This is a Guest post by Jill Konrath of Selling To Big Companies.
Currently, the economy is worrying a lot of people. Many sellers are extremely pressured to bring in more business. Recently, someone contacted me, concerned with being pressured to do “whatever it takes” to get the deal.
As far as I’m concerned, that’s a method for disaster – and here’s why …
When I started my sales career at Xerox, it was clear that performing poorly was not okay. Every month, the regional offices would post stack rankings of all the representatives presenting their monthly numbers and their year-to-date results.
It was not only embarrassing to be at the bottom of those stack rankings , but it also meant that you’d likely need to look for another job. We all dream of being and staying at the top. The recognition, the money and position were huge – and vastly seductive.
I am divulging this because sellers at either end of those stack rankings (including me at the time), were likely to “cheat” a little in order to get ahead and upgrade their positions. Here’s how they do it:
- Doing business in other seller’s territories.
- Giving presents under the table to enhance the deal.
- Misrepresenting product/service potential, mostly through omission.
- Making rude and insulting remarks about their competition or even their colleagues.
Each of these unacceptable behaviors (and others that I haven’t mentioned) can have serious consequences.
It eats away at your personal integrity. Cheating once will make it easier for you to do it over and over again. Over time, you’ll have “sold your soul” in order to close the deal.
The minute your co-workers discover that you bend the rules to get ahead, this influences their ability to trust you. Professionally, you’ll become more isolated because they avoid talking and sharing things with you.
Once your prospects sense or realize your self-serving behaviors, they may refuse to do business with you. Unsatisfied customers will tell their friends and your reputation as an unethical seller or business will spread. You’ll actually lose work in the long run.
If you’re tempted to be even the slightest bit unethical, don’t do it. Instead, do what’s right. You can live with yourself much better. And, it’s good for business.
Jill Konrath, author of Selling to Big Companies, helps sellers crack into corporate accounts, shorten sales cycles and win big contracts. She’s a frequent speaker at annual sales meetings, kick-off events and professional conferences. For timely and provocative sales advice, visit www.SellingtoBigCompanies.com.
