The Highest Ethical Standards Approach for Success – Final Post
With consumer confidence hanging precariously in the balance these days, the slightest misstep by a salesperson can cause the “scales of trust” to tip away from making a sale— and rightfully so.
(Paragraph excerpted from Selling Through Personal Integrity, Frugal Speaker blog post, April 27, 2009, by Kenton W. Davis.)
Malcolm Gladwell, bestselling author of The Tipping Point, defines the title of this work as (the moment when) "the levels at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable". And now for the billion dollar question: Have the ever-increasing levels of immoral business practices finally pushed today’s consumer past the trust tipping point?
In the event that you’re one of the salespeople out there still pondering the answer to this question— not yet quite convinced that your future selling success will require a more ethical and transparent approach— your time would probably be better spent polishing your resume or planning your retirement party rather than reading the rest of this post.
As for the true sales professionals following this blog, those whom understand the cynicism expressed by today’s consumer toward salespeople is completely justified, those willing to take the necessary steps to ensure that they build a strong foundation of trust with their customers, and those willing to develop the right philosophy, provide total disclosure, and be an expert— your continued success in the future is virtually guaranteed.
Finally, let’s remember this: When a customer decides to buy from you they are in fact saying “I trust you”, and their trust is not something that should be taken lightly. Although the public has been inundated daily with negative news of fraud, schemes, and scams, making it much more difficult to earn the trust of the consumer, in that moment of decision— when the scales must tip one way or another and a sale is made or lost— it is you that will make the difference.
We will not be able to legislate our way back into “good standing” with the consumer. There is only one way to get there from here. The answer to renewing confidence and rebuilding consumer trust is to be absolutely certain that we are selling through personal integrity and applying nothing short of the highest ethical standards approach for success in every interaction with our customers.
Do it because it is the right thing to do!
Showing posts with label trust. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trust. Show all posts
Friday, May 1, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Selling Through Personal Integrity
The Highest Ethical Standards Approach for Success – Next Steps
When you develop and employ the right selling philosophy, you become a unique type of sales professional — one that customers will trust and actually desire to do business with.
(Paragraph excerpted from Selling Through Personal Integrity, Frugal Speaker blog post, April 20, 2009, by Kenton W. Davis.)
In the last post, we established the importance of developing a “do the right thing” selling philosophy as the first step toward building a strong foundation of trust with your customers. This next step falls into the category of “the more challenging bit”, and will likely test the ethical mettle of many sales professionals.
The next step is to provide total disclosure!
If you’re truly serious about building a strong foundation of trust with your customers, you must be committed to providing them with full or total disclosure about every aspect of the product or service you are selling. Total disclosure ensures that the customer has all the information they need to make an intelligent and truly informed decision.
Let’s take a look at how the Free Legal Dictionary by Farlex defines the term “full disclosure”: full disclosure n. the need in business transactions to tell the "whole truth" about any matter which the other party should know in deciding to buy or contract...
Not much wiggle room in that definition!
Although it may seem counterintuitive to purposefully enlarge the “fine print” in the business transaction before the sale is finalized as part of one’s standard selling procedure, this is exactly what today’s professional salesperson needs to be doing to ensure continued success in the future.
Your willingness to openly discuss every aspect of the sale with your customer, beyond the usual “features and benefits” roll up, financing and credit stuff, and the perfunctory review of legally required disclosures— even to the point of determining that the product or service you’re selling may not be right for them— is the level of transparency that today’s consumer will expect in return for their trust and ultimately their business.
Continue to stay tuned for success!
When you develop and employ the right selling philosophy, you become a unique type of sales professional — one that customers will trust and actually desire to do business with.
(Paragraph excerpted from Selling Through Personal Integrity, Frugal Speaker blog post, April 20, 2009, by Kenton W. Davis.)
In the last post, we established the importance of developing a “do the right thing” selling philosophy as the first step toward building a strong foundation of trust with your customers. This next step falls into the category of “the more challenging bit”, and will likely test the ethical mettle of many sales professionals.
The next step is to provide total disclosure!
