# 64 The Sales Profession Selling with Integrity Professional Selling Why do salespeople exaggerate? It‟s well established that trust and integrity on the part of the salesperson are the foundation of a successful buyer/seller relationship. Let‟s face it... customers aren‟t likely to buy from you unless they feel confident you will do what you say you‟ll do and deliver on your promises. No one will do business with a supplier for very long, if they do not trust them and believe what they have to say. Nevertheless, most customers report they do encounter salespeople who make exaggerated or untruthful claims. If telling the truth is so important, why would a salesperson ever stray from the straight and narrow path of absolute integrity? Although there are many reasons why a salesperson might waver from the truth, three come to mind: First, some people by nature tend to exaggerate and boast. Buyers say this type of person seldom lets „the facts get in the way of a good story.‟ As you might expect, people who exaggerate as a way of life, don‟t last too long in sales. The second reason some salespeople make claims that are untrue is because they are afraid to appear foolish or uninformed. If a customer or pros- pect asks a question and the sales rep does not know the answer, they will make some generalization and try to cover up for what they do not know. Unsubstantiated claims without evidence and proof builds mistrust. The third reason salespeople sometimes fail to tell the whole truth, is because of pressure they feel to make the sale, today. They try to „hurry up the sales process‟ and omit the key steps necessary to establish credibility, earn the right to have positive influence, and build a long-term relationship with the buyer. Needless to say, there are no excuses for anything less than 100% honesty and integrity. When salespeople try to fool buyers into believing they can do something they can‟t; or if they exaggerate how their product or service will perform, salespeople are fooling nobody but themselves. Most buyers can read the signs when a seller is not being truthful. Because salespeople are normally uncomfortable when stretching the truth, they transmit deceitful behavior in different ways. While they may sound convincing, their gestures speak louder than their words. © 2006 JG Henion Page 2 Building trust in the sales environment The well known former CEO of General Electric, Jack Welch was recently asked, “Is there a short answer for building trust in the workplace.” Mr. Welch responded, “Yes, the answer is very short. Just say what you mean and do what you say.” Welch continued, “Trust fritters and dies in two ways. First, trust deteriorates when people are not candid with one another. This happens when they use jargon and baloney to purposely make matters obscure and themselves less accountable. “The second trust-killer occurs when people say one thing and do another.” Welch concludes, “Trust, ultimately, isn‟t very complicated. It‟s earned through words and actions instilled with integrity." When you tell the TRUTH, people BELIEVE you! Everybody knows that truth and honesty are the foundation of a successful selling career. No relationship can endure unless people can be counted on to be truthful. Customers today, especially business-to-business customers, are incredibly good at identifying sellers who are not being truthful. As a result, if they don‟t believe the seller is trustworthy, they don‟t have to take his or her word for anything. Buyers have constant access to other vendors‟ counter claims. They can post their questions on discussion groups and get relevant, helpful, immediate answers on any subject. If a salesperson doesn‟t know the answer, he or she‟d better say so. There‟s nothing wrong in saying, “That‟s a good question. I‟d like to research that and get back to you with the latest information.” Nevertheless, if you ask any farm buyer whether he or she has ever had the experience of dealing with an untruthful supplier, they would no doubt have several stories to share. How does a buyer know when he or she is dealing with a supplier who is dishonest? Ed Silba, a consultant from Asheville, NC, answers this way: “People can tell from our facial features and by the manner in which we say things whether we are being truthful or not. When you are telling the truth, you project that. When you tell the truth, people sense it and trust you.” Joe Stewart, Nampa, ID, adds: “If someone is not being honest with me, it may not be immediately obvious. But as time goes along, if I pick up little inconsistencies, then I begin to wonder if I can believe this person.” Bruce Weaver, Windber, PA., adds, “If you are not true to your word, people will see through that. Before long, the neighbors will start talking about you.” Mark Twain once said, “If you tell the truth, you‟ll have a lot less to remember!” This is why when you tell the truth, people BELIEVE you. When you DO WHAT YOU SAY you’ll do, people TRUST you! Pete Gelber, of Alliance Dairy, Bell, FL., shares an example of how trust fails when a supplier does not follow through on quoted prices. He says, “When our guys in the barn are quoted one price and then a different price is charged to the secretaries who pay the bills, I consider that almost like stealing. “Unfortunately, this happens more on the larger farms where we are buying a lot of products from many different suppliers. It seems like we never get undercharged. “If your price goes up, the guy out there who is buying the product needs to be told the price has gone up before the secretary gets the bill.” Do what you say you are going to do, and people will TRUST you!
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