SaleFu – Character and Integrity

Who are you when no one is looking?

Character and Integrity: Who are you when no one is looking?  What do you do?  I’ve met people of questionable moral fiber; unfortunately some of them have had immense wealth and success.  I’m just not sure how they sleep at night.  I find that it’s much easier to be authentic and treat others how I’d want to be treated, or at least how they would want to be treated.

My wife just asked me about one of my morning routines.  Every morning I write 4 words on the bathroom mirror with a dry erase marker — Write, Right, Health and Wealth.  These 4 words have driven me for the past year but she asked me specifically about the word, “Right” and why I feel the need to actually include it here.  She’s wondering if I really need to remind myself to do the right things, shouldn’t people just do the right things all the time?

Well, yes we should do the right things all the time.  It’s not always easy though.  I think that the people with strong Character and Integrity face the same challenges as everyone else; they just make the decisions that may not be as popular or easy but have the better long term outcome. Should I read to my children when I get home from work or should I turn on the television and zone out with them in the same room?  I think that the right thing to do is to make sure I spend time reading to them and showing the discipline to finish a longer chapter book and to help them create strong positive habits.  Sometimes I still turn on the TV though.

I believe that having good Character and Integrity is integral to being a great salesperson.  True professionals help their customers and feel good about it.  If your customer gets off the phone with you and instantly thinks that they just got “Sold”, then you are doing something wrong.  The customer believes that you are the swindler, the charlatan, the guy that says whatever is needed to get them to open up their pocket book, you aren’t authentic and your customers believe you are peddling snake oil.

Human beings aren’t great lie detectors, but we know when something just doesn’t feel right.  You know it.  I’ve heard salesmen say things over the phone that were blatantly false to try to earn rapport.  Movies like Boiler Room and The Wolf of Wall Street make it seem like it is common practice to deceive a customer over the phone and say whatever it takes to earn a deal.  I have watched both of these and I love some of the dialogue, it still gets me pumped up and excited to be a salesman today, but I know that I can only sell something I actually believe in.

If you want to impose your will on the world, then ultimately you need to be responsible for what you are asking for and how you accomplish your goals.  Be honest with yourself, those around you and your customers.  Acknowledge your mistakes, learn from them and take responsibility for them.  When you are right, don’t gloat.  Just keep moving on.  You don’t have time for games; you’ve got a mission to accomplish.

        Don’t lie.  Don’t steal.  Don’t cheat.

Fess up when wrong and don’t rub it in when you’re right.