The Critical Role of Ethics -- Part 2
By Tom Black
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Being Dishonest with Prospects Increases Your Probability of Losing Sales
[There are certain rules of fair play in selling -- most of these rules can be summed up in a single word: Honesty. There are endless chances in selling to be dishonest. Sometimes you will never get caught, but for most of us, the stress and tension of living with a lie is just as bad as getting caught. Teddy Roosevelt once said, "Character in the long run is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike."]
Honesty to Your Prospects
The second obligation we have is to be honest with our prospects. It's always better to tell the truth than to try to remember a lie. Intuitively, a high percentage of prospects can detect when they are being misled. Here are a few basic guidelines to abide by when dealing with prospects and customers:
I learned early in my career to be honest with my prospects. Once when I was selling books, I used the name of a person who I had talked to but hadn't bought from me. The prospect confronted me, and I lost that sale and all the others that were in the prospect's sphere of influence. In the banking world, I saw the same kind of thing. No long term success will ever come from anything but honesty. When a bank prospect called one of my current customers, the best thing those customers could say was, "You can count on them, me, or the company -- they were all the same to do what he says." In my opinion, there can be no better recommendation.
There is no salesperson who can call himself a salesperson who can't look a customer in the eye and feel good about the transaction.
In one company I am chairman of we fix ATMs. We often buy used ATMs, and in one used ATM we discovered $80,000 inside that clearly did not belong to us. Finders keepers? Not really. We spent $5,000 in legal fees trying to figure out whose money it was, and when we did, we sent all $80,000 back. Too many salespeople and companies I know would have abided by the finders keepers mentality. Bottom line: it just wasn't our money. As salespeople, this is the attitude we must have -- look for a fair deal for the prospect in addition to a fair deal for you and your company.
From: The Boxcar Millionaire
© 2007 Tom Black Center for Selling, Inc.
CJW-029-014178
[There are certain rules of fair play in selling -- most of these rules can be summed up in a single word: Honesty. There are endless chances in selling to be dishonest. Sometimes you will never get caught, but for most of us, the stress and tension of living with a lie is just as bad as getting caught. Teddy Roosevelt once said, "Character in the long run is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike."]
Honesty to Your Prospects
The second obligation we have is to be honest with our prospects. It's always better to tell the truth than to try to remember a lie. Intuitively, a high percentage of prospects can detect when they are being misled. Here are a few basic guidelines to abide by when dealing with prospects and customers:
- Don't overstate the benefits of your product.
- Don't leave details out purposely that will hurt your prospect.
- Don't accept money under false pretenses.
- Don't offer money under false pretenses.
I learned early in my career to be honest with my prospects. Once when I was selling books, I used the name of a person who I had talked to but hadn't bought from me. The prospect confronted me, and I lost that sale and all the others that were in the prospect's sphere of influence. In the banking world, I saw the same kind of thing. No long term success will ever come from anything but honesty. When a bank prospect called one of my current customers, the best thing those customers could say was, "You can count on them, me, or the company -- they were all the same to do what he says." In my opinion, there can be no better recommendation.
There is no salesperson who can call himself a salesperson who can't look a customer in the eye and feel good about the transaction.
In one company I am chairman of we fix ATMs. We often buy used ATMs, and in one used ATM we discovered $80,000 inside that clearly did not belong to us. Finders keepers? Not really. We spent $5,000 in legal fees trying to figure out whose money it was, and when we did, we sent all $80,000 back. Too many salespeople and companies I know would have abided by the finders keepers mentality. Bottom line: it just wasn't our money. As salespeople, this is the attitude we must have -- look for a fair deal for the prospect in addition to a fair deal for you and your company.
From: The Boxcar Millionaire
© 2007 Tom Black Center for Selling, Inc.
CJW-029-014178
Visit Tom Black's Website: http://www.tomblackcenter.com
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