. 

They like to take their time and they like to make the right decision.

The Marketing That DOES NOT Work With This Person…

You can’t rush or B.S. someone at this level. It just doesn’t work.

They want and expect detail. They won’t fall for scarcity-driven tactics because they’re rooted in a more abundant mindset. They likely have the money, but not the time—and if they do have it, they treasure and protect it at all costs.

You have to prove what you offer is what they need.

You have to SHOW them and reason with them and take them on a journey.

If we use the car example once more, this person arrives at the car lot having already done their research. They don’t want to be sold to. They know what they want, and they have a list of questions. You can’t manipulate them and scare them. You have to prove you know what you’re talking about, answer their questions, and show them you have the best deal. 

In many ways, this is the most lucrative level of consciousness because you can build a massive business with a loyal and engaged audience. Yet you may also find this to become the most boring and frustrating level of consciousness because it’s so rooted in logic, strategy, and systems.

It’s stable. It’s rational. Each decision made carefully…

Many entrepreneurs become disillusioned here, which leads us to the final level of consciousness…

4: Intuitive

In this final level of consciousness, we find someone that’s rooted in the present and feels aligned with their life (and what’s around them). Often, they feel guided by something “bigger”.

Be that something spiritual or just a grander version of self.

At the intellectual level, you need to reason with your audience. So long as you can show them what you offer is what they need, you can convince them to take action.

You cannot reason with someone at the intuitive level!

This person listens to what they feel. Within minutes, they know whether it’s a yes or a no—and because they’re so aligned with their life and feelings, it’s easy for them to say yes or no! 

They’re not driven by scarcity and they’re not at the mercy of their fears and insecurities. To an extent, they feel a sense of peace and acceptance (in business and in life).

None of this is to say they don’t have ambition or lofty goals. It’s more a case they don’t feel the pressure that most people carry. They know what they want and need. They know what it looks like. 

When they find it, they’re all in. Everything else is a HELL NO!

The Marketing That Works With This Person…

If you want to market to someone at the intuitive level of consciousness, you cannot get caught up in plans, strategies, and launches.

You need to build a rapport with them and speak to them. Not with a detailed plan, but rather from the heart. You wake up and ask yourself, “what do I want to talk about today?”

This is how you get on their level.

From here, you need to keep it simple. In general, application forms and phone calls don’t work. They don’t need long case studies and a detailed blueprint of your entire program. You simply need to explain what it does, how it works, and who it’s for.

If it speaks to them, they’re in.

If not… they are not!

The Marketing That DOES NOT Work With This Person…

It’s a difficult transition from the intellectual level of consciousness to the intuitive level because at the intellectual level everything centers around detailed plans and strategies.

Yet that doesn’t work here.

They don’t care about branding or visuals or how good your copy is. A countdown timer won’t work. But neither will a four-page application form. They just need enough detail to decide if it’s a YES or a NO.

Using our car example one final time, the person at the intuitive level likely didn’t wake up expecting to buy a car. They passed the lot and felt compelled to explore it. They found a car and that car spoke to them. They don’t focus on the price or compare it to all the other models. They don’t have a long list of questions. The person selling the car can’t upsell them or add a bunch of extra features. 

The intuitive person knows what they want and they’re ready to buy.

It’s as simple as that! 

Waking up at the intuitive level each day is joyous because you truly get to do what you want to do.

You feel guided by something bigger. Not in a spiritual sense, per se, but rather in a sense you know what you want and you know where you’re heading. There’s less stress and pressure. It feels great.

BUT… it isn’t always practical to live on this level (at least, not all the time).

Sometimes, you do need launches and you do need a plan. At times, you’ll work with someone at an intuitive level, but other times you need to attract those at the intellectual or willful levels.

Life isn’t binary. Often, you need to appreciate all three levels; step in and out of each.

That’s where we turn our attention next, ensuring you use all this information to build a highly-successful business—now and in the future!

How To Build Your Business Around These Levels of Consciousness

As a general rule, you want to build your business by combining and moving between willful, intellectual, and intuitive consciousnesses. 


This isn’t about you the individual and the level you’re at, but rather your businesses and how to make sure you help your audience in the most relevant and effective way.


For most, that doesn’t involve the reactive level of consciousness.


It’s too short-term. Too reactionary. Too clickbaity!


It offers nothing but short-term gains, but often at the expense of long-term success. After all, a business that only serves this type of person has to reinvent itself every couple of years. Is that what you want?


Thought so…


Instead, you want to align the other three levels of consciousness by following this process:

Step 1: Where Are You?

To start with, figure out which level of consciousness you’re currently in.

You’re most likely between consciousnesses, and you are even more likely to flip between them. This is fine. Hone in on where you are and where you spend most of your time/what you relate to the most.

Be honest, though. You may not like where you are, but it’s important you accept this.

Once you have 👇👇

Step 2: What’s Your Desired Location?

Next, you need to focus on where you would like to be. Not in the long-term necessarily but the level of consciousness you’d like to evolve into in the coming months.

After all, if you’re currently in a willful state, the intuitive one likely doesn’t make sense to you (yet).

You need to upgrade to intellectual first, so get clear on this and visualize what it looks like/involves.

Step 3: Who (and Where) is Your Customer?

Once clear on yourself, you need to turn your attention toward your customer.

Who are they?
Who do you help the most?
Who do you enjoy working with the most?
What level of consciousness are they at?

This may or may not align with your level. After all, if you’re willful and want to evolve to the intellectual, you may have the greatest impact on someone caught between reactive and wilful

You may also have different types of customers that you serve in different ways.

Reflect on this. Get clear on who they are and where they are on their journey.

Step 4: What Marketing/Sales is Most Relevant?

After you hone in on these first three steps, your marketing and sales become A LOT easier!

You know what sort of launches you should do if you need them at all…
You know whether a long or short-form sales page works best…
You know the type of messaging that will capture your audience’s attention…

You also know what will work for different segments of your audience.

You likely have different avatars… well, now you can serve them in a way that makes sense to THEM!

Yet none of this is clear until you do this process!

Step 5: How Should You Set Up Your Operations?

Finally, all this helps you build the right systems, the right processes, the right products and services, customer support, and, more importantly… it helps you build the right team and culture.

If you’re working with those at the intellectual level but have a team stuck in reactive, what do you think happens? Nothing good, that is for sure.

This process impacts every aspect of your business. It helps you make the right decisions at the right time. AND ensures you step between these different levels of consciousness when you need to.

This isn’t a one-and-done thing. It isn’t binary. You go through this when you need to go through it, for different products, upcoming launches, new ventures…

It gives you the information you need to make the right decisions when you need to make them.

It’s a game-changer and presents you with an unfair advantage.

Conclusions & Next Steps

After reading this article, you can now see that although one level of consciousness isn’t better than the others, it is vital you ALWAYS take into consideration where you are and where your customers are.

Doing so allows you to have a true impact on those you serve.

No more generic box you force people into. No more funnels that treat everyone the same. No more universal methods that help some but turn off others. AND, most important of all, no more stressing and second-guessing over your marketing.

Remember, marketing and sales are easy if you know who you serve, what they need help with, and how you can help them. What we’ve gone through today provides you with all this information.

It’s so simple. Yet it’s something very few entrepreneurs consider.

Your next step is to take action, and one of the best ways to do this is to download the guide that accompanies this article—not only does it cover marketing and sales as a whole as we have here, but also specific tactics like funnels, selling techniques, online launches, and more.
To get instant access to this guide, complete this form now…
https://www.thelevelsguide.com/
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