The previous post about partnerships seems to point the finger at customers who lie and take advantage of salespeople. We all know that this IS a two way street.
Salespeople today must have the highest integrity and serve customers well. Without that trust, clients will be unwilling to give the business to you even if they have to pay a higher price. AND customers have a very good memory if they think they have been, uh, mishandled.
Perhaps the most common type of lie or simply being "misleading" is lying by omission. Frequently, there is all kinds of information that has no relevance and doesn't need to be discussed. However withholding information that is relevant that could cost you the sale can sink your career faster than a canoe with a 12" hole in the bottom. The other common type of lie from sales people is "yes we can" without knowing it to be true. When clients learn the truth . . .
Many sales trainers believe that "no" should be taken out of the dictionary. While I am a "yes" kind of guy, if I don't know, I ask for time to do the homework. It is much better to under promise and over deliver!!
I've been fortunate enough to have worked mostly with and for people of high integrity. I have also let the people I work with know that integrity is expected. By having high expectations of myself and others, rarely have I been let down. I hope that the same is true for you.
Showing posts with label Truth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Truth. Show all posts
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Truth and Consequences
This is such a basic topic that very little is written about it. Books, chapters are not dedicated to the importance of truth because we all believe in it. Right? Once in while you'll find a magazine article dedicated to truth and its application in selling but that is about it.
Unfortunately, many people believe that truth is in the eye of the beholder, that getting the job/order is the only truth that counts; "my truth is the paycheck!" Recently, a friend of mine was telling me about an argument that he had with his boss. My friends' company needed 8 weeks to produce a product and his boss wanted him to tell the customer 4 weeks. The discussion was essentially that the boss was afraid if 4 weeks was not quoted, they'd never get the job. The point my friend made was if they lied to get the order, they may never get another!
For some reason when it comes to a customer lying it suddenly becomes "shrewed negotiating". It's considered ok for a purchasing agent to request getting a shipment overnight knowing the product won't be needed for a week. Or to say that they are paying considerably less than they actually are. In one prime example of this, I had been trying to do business with a very large tire manufacturer but I'd lose every opportunity and each time I followed up, the same answer was given "your price was too high" . The next opportunity to quote was for a specific product that was distributed by my company and several competitors but by contract I had a "protected" territory and a pricing structure equivalent to everyone else in the USA. The price quoted to the tire company was 10% below my cost and the order was still lost. While talking with the purchasing agent I admitted what I had done and asked him what was going on, diplomatically of course! Somebody else had a better relationship with that PA, he was required to get three quotes and that was that. Lesson learned on my part - DEVELOP A BETTER RELATIONSHIP!
Or perhaps to try to trick the salesman into making a mistake. Several years ago a very large company started having problems with a product that I represented. The product had been installed for about 10 -15 years. When I investigated the situation, it was determined that production had been ramped up so much during that time that my product was being asked to perform twice as well as it had been designed to do. When I advised the customer this, the engineer said "Oh, we knew that. We just wanted to see what you'd say" . Which implied to me that a mistake on my part was being hoped for so that they wouldn't have to spend their money.
I am brutally honest, perhaps to a fault, with my customers and the companies that I represent. It has won me a lot of business because I'm trusted. It has greatly irritated people that I have sold for, from presidents down to folks producing products. Lying or misleading customers only leads to disasterous results down the road and some of the stories that I have heard from customers have confirmed that to me. Now, many times the customers will set themselves up for disappointment and will have very selective memories but being truthful and upfront will win in the long run. "Honesty is the best policy" and "do better unto others than you would have them do unto you."
Unfortunately, many people believe that truth is in the eye of the beholder, that getting the job/order is the only truth that counts; "my truth is the paycheck!" Recently, a friend of mine was telling me about an argument that he had with his boss. My friends' company needed 8 weeks to produce a product and his boss wanted him to tell the customer 4 weeks. The discussion was essentially that the boss was afraid if 4 weeks was not quoted, they'd never get the job. The point my friend made was if they lied to get the order, they may never get another!
For some reason when it comes to a customer lying it suddenly becomes "shrewed negotiating". It's considered ok for a purchasing agent to request getting a shipment overnight knowing the product won't be needed for a week. Or to say that they are paying considerably less than they actually are. In one prime example of this, I had been trying to do business with a very large tire manufacturer but I'd lose every opportunity and each time I followed up, the same answer was given "your price was too high" . The next opportunity to quote was for a specific product that was distributed by my company and several competitors but by contract I had a "protected" territory and a pricing structure equivalent to everyone else in the USA. The price quoted to the tire company was 10% below my cost and the order was still lost. While talking with the purchasing agent I admitted what I had done and asked him what was going on, diplomatically of course! Somebody else had a better relationship with that PA, he was required to get three quotes and that was that. Lesson learned on my part - DEVELOP A BETTER RELATIONSHIP!
Or perhaps to try to trick the salesman into making a mistake. Several years ago a very large company started having problems with a product that I represented. The product had been installed for about 10 -15 years. When I investigated the situation, it was determined that production had been ramped up so much during that time that my product was being asked to perform twice as well as it had been designed to do. When I advised the customer this, the engineer said "Oh, we knew that. We just wanted to see what you'd say" . Which implied to me that a mistake on my part was being hoped for so that they wouldn't have to spend their money.
I am brutally honest, perhaps to a fault, with my customers and the companies that I represent. It has won me a lot of business because I'm trusted. It has greatly irritated people that I have sold for, from presidents down to folks producing products. Lying or misleading customers only leads to disasterous results down the road and some of the stories that I have heard from customers have confirmed that to me. Now, many times the customers will set themselves up for disappointment and will have very selective memories but being truthful and upfront will win in the long run. "Honesty is the best policy" and "do better unto others than you would have them do unto you."
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