If you’re truly serious about building a strong foundation of trust with your customers, you must be committed to providing them with full or total disclosure about every aspect of the product or service you are selling. Total disclosure ensures that the customer has all the information they need to make an intelligent and truly informed decision.
Let’s take a look at how the Free Legal Dictionary by Farlex defines the term “full disclosure”: full disclosure n. the need in business transactions to tell the "whole truth" about any matter which the other party should know in deciding to buy or contract...
Not much wiggle room in that definition!
Although it may seem counterintuitive to purposefully enlarge the “fine print” in the business transaction before the sale is finalized as part of one’s standard selling procedure, this is exactly what today’s professional salesperson needs to be doing to ensure continued success in the future.
Your willingness to openly discuss every aspect of the sale with your customer, beyond the usual “features and benefits” roll up, financing and credit stuff, and the perfunctory review of legally required disclosures— even to the point of determining that the product or service you’re selling may not be right for them— is the level of transparency that today’s consumer will expect in return for their trust and ultimately their business.
Continue to stay tuned for success!
Monday, April 13, 2009
Your True Selling Motives Revealed
The Eyes Are the Windows to the Soul
Your customers will see your true selling motives— guaranteed. From the moment they meet you, they are measuring everything you say and do. With the skill of a police sketch artist, they quickly begin to form a “values composite image” of you. By the time that they are finished, this mental image, and the resulting “gut feeling” they develop from it, will determine whether or not they trust you enough to do business with you. It’s just that simple.
The celebrated phrase “the eyes are the window to the soul”, helps to explain how your customers will make this important evaluation. While you are making your presentation, your customers will be peering right through those “windows” of yours, searching for clues that will help them evaluate your motives.
If you’re thinking about making a sale, mentally calculating how much money you’re about to make… good luck. It is highly unlikely that your customers will ignore the two giant dollar signs that appear in your eyes, suddenly trust you, and end up deciding to buy from you. Conversely, if you’re focused on representing the best interest of your customers, setting aside any thoughts of personal financial gain, the reflection is very different. Your customers will see how much you truly care, trust will develop, and they will be far more likely to buy something from you.
While you’re working with your customers, some of them may be conscious of the “values assessment” they are conducting, perhaps even providing you with verbal clues that they are sizing you up (i.e. questioning how long you have been in the business, asking if you are paid by commissions, etc.). However, most will simply decide whether or not to trust you based on the unconscious “gut feeling” they develop.
If you want to make more sales today, and enjoy a corresponding increase in earnings throughout your career, first do a little personal reflection. Decide what is really important. Suspend any thoughts of sales quotas, commissions, or other compensation, before you meet with your next customer and focus completely on representing their best interest. You’ll be amazed at the results.
Your customers will see your true selling motives— guaranteed. From the moment they meet you, they are measuring everything you say and do. With the skill of a police sketch artist, they quickly begin to form a “values composite image” of you. By the time that they are finished, this mental image, and the resulting “gut feeling” they develop from it, will determine whether or not they trust you enough to do business with you. It’s just that simple.
The celebrated phrase “the eyes are the window to the soul”, helps to explain how your customers will make this important evaluation. While you are making your presentation, your customers will be peering right through those “windows” of yours, searching for clues that will help them evaluate your motives.
If you’re thinking about making a sale, mentally calculating how much money you’re about to make… good luck. It is highly unlikely that your customers will ignore the two giant dollar signs that appear in your eyes, suddenly trust you, and end up deciding to buy from you. Conversely, if you’re focused on representing the best interest of your customers, setting aside any thoughts of personal financial gain, the reflection is very different. Your customers will see how much you truly care, trust will develop, and they will be far more likely to buy something from you.
While you’re working with your customers, some of them may be conscious of the “values assessment” they are conducting, perhaps even providing you with verbal clues that they are sizing you up (i.e. questioning how long you have been in the business, asking if you are paid by commissions, etc.). However, most will simply decide whether or not to trust you based on the unconscious “gut feeling” they develop.
If you want to make more sales today, and enjoy a corresponding increase in earnings throughout your career, first do a little personal reflection. Decide what is really important. Suspend any thoughts of sales quotas, commissions, or other compensation, before you meet with your next customer and focus completely on representing their best interest. You’ll be amazed at the results.
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