Principles work everywhere. They don’t change with the weather or when the goin’ gets tough. They are constant and true. Like gravity, they are always there, whether you believe they are or not.
It has been said that the job of a leader is not to come up with the latest fad but to quietly remind others of things they already know. Today, I hope to remind you of a timeless principle you probably know: Be honest. If you are always honest, even when it is hard, people trust you.
Let’s say you have multiple products to sell. Deep down, you know that some of the products are better than others. In fact, there may even be a product or two that you wouldn’t buy even though you can sell it. It may seem like sales suicide to even mention the products that you don’t think are as good–but it’s not. In fact, telling a potential customer not to buy a certain product from you or telling them that they can get it cheaper elsewhere can actually build trust to sell the products you do believe in. The reason? Honesty is a principle that always works in the long run. By just telling the truth, you don’t come across as the salesperson that just wants to sell them anything and everything; through this you gain trust and sell more in the long run.
Let me put it another way. Let’s say you go to a restaurant and you ask the waiter, “What’s good on the menu?” The waiter replies, “EVERYTHING IS FANTASTIC!” Though part of the waiter’s job may be to “sell” you some food, replying that everything is great may make you lose a little bit of trust because it almost feels like you are being “sold.” Plus, it didn’t help you–you wanted a bit of guidance on what food to order, and now you are back at square one, wondering what to order.
It actually creates trust when the waiter just tells the truth, even if he or she may criticize some items on the menu. Contrast “EVERYTHING IS FANTASTIC!” with, “You know, I’m not a fan of the salads, but our steak is really good. I don’t think you need to get the most expensive steak; stick with the less expensive tenderloin–it’s actually a bit better.”
Even though you may not buy the salad or steak, you probably feel (maybe even unconsciously) that you can trust this person. They were trying not only to save you from the salads but also a little cash. In fact, this trust may even cause you to tip a little better (with the money you saved).
Same thing goes in sales: tell the truth. The absolute truth. Not because it’s a technique that works, but because it is a timeless principle that works everywhere. Don’t be afraid to mention that one product you wouldn’t buy. Don’t be afraid to tell them to skip the most expensive product if you wouldn’t buy it. You will build trust, and the probability of selling the products that you actually believe in will increase.
Gravity works here, on the other side of the world, and even throughout the galaxy. You can align yourself with it (example: make money selling electricity from a hydroelectric dam, open a skydiving company, etc), or you can ignore it to your peril (by carelessly falling off a cliff).
Honesty, like all timeless and true principles, is the same way. It works here, on the other side of the world, and I would venture to say, thoughout the galaxy. It works in sales, with your family, and with other relationships. It works everywhere. And not because I said so.
I didn’t invent gravity either.