Achieving success in sales sounds simple. Just persuade an individual to buy your company’s products/services by any means and you will see the revenue will magically increase, right? At least this is what many salesperson think. Yet these salespeople are disappointed month after month because they do not have the right soft skill required to be successful in sales.
Success in sales doesn’t go to the one who sells a product/service at the lowest price. Nor does success in sales go to one who has the best client base. And success in sales doesn’t even go to the one whose intelligence level is the most. Then who do you think can achieve success in sales?
Only people who practice integrity with every individual whom they meet can achieve success in sales. There is no alternative—no substitute—to consistent integrity.
It has been a few years that I left my job. I used to work for a Fortune 100 company in sales management. I started going around the world, working with salespeople across different industries. Over the years, I have personally met a number of salespeople, each having their own level of failures and success. I have even met thousands of CEOs, VPs of Sales, sales managers and others from ‘C Suite’. All those communications and opportunities have allowed me to know about so many industries and have opened up to me more what it actually takes to be at the top.
People who are at the top are those who breathe integrity in whatever they do. This is true in bad as well as in good economic times, through company chaos and global upheavals. The steady factor to success isn’t an external condition, but an internal obligation to high level integrity. These are not the people who essentially close all the deals that come along their way. But in their attitude and actions, throughout the year, they walk with integrity.
What you might be interested to know about now is what integrity is. I would describe the term as adhering to ethical and moral standards, irrespective of the situation. It isn’t a commodity, which you can use anytime when you need it and throw it aside when it doesn’t benefit you. Consistency is a hallmark sign of true integrity.
Being in the sales for a long time, I have had the exclusive perception of spotting people others rely on and want to follow. Several times I have even seen that this person actually has the official capacity of being a leader. Irrespective of the position, they probably exert much influence for their integrity.
Integrity begins with letting yourself be public and personally accountable for everything that you do and think. It is more about landing yourself personally to a greater degree of responsibility, because the actual commitment of integrity is how it leads you every day in your activities and actions. Accept 100% accountability for how you put yourself to others and do it in a unique way.
When it comes to reinforcing your integrity, here are a few points I think you should consider:
No individual can be compelled to operate with integrity. It is totally your internal preference, which is reflected in the external activities.
You can always start today because it is never too late! If you’ve struggled with integrity in your past, start today to set a completely new course. In big ways and small ways, start to line up your attitudes and activities with a strong ethical and moral standard.
Admit the fact that you will not close every deal as you do not want to make compromises with your standards.
Measure your integrity when nobody is around you or nobody is willing to find out what you have or have not done in their absence.
Learn from people who walk and breathe integrity. Follow their principles and approaches. Try to be surrounded by these kinds of people